The Law Commission has sought suggestions from various stakeholders on electoral reforms in order to address issues like poll funding, disqualification of candidates, filing of false affidavits and “paid news”.
The Centre had referred the issue to the Law Commission, asking for measures to bring comprehensive reforms in laws relating to elections.
In order to elicit response from various quarters, the commission has prepared a consultation paper. “The election system comprises a complex web of different nuances, including legal, political, economic, social, religious, ethical and moral ones, and this complexity makes the task of suggesting reforms quite challenging. No single aspect of election process can be looked at in isolation from others.
Most, if not all, areas of these aspects are of the nature where law either interacts or is needed to interact more closely,” an official statement said.
The commission wants to focus largely on issues relating to qualifications/disqualifications of those seeking election, disqualification of persons already elected, modes, methods and quantum of funding of elections, transparency, accountability and sources of spending by political parties and their candidates during elections, regulations and ethical conduct of political parties or candidates participating in elections, filing of false affidavits which is a ground for disqualification, role of electronic and print media, impact of “paid news”.