Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​Tighten the process: On the Election Commission of India, election processes

​Tighten the process: On the Election Commission of India, election processes

The ECI must address legitimate (वैध, न्यायसंगत) concerns about voter rolls (सूची, पंजी) and transparency (पारदर्शिता, स्पष्टता)

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has raised troubling (चिंताजनक) questions about the conduct (संचालन, प्रबंधन) of elections based on what transpired in the 2024 Assembly (the legislature of State government in the Indian system of government with elected representatives by the voters of an electoral districts (constituencies); law-making body or governing body) elections in Maharashtra. There are specific issues: the abnormal (असामान्य, अप्रत्याशित) increase in voters listed in electoral rolls between the general election and Assembly elections, higher turnout (participation, attendance. (Voter turnout refers to the number or percentage of eligible voters who cast their ballots)) numbers after 5 p.m. on voting day, and the Centre amending the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 (निर्वाचन संचालन नियम, 1961) to restrict access to CCTV footage of the polling process. Mr. Gandhi has also questioned the process of appointing Election Commissioners, with the Union government refusing to implement a Supreme Court judgment in 2023 that recommended having the Chief Justice of India as a part of the selection panel (समिति, मंडल). While political parties, including the BJP and the Congress, have raised complaints about Electronic Voting Machines in the past, many did not stand scrutiny (जांच-पड़ताल, निरीक्षण) considering (को ध्यान में रखते हुए) the administrative and technological safeguards (सुरक्षा, संरक्षण). The Congress has now focused on the electoral process, raising more fundamental issues that need to be unpacked (analyse all the parts of something) separately.

A preliminary analysis by The Hindu of registered voters in States where the general election and Assembly elections were proximate (approaching, upcoming, imminent, impending, nearing, at hand; approximate, close, nearest, firsthand, adjacent) showed that there were precedents (मिसाल, पूर्व उदाहरण) of sharp increases in the electorate (मतदाता समूह) before Assembly elections. While the number of new voters added before the Assembly elections was high — more than 39 lakh voters in just six months following (after, subsequent to, in the wake of, as a result of, ensuing) the general election — similar increases were observed in 2014 as well. The increase of nearly (लगभग, करीब-करीब) four million voters is a large number and the ECI should proactively (farsightedly, shrewdly, energetically) release machine-readable data on the rolls for verification. Regarding (with regard to, with reference to, in terms of, concerning, as to, in connection with) the allegation (claim, accusation, charge, indictment) that turnout increases were abnormal after 5 p.m, the argument does not hold water (to withstand scrutiny or criticism; bear scrutiny; stand scrutiny, ring true). This is based on provisional turnout figures, and Election Commission of India (ECI) data show that there was no significant increase in voting after 5 p.m. in Maharashtra. Provisional (tentative, temporary, unfinished, short-term, transitional) turnout figures shared via (by means of; by way of; through) an app by the ECI are not entirely accurate as these are dependent on the manual entry of numbers during elections and may have discrepancies (contradiction, difference, variance, variation, deviation, dissimilarity, disagreement, paradox, incongruity) when compared to the accurate machine count. As final figures via Form 17C (it contains the account of votes recorded at each polling station) data from each booth are released only after a lag (delay, pause), it would be incorrect to rely on (depend on, count on, bank on, lean on, resort to, or have recourse to) provisional turnout figures (number). However, there is another contention (case, allegation, argument) that merits (warrant, justify, deserve, be worthy of) the ECI’s response: retaining CCTV footage and providing parties and their nominees (appointee, candidate) access to it to scrutinise (examine carefully, inspect; investigate, assess) complaints. The process of updating electoral rolls must be more transparent (honest, forthright, straightforward, crystal-clear, unambiguous, unequivocal) and involve political parties for scrutiny and verification. It is also incumbent upon (binding, obligatory, mandatory, necessary) parties to show alacrity (eagerness, readiness, promptness, willingness; enthusiasm, zeal, fervour, keenness, briskness, swiftness, speed) during this process than cry foul (to protest against/complain about something done by someone is wrong (or) not fair) after the results are out. Ultimately (finally, eventually, in the end), the onus (responsibility, duty, liability, accountability, obligation, burden) lies on the ECI to enhance (increase, intensify, augment, strengthen, emphasize) transparency in the electoral process and, specifically, in providing electoral rolls and retaining CCTV footage for scrutiny.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.legitimate (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - वैध, न्यायसंगत
English Meaning - valid, reasonable, acceptable, sensible.

2.roll (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सूची, पंजी
English Meaning - list.

3.transparency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पारदर्शिता, स्पष्टता
English Meaning - clearness, clarity, straightforwardness, openness, honesty, unambiguity.

4.troubling (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - चिंताजनक
English Meaning - disturbing, unsettling, troublesome, scary, upsetting, worrisome.

5.conduct (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संचालन, प्रबंधन
English Meaning - handling, controlling, management.

6.abnormal (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असामान्य, अप्रत्याशित
English Meaning - unexpected, unusual, strange, surprising.

7.legislative assembly (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विधान सभा
English Meaning -  Also known as Vidhan Sabha; it is the lower house in the states and union territories of India that have a bicameral legislature. Members of the Legislative Assembly are directly elected by the people through assembly elections. The term of the Legislative Assembly is five years unless dissolved earlier. A member of a Legislative Assembly is referred to as an MLA.

8.panel (noun)

Hindi Meaning - समिति, मंडल
English Meaning - committee, council.

9.scrutiny (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जांच-पड़ताल, निरीक्षण
English Meaning - examination, inspection, investigation.

10.considering (preposition)

Hindi Meaning - को ध्यान में रखते हुए
English Meaning - taking into account, bearing in mind, in view of.

11.safeguard (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सुरक्षा, संरक्षण
English Meaning - protection, security.

12.precedent (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मिसाल, पूर्व उदाहरण
English Meaning - a past action/event/decision that is seen as an example; previous example, previous instance, prior instance, previous case, example

13.electorate (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मतदाता समूह
English Meaning - all the people in a country who are eligible to vote in an election

14.Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निर्वाचन संचालन नियम, 1961
English Meaning - An Act to provide for the conduct of elections to the Houses of Parliament and to the House or Houses of the Legislature of each State, the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of those Houses, the corrupt practices and other offences at or in connection with such elections and the decision of doubts and disputes arising out of or in connection with such elections.

15.nearly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - लगभग, करीब-करीब
English Meaning - almost, about, more or less, close to.

16.tighten (verb)

English Meaning - make stricter, make more rigorous, make more stringent, stiffen, toughen.

17.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

18.transpire (verb)

English Meaning - happen, occur, take place, come about, turn up.

19.Assembly (noun)

English Meaning - the legislature of State government in the Indian system of government with elected representatives by the voters of an electoral districts (constituencies); law-making body or governing body.

20.turnout (noun)

English Meaning - participation, attendance. (Voter turnout refers to the number or percentage of eligible voters who cast their ballots).

21.stand scrutiny (phrase)

English Meaning - to withstand scrutiny or criticism; hold water; bear scrutiny, ring true.

22.unpack (verb)

English Meaning - analyse all the parts of something.

23.proximate (adjective)

English Meaning - approaching, upcoming, imminent, impending, nearing, at hand; approximate, close, nearest, firsthand, adjacent.

24.following (preposition)

English Meaning - after, subsequent to, in the wake of, as a result of, ensuing.

25.proactively (adverb)

English Meaning - farsightedly, shrewdly, energetically.

26.regarding (preposition)

English Meaning - with regard to, with reference to, in terms of, concerning, as to, in connection with.

27.allegation (noun)

English Meaning - claim, accusation, charge, indictment.

28.hold water (phrase)

English Meaning - to withstand scrutiny or criticism; bear scrutiny; stand scrutiny, ring true.

29.provisional (adjective)

English Meaning - tentative, temporary, unfinished, short-term, transitional.

30.via (preposition)

English Meaning - by means of; by way of; through.

31.discrepancy (noun)

English Meaning - contradiction, difference, variance, variation, deviation, dissimilarity, disagreement, paradox, incongruity.

32.figure (noun)

English Meaning - number.

33.Form 17C (noun)

English Meaning - it contains the account of votes recorded at each polling station.

34.lag (noun)

English Meaning - delay, pause.

35.rely on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - depend on, count on, bank on, lean on, resort to, or have recourse to.

36.contention (noun)

English Meaning - case, allegation, argument.

37.merit (verb)

English Meaning - warrant, justify, deserve, be worthy of.

38.nominee (noun)

English Meaning - appointee, candidate.

39.scrutinise (verb)

English Meaning - examine carefully, inspect; investigate, assess.

40.transparent (adjective)

English Meaning - honest, forthright, straightforward, crystal-clear, unambiguous, unequivocal.

41.incumbent upon (adjective)

English Meaning - binding, obligatory, mandatory, necessary.

42.alacrity (noun)

English Meaning - eagerness, readiness, promptness, willingness; enthusiasm, zeal, fervour, keenness, briskness, swiftness, speed

43.cry foul (phrase)

English Meaning - to protest against/complain about something done by someone is wrong (or) not fair.

44.ultimately (adverb)

English Meaning - finally, eventually, in the end.

45.onus (noun)

English Meaning - responsibility, duty, liability, accountability, obligation, burden.

46.lie on (verb)

English Meaning - be, be positioned.

47.enhance (verb)

English Meaning - increase, intensify, augment, strengthen, emphasize.