As the principal institutional upholder of the integrity of the electoral process in the country, the Election Commission of India is undoubtedly aware of the importance of transparency. Any ambiguity in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls, the EC must surely know, needs to be excised. This would ensure not only the sanctity of the polls but also sustain public trust in the electoral process. So it is surprising — or should one say revealing? — that it was the Supreme Court that had to issue directives to the EC to make a particular aspect of the SIR clear. On Monday, questioning certain elements of the EC’s logic to examine over one crore voters in Bengal on the grounds of “logical discrepancies”, the apex court directed the poll body to display the names of such voters at panchayat, block and ward offices. ‘Logical discrepancies’ pertain to seeming irregularities concerning mismatch in names between voters and their parents, the number of children, unusual age gaps with parents and so on. There was more by way of relief. The Supreme Court has instructed the EC to accept Class X board examination admit cards as a valid document for the SIR; a time-frame has been provided for voters to smoothen out such discrepancies; block-level agents have been permitted to assist voters as well. Each of these measures seeks to remove the hurdles that existed between voters and the SIR.
The implications of the wise court’s intervention transcend structural impediments. The Trinamool Congress, Bengal’s ruling party, is naturally elated. It had been making such demands, and its leaders had even filed some of the petitions that led to the Supreme Court’s order. In the public perception, this could cement the TMC’s image as pro-people. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the main challenger of the TMC, is said to have been discomfited by the developments in court. Its plans to win Bengal — what are these plans? — insiders suggest, may have been adversely affected by the judicial intervention. However, the larger message from the highest court goes beyond the intricacies of electoral politics in the state. No bureaucratic endeavour should end up inconveniencing the people. It cannot be denied that the manner in which the SIR has been conducted in Bengal and around India by the EC has failed on this particular metric.