Former MP suggests steps for fair poll in Pondy

Former Lok Sabha member from Puducherry Prof. M Ramadass has said that the steps taken are necessary and significant but not sufficient to accomplish the goal of free and fair poll.

In a letter to Dr Candavelou on Thursday, Prof. Ramadass said the improved initiatives of the Election Commission over the past few years have undoubtedly tended to correct certain maladies in the system. But unfortunately, they have not touched even the fringe of the main menace challenging the electoral process, namely, abuse of money power and the liberal bribing of voters which sets at naught all the noble ingenuities. 

He said offering money to induce the voters to vote in favour of a candidate by the political parties and accepting it by the voters have become a way of life in Puducherry and everybody, young and old, with few exceptions, including officials and law and order machinery were aware of the mechanism of this process.  

But someone had to move in this direction and in a small territory like Puducherry with only 9.27 lakh voters, a reasonable political class and dedicated young and well-meaning officers like Mr Candavelou and his team, it should be possible to make an attempt. Prof. Ramadass suggested that the first step should be to examine the ways of checking this malpractice. A meeting of a cross- section of the government servants including police and revenue officials from karnam to the deputy collector and seeking their views may be fruitful, he added.  

Secondly, the youth meets in future should be conducted for rural youth too in which the young voters should be persuaded to vote unfailingly and without taking money from political parties. The youth should also be requested to carry out this campaign in groups in their own areas. 

A few meetings with the leaders of all political parties and a consensus that all political parties of Puducherry will desist from influencing voters with money or material would also help a lot.