The document discusses the problem of money and muscle power influencing elections in India. It proposes several solutions to reduce this influence, including increasing voter awareness, implementing electronic voting machines with paper receipts, verifying voter identities, declaring candidate assets, and conducting surveillance operations. The solutions aim to curb corruption and make the electoral process more transparent and fair. However, challenges remain in ensuring transparency of polling and preventing overbearing of authorities. Overall, the solutions seek to mitigate the menace of money and power interfering with democratic elections in India.

1. Manthan topic:
The tremendous influence of
money power especially black
money on elections is one of the
major evils associated with the
electoral process. Urgent reforms
are required to curb this menace
which threatens the foundation of
our democracy.
Fairness at Play: Introducing electoral reforms to reduce the influence of
money and muscle power in politics
Team Details
AGRIMA
SHRIVASTAVA
MUSKAN
UPADHYAY
Team
Coordinator:
RAHUL
SINGHAL
HIMANSHU
GUPTA
ANUSHKA
SRIVASTAVA
1

2. Causes of the problem
Poverty
•In 2010,
the world
bank reported
that 32.7% of
the total
Indian people
fall below
the internatio
nal poverty
line of US$ 1.2
5 per day and
hence the
corrupt
ministers offer
money against
the votes and
win the seats.
Unemployment
•Almost 80% of the
population of the
country is
educated but
almost 60% of
them are not
having a job and
hence when
offered money
they agree to do
anything and cast
votes for these
candidates.
Dishonesty on part
of one
unemployed
individual
increases
corruption and
these people may
also be used as a
muscle power to
misguide the
voters.
Unawareness
•people are
unaware how
much there
votes value
and they sell
it for money.
According to
a survey ,the
voters voting
to bring a
change in
system were
only found to
be 36%.
Why can money buys votes?? influence of manpower
Misuse of power by the political leaders on the
weak sect of community/society leading to
harassment .
Corruption: due
to which
communication
gap between
harassed part
of society and
the police
Overbearance :
communities
get under
pressure of the
more powerful
society due to
their needs of
food and
shelter
Electoral sytem
: weak electoral
system which is
non-responsive
to society’s
complaints and
expectations
2

3. •1.For spreading the awareness amongst the voters by several campaigns and programs
specially those living in rural areas.
•2.Of making a panel of officers who are responsible to manage the unrest in the election
areas and are authorized to cancel the elections in that areas
Awareness
•Additional safety measures to ensure there are no loopholes in polling process
•Fair selection Of Election Comission and Transparency to examine after result declaration
•Recording and verifying the address and contact details to ensure genuinity of voter, so that
election commission can get back to the person to verify any possible influence on the voter
Fair Election
committee:
•Electronic machines as well as chit system
•The votes should be recorded in electronic machines and simultaneously a chit in ballot box
system should be followed
•. Proper verification of the address and contact details,so that election commission can get
back to the person if any charges are found against him/her.
Declaration and
freezing of assets :
verification and
vigilance :
Proposed Solutions
●Periodic and surprise vigilance, raids ensure no wrong means are used to
influence voting and also for peaceful polling process
3

4. there should not be liablity to the government just supreme court
election commission must be an autonomous body
•No kinds of Criminal background.
•No relation to any political party.
•Not financially prone
•Autonomy to the chief electoral panel.
Selection
•Central officers: day to day working of Election Comission,
candidate registrations, result recording and declaration
•Polling Officers :sent autonomously to preside over the
polling process at different cities to ensure safe operations
•Undercover Vigilance Comission:
conducting raids, surprise checks in constituencies to ensure
no money or manpower influence on voters
Work domain
Implementation of the solution
4

5. • Awareness about how to file a grieveance
• Voter awareness schemes and advertisements to
be increased.
• school to school and college to college expansion
of voter rights.
• Publishing about the candiadates in dailies prior to
election.
• Publications of employment oppurtunities and
depicting possible fraudulent means of earning
money as crime against nation and family.
Awareness
Implementation of the solution
Voter slips with photograph
will be distributed by the EC;
they will have the exact
location of the polling booths
and the serial number of the
ballot.
Proper Police protection be
deployed during the time of
polling.
Declaration and Freezing of
assets on declaration of
candidature helps to keep a
check on unrestricted flow of
money.
Vigilance officers must be
kept under cover and must
be rotated from time to time
and place to place and must
be capable of pulling off
sting operations.
5

6. IMPACTS OF THE SOLUTION
The proposed solutions will be able to eradicate the problems
in majority of places where money laundering might get
exposed and thereby lead cancellation of candidature.
Vigilance and different departments can ensure that
there is no misuse of money or manpower to mislead
the voters.
Verification always helps
in consolidating the
effectiveness and
authenticity of voting
process.
Periodic surveys can be
conducted in order to
inquire about any
possible influence on
polling / voting.
More number of voters
get encouraged to vote
and further contribute in
the formation of the
government.
A complaint box can also
be set up addressed
straight to EC regarding
any possible tainted
polling process.
6

7. Transparency of
polling process
• Mitigated by
public declaration
of findings which
results in insuring
of integrity of any
part of electoral
process.
Corruption
• Mitigated by
frequent transfers
and internal
vigilance like cctvs
and also vigilance
officers.
Overbearing of
EC by manpower
• Mitigated by
proper police
protection but
the anonymity of
undercover
vigilance is a must
& very crucial to
ensure lesser
influence on
polling.
Challenges to Proposed Solutions
7

8. Facts and Figures
One notable example
of outright violence
was the 1984
Rajneeshee bioterror
attack, where
followers of Bhagwan
Shree Rajneesh
deliberately
contaminated salad
bars in The Dalles,
Oregon, in an
attempt to weaken
political opposition
during county
elections.
In Tamil Nadu election, lots
of free items such as
laptops, rice, cattle , gold
etc were promised and are
being given. Is it not a bribe
only to be given in future
after winning the election.
The CM is now asking Delhi
for fiancial support. The
same thing will happen in
other states where elections
are announced. The
Election Commission should
curtail such type of
promises as otherwise the
party which offers the
maximum free distribution
will win the election. There
will be no money left for
real development work.
8

9. Facts and Figures
A special drive should be launched to update the lists of history sheeters,
declare absconders, fugitive criminals and such persons who were reported to
have indulged in electoral offences like booth capturing, intimidation,
impersonation in each police station falling in each and every Assembly
Constituency and record of such updated listed should be handed over to the
District Election Officers and Returning Officers concerned when asked for.
Issue of license for arms should be totally prohibited during the period
commencing with the date of announcement of elections. This ban should be
continued to be operative till the completion of the election procedure.
9

10. • Preventive Law & Order Action to ensure conduct of peaceful, free and fair
poll during the General Elections/Bye-elections : ELECTION COMMISSION
OF INDIA
• Let’s talk about books and politics,November 2012.
• Electoral reforms or voting process:www.wikipedia.org
• The most expensive elections in numbers:www.yahoo.co.in
• The constitution of india: lawmin.nic.in,article 242
• The process of election in India: www.cgsird.gov.in
• right to vote under indian constitution: a critical analysis:
atinkumardas.articlealley.com/right-to-vote-under-indian-constitution
• Right to Vote - Constitutional Rights List -www.merinews.com
References
10