Establishment of Election Commission of India - This Day in History

Delving into the Election Commission of India

 

• The ECI is essentially a constitutional entity.
• The Constitution entrusts it with the responsibility and authority to administer, regulate and oversee the entire process of elections in the country. This includes elections to the Parliament, the State Legislatures, and to the offices of the President and Vice-President.
• Initially, the Commission was headed by a sole Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). In 1989, two more commissioners were added for a brief tenure. Later in 1993, the Commission expanded to include two additional election commissioners along with the CEC.
• The tenure of the CEC and the other commissioners is fixed at 6 years or until the age of 65, whichever comes first. They are appointed by the President and are generally retired IAS officers.
• Their remuneration and benefits are at par with the judges of the Supreme Court. They can only be removed from office by the Parliament through a two-thirds majority in case of proven incapacity or misbehavior.
• The Commission’s Secretariat is headquartered in New Delhi with a staff strength of about 300 officials.
• The ECI operates as an autonomous body similar to the UPSC and is free from executive interference.
• The ECI is solely responsible for deciding the election schedules, location of polling booths, assigning voters to polling stations and making all arrangements thereof.
• All political parties must be registered with the ECI under the law. The commission also ensures that democracy is maintained within parties.
• The ECI issues a Model Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates and revises the code from time to time. It consults political parties on the compliance of the code.
• The Commission also functions as a quasi-judicial body. It provides recommendations to the courts in case of disputes regarding corrupt practices by candidates.
• The ECI also possesses the power to disqualify candidates if they fail to submit their election expenses within the prescribed time.
• Voter education also forms a crucial part of the ECI’s duties.
• The ECI has introduced significant changes to the election process in India through the implementation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the photo identity cards.
• The current CEC is Sunil Arora. T N Seshan is one of the most noted CECs who brought visibility to this role.

Also on this day

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1824: The birth of renowned poet and playwright Michael Madhusudan Dutt. 1924: The demise of acclaimed social worker and women’s rights activist Ramabai Ranade.

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