ADR calls for law to regulate parties, stricter disclosure norms to curb money power in polls

NEW DELHI: (Mar 13) India's electoral democracy faces profound challenges from the pervasive influence of money, a new report by the Association for Democratic Reforms has said, calling for a comprehensive law to regulate political parties, stricter disclosure norms for donations, and stronger powers to the Election Commission to curb the influence of money in elections.

The report titled ‘Political Finance in India: Assessment and Recommendations’ identified seven key limitations – dominance of money and muscle power; lack of internal democracy within parties; absence of statutory backing to EC rules; inability of EC to deregister defaulting parties; evasion of Right to Information (RTI) scrutiny; flouting of existing laws by contestants; and lack of political will to implement reforms.