Overview
On 3 September 2026, former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa delivered the Prof. Jagdeep Singh Chhokar Memorial Lecture organised by the Association for Democratic Reforms. He warned that the ongoing special intensive revision of electoral rolls reflects a “might is right” mindset among statutory bodies.
Key Developments
- Lavasa described the revision process as “unfair” and highlighted that the Election Commission of India has imposed a procedure that affects millions.
- He pointed out that the judiciary has upheld the process, despite concerns over fairness.
- Approximately 13 crore names have been deleted from the rolls, raising questions about the spirit of the law.
- Lavasa warned that such actions could deepen voter apathy, noting that 33% of eligible citizens already abstain from voting.
- He linked the issue to broader governance challenges, such as the Central Information Commission ruling that political parties fall under the RTI Act, and the continued use of electoral bonds.
Important Facts
The revision aims to purge duplicate, deceased, or ineligible entries from the rolls. However, critics argue that the methodology lacks transparency and that the scale of deletions—13 crore names—could disenfranchise legitimate voters. The lecture also highlighted that political parties have largely ignored the CIC directive to treat parties as public authorities under the RTI Act.
Exam Relevance
This episode touches upon several GS papers. GS2 (Polity) covers the role and autonomy of the Election Commission, the concept of statutory bodies, and the balance between legal formalism and the spirit of law. GS3 (Economy) relates to the financing of political parties through electoral bonds. GS4 (Ethics) involves the ethical dimension of transparency, voter disenfranchisement, and the responsibility of institutions to uphold democratic values.
Way Forward
To address the concerns raised by Lavasa, the following steps are recommended:
- Introduce a transparent, grievance‑redressal mechanism for voters whose names are removed.
- Ensure judicial review focuses not only on procedural legality but also on substantive fairness.
- Strengthen the role of the CIC in enforcing the RTI Act for political parties.
- Re‑evaluate the necessity and design of electoral bonds to enhance transparency in political financing.
- Launch voter‑awareness campaigns to mitigate the risk of increased apathy.
Implementing these measures can help restore public confidence and ensure that electoral processes respect both the letter and the spirit of the law.