Letter of the Week

•The race for the presidential chair is heating up. However, why should only MPs and MLAs elect the president? Since many of them are confirmed criminals, does this not devalue the process that the head of state is elected by thugs? Further, in a mature democracy the electoral college needs to be expanded to

include a much wider section of the polity.

Hence all government employees of joint secretary grade and above, all armed forces officers of brigadier rank and above, all governors, chancellors and vice-chancellors of universities and deemed universities including heads of IITs and IIMs, and so on, must be included. This will balance the weight of the political class.