Pointless pique

Election Commissioner G.V.G. Krishnamurthy invites only opprobrium for his decision to go on leave in protest against Chief Election Commis...

Election Commissioner G.V.G. Krishnamurthy invites only opprobrium for his decision to go on leave in protest against Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill’s “favourable attitude” towards the Shiv Sena. His own attitude to his office does not seem to be particularly favourable. Childish petulance is not a particularly desirable quality in a man who is expected to oversee the biggest electoral exercise in the world in February-March. If there was a consensus among the Election Commissioners on action to be taken against the Shiv Sena, Krishnamurthy had no business taking the initiative all on his lonesome. Such official statements have traditionally been made by the Chief Election Commissioner, and it is most unseemly for one of his colleagues to call a Press conference the moment the CEC leaves town. Krishnamurthy has said that he is “not prepared to contribute to the loss of credibility of a national institution”. By going on protest leave, however, he has achieved precisely that objective. He has created a controversy where none needed to exist. He is correct only in stating that the order to the Shiv Sena should be made public. However, he is not correct in going public with it himself.

After the exit of T.N. Seshan, it was expected that the Election Commission would continue his excellent work, but with a little more decorum. Now, that hope appears to have been completely misplaced. As the elections draw nearer, in fact, the turf wars might intensify. In Seshan’s time, he overawed all of Nirvachan Sadan. Earlier, in the era of supine Election Commissioners, the job was not glamorous enough to fight over. This time, however, it is, and there is no strong man in office to prevent discord. But it is essential that the Election Commission function in harmony if it is to conduct the polls properly. The process of election reform is going forward with this election too. Spending limits, for instance, are being upgraded substantially. PSU staffers are also likely to be put on election duty. The changes made to election procedure will be precedents for all time. The Commission has to take decisions in a mature, cooperative atmosphere, not in one that is needlessly competitive.

Work has been disrupted in Nirvachan Sadan for several days already and the present issue ought to be sorted out as soon as possible. The issue is now in the public domain and not only must it be resolved, it must also be seen to be resolved. Krishnamurthy might be asked to explain why he chose to act unilaterally without consulting his peers. And conversely, Gill might be asked to reflect on the wisdom of keeping the contentious document so close to his chest. The immediate imperative is to defuse the issue as soon as possible so that work for the elections can go ahead. And thereafter, to ensure that there is no further outbreak of juvenile petulance.