‘Free, fair and safe’ as the election motto

Context: In the context of COVID-19 pandemic, it becomes crucial that as and when elections are announced anywhere, they are conducted with zeal and re-doubled care amidst the virus’s challenge.

Significance of elections amidst pandemic:

• To uphold faith in the life-breath of democracy- Elections: by way of exercising political rights and political choices.
  • Millions participated in elections in 34 countries, including the USA, South Korea, India.
• To protect the liberty of citizens: as life without liberty is not a life worth protecting. But one has to breathe in order to be free. So double care must be exercised in conducting these elections.
• Drawing parallel between pandemic and elections:
  • Three players in each.
    • In the elections: the electors, the grid of candidates and the election-making machinery.
    • In pandemic: the protection-needing public, the grid of health care, and the health-policymaking state.
  • In both cases, if, the electors or protection-needing people become apathetic/careless, resultant could be losing one’s liberty or life, respectively.
  • Unavoidable contradictions: When the election and infection coincide, the citizenry has to exercise its franchise with a commitment to political freedom and be cautious od pandemic.
    • Elections Commission of India successfully conducted Bihar election, is a good balancing act between these unavoidable contradictions.

Way forward:

• Factoring virus in every future election: like proposed polls to legislatures in Kerala (140 seats), Tamil Nadu (234), Puducherry (30), West Bengal (294) and Assam (126).
• Protecting Right to life under Article 21 (procedural Magna Carta protective of life and liberty): which also includes right to a healthy life as per the SC’s judgement in Sunil Batra vs Delhi Administration.
• Performing constitutional duty of the state: by reducing the risks of hazard due to participation in the election process during the pandemic.
  • Steps taken by ECI in this regard is a duty performed towards a constitutional entitlement of the people.
• Priority access to vaccination: given to election personnel and security staffs; v Senior citizens should be given an exclusive time slot for voting.
  • Postal votes being made available to senior voters above the age of 80 is a step in the right direction.
• Mandatory adherence to Corona protocol: during voting.

Conclusion: ‘Free, fair and safe’ should be the motto for the forthcoming elections while not allowing the virus emergency an ‘election surge’, would be a victory for democracy as much as for public health.