Fwd: Electoral Democracy-Taking the Campaign to the People.... URGENT and IMPORTANT

[Kathyayini Chamaraj]

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Amrita Johri <amrit...@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2023 at 09:15
Subject: Re: Electoral Democracy-Taking the Campaign to the People.... URGENT and IMPORTANT
To: Devasahayam MG <deva...@gmail.com>
Cc: Aditi Mehta <1adit...@gmail.com>, Aloka Ranchi <alokar...@gmail.com>, Amar Jesani <amar....@gmail.com>, Ambassador KP Fabian <kpfa...@hotmail.com>, Amita Buch <amit...@gmail.com>, Amita Joseph <Amita....@gmail.com>, Anil Kumar Parashar <hrda....@gmail.com>, Anjali Bhardwaj <anjal...@gmail.com>, Annie Namala <annie....@gmail.com>, Anupam Saraph <anupam...@gmail.com>, Apar Gupta <apar...@gmail.com>, Ar Vasavi <arva...@gmail.com>, Arun Kumar <nura...@gmail.com>, Ashok Sharma <ashoksh...@gmail.com>, Avay Shukla <avays...@gmail.com>, Beena Pallical ADRF <be...@asiadalitrightsforum.org>, Brinelle Dsouza <brinell...@gmail.com>, Chandranath Dani <danicha...@gmail.com>, Charu Govindan <c_gov...@yahoo.com>, Chitaranjan Singh <willy...@gmail.com>, Christu Raja <raj...@gmail.com>, Cynthia Stephen <cyns...@gmail.com>, Devika Prasad <prasad...@gmail.com>, Dhirendra Panda <dhirend...@gmail.com>, Dinesh & Archana Abrol <dinesh...@gmail.com>, Dr Goldy M George <drgoldy...@gmail.com>, Dr. Anand Kumar <anand...@hotmail.com>, Dr. John Dayal <john....@gmail.com>, Dr.V.A.Ramesh Nathan <ramesh...@sasy.net.in>, EAS Sarma <eass...@gmail.com>, Emmanuel David <hrda.e...@gmail.com>, Enakshi Ganguly <enakshi...@gmail.com>, Ganesh Devy <ganes...@yahoo.com>, Gopalakrishna D. <dgopalak...@gmail.com>, Gopalan Balagopal <gbalagopa...@gmail.com>, Gyan Kothari <gy...@humanrightsinitiative.org>, HRDA Aseer <hrda....@gmail.com>, Hariparanthaman <haripar...@gmail.com>, Harish Narasappa Election Watch <har...@dakshindia.org>, Harsh Dobhal <harsh...@gmail.com>, Harsh Mander <mande...@gmail.com>, Henri Tiphagne <he...@pwtn.org>, Jagdeep Chhokar <jchh...@gmail.com>, Joe Athialy <j...@cenfa.org>, K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty <shet...@gmail.com>, Kamal Shukla <kamal...@gmail.com>, Kathyayini Chamaraj <kcha...@gmail.com>, Kavita Krishnan <kavita...@gmail.com>, Kavita Srivastava <kavi...@gmail.com>, Kirity Roy <kiri...@gmail.com>, Krishnakant Chauhan <tokris...@gmail.com>, Lalita Ramdas -2 <lali...@gmail.com>, Lara Jesani <lara....@gmail.com>, Madan Lokur <madan...@hotmail.com>, Madhu Bhaduri <madhu....@gmail.com>, Madhur Bharatiya <madhurb...@gmail.com>, Maj Gen S.G.Vombatkere (Retd) <sg9...@live.com>, Maja Daruwala <maja.d...@gmail.com>, Mangla Verma <mangla...@gmail.com>, Manohar (Bangalore <manor...@gmail.com>, Mathew Cherian <mathewc...@gmail.com>, Medha Patkar <medha....@gmail.com>, Meena Gupta <meeg...@gmail.com>, Meha Khanduri <mehakh...@gmail.com>, Miloon Kothari <miloon....@gmail.com>, Nandini Sundar <nandin...@yahoo.com>, Navrekha Sharma <navr...@gmail.com>, Nikhil Dey <nikhi...@gmail.com>, PAUL NEW MAN <paul.n...@gmail.com>, PG Bhat <bha...@gmail.com>, Pamela Philipose <pamelap...@gmail.com>, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta <para...@gmail.com>, Poonama Agarwal <poonama...@gmail.com>, Prasanna S <ma...@advocateprasanna.in>, Prashant Bhushan <prasha...@gmail.com>, Priyadarshi Chowdhury <priyadarsh...@gmail.com>, Priyanka Samy <samy.p...@gmail.com>, Radhika Ganesh <ganesh....@gmail.com>, Rajagopal PV <ekta.ra...@gmail.com>, Rajavelu Karunanithi <raja...@forum-asia.org>, Ramani Venkatesan <ram...@gmail.com>, Ramesh Bansal <mvaks...@gmail.com>, Ramprakash G B <r...@enixs.in>, Randhir Gautam <gautamra...@gmail.com>, Ravi Nair <ravinai...@gmail.com>, Ravish Alam <ravis...@gmail.com>, Saji Thomas <saj...@gmail.com>, Sandeep K. Shukla <sand...@cse.iitk.ac.in>, Sandeep Pandey <ashaa...@yahoo.com>, Sanjay Kumar <san...@csds.in>, Sanjay Upadhyay <hrda....@gmail.com>, Sanjiva Prasad <san...@cse.iitd.ac.in>, Sarim Naved <sarim...@gmail.com>, Sastry, Trilochan <tril...@iimb.ac.in>, Satinath Choudhary <sati...@gmail.com>, Shabnam Hashmi <shabna...@gmail.com>, Shaktiman Ghosh <saktim...@gmail.com>, Shomira Sanyal <sho...@forum-asia.org>, Shrutica Pandey <shruti...@gmail.com>, Sridhar V <sri...@gmail.com>, Subhashis Banerjee <su...@iitd.ac.in>, <Subhasni...@gmail.com>, Sujit Nikalje <adv.suji...@gmail.com>, Sundar Burra <sunda...@gmail.com>, Surendra Nath <snat...@gmail.com>, Suresh 2 <righ...@gmail.com>, Suroor Mander <sur...@lawchamber.in>, Syquraishi <syqur...@gmail.com>, Thomas Franco <ngcf...@gmail.com>, V.P. Raja <raj...@yahoo.com>, Venkatesh Nayak (CHRI) <venkates...@gmail.com>, Vikas Satho <hrda....@gmail.com>, Wajahat Habibullah <whabi...@gmail.com>, YSR Murthy <ysrm...@gmail.com>, <ajay...@gmail.com>, <ami...@gmail.com>, amitabha pande <amitabh...@gmail.com>, apoorvanand <katyayan...@gmail.com>, aruna roy <arun...@gmail.com>, <bgkhol...@gmail.com>, chaahat Jain <chaaha...@proton.me>, dasgupta <dasgu...@gmail.com>, deb.mukharji <deb.mu...@gmail.com>, <hrda...@gmail.com>, <inam...@gmail.com>, <leela...@gmail.com>, maitri singh <maitr...@gmail.com>, rajarajan k <rajara...@gmail.com>, <rautmi...@gmail.com>, sandeep bagchee <sandeep...@yahoo.com>, <sanka...@pobox.com>, sanmuel rayan <samuel....@gmail.com>, shailabh <Shai...@haqcrc.org>, teesta setalvad <teesta...@gmail.com>, <vvra...@gmail.com>, wahaban...@gmail.com <wahaban...@gmail.com>,

Dear all,

Here is the zoom link for the meeting today- April 2, 2023 at 5.30 pm-

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4255742465?pwd=TytSTGhlc1BNUzVQdVFkbUhaTWhoUT09

Meeting ID: 425 574 2465

Passcode: 287451

Background-

Every concerned  citizen knows that results of General Election-2024 would mean make or break for India as a democracy, indeed as a nation ruled by its constitution.  Electorate should be facilitated to do this through a process of free and fair election. As things stand and the way Election Commission has compromised there is little hope in this respect. On three critical areas of electoral conduct--Electoral Rolls, EVM/VVPAT voting/counting and Electoral Bonds-we had to move the Supreme Court wherein EC has taken a negative and hostile attitude which militates against free and fair elections.

On form India's elections may look good and sound, but in substance it has lost its fairness and integrity to a very large extent.

Things had come to such a pass that 64 former senior civil servants belonging to the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG) and 83 armed forces veterans, academics and journalists wrote a strongly-worded letter to the ECI on July 2, 2019. The letter read: “The 2019 General Elections appear to have been one of the least free and fair electionselections that the country has had in the past three decades or so. In the past, despite the efforts of criminal elements, musclemen, and unscrupulous politicians, the persons who graced the ECI did their best to ensure that elections were conducted as freely and fairly as possible. In these General Elections, however, an impression has gathered ground that our democratic process is being subverted and undermined by the very constitutional authority empowered to safeguard its sanctity. It was rare in the past for any serious doubts to be raised about the impartiality, integrity and competence of the [ECI]. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the present ECI and the way it has conducted the General Elections of 2019. So blatant have been the acts of omission and commission by the ECI that even former Elections Commissioners and CECs have been compelled, albeit reluctantly, to question the decisions of their successors in office.” [Election Commission is Revelling in Past Glory and the Supreme Court Has Called its Bluff (thewire.in)]

Unfortunately, things are worse now.. Though there are many, we need to take four critical issues before the people so that free and fair elections can be facilitated to the extent possible:

1. Preventing selective culling/deletion of electoral rolls to keep away/disenfranchise voters belonging to minority and vulnerable communities with the intention to manipulate election results. 

2. Ensuring compliance of EVM/VVPAT voting/counting with essential democracy principles and End to End verifiability of 'votes as recorded' and 'counted as recorded' so that election results are not manipulated.

3. Combating massive use of money to buy votes through cash and other allurements.

4. Keeping a check on communalising the elections through hate speeches and violence

In addition we also need to put pressure on the EC not to be partisan and ensure stringent implementation of Model Code of Conduct. 

We may not be able to cover the country 100%. But we can identify vulnerable constituencies and concentrate there. All these need wide discussion and coming up with a doable plan of action. In order to discuss, deliberate and evolve an action plan a Zoom meeting is hereby convened at 5.30 pm on Sunday, 02 April, 2023.

On Wed, 29 Mar 2023 at 8:10 AM, Devasahayam MG <deva...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear All, 

Every concerned  citizen knows that results of General Election-2024 would mean make or break for India as a democracy, indeed as a nation ruled by its constitution.  Electorate should be facilitated to do this through a process of free and fair election. As things stand and the way Election Commission has compromised there is little hope in this respect. On three critical areas of electoral conduct--Electoral Rolls, EVM/VVPAT voting/counting and Electoral Bonds-we had to move the Supreme Court wherein EC has taken a negative and hostile attitude which militates against free and fair elections.

On form India's elections may look good and sound, but in substance it has lost its fairness and integrity to a very large extent.

Things had come to such a pass that 64 former senior civil servants belonging to the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG) and 83 armed forces veterans, academics and journalists wrote a strongly-worded letter to the ECI on July 2, 2019. The letter read: “The 2019 General Elections appear to have been one of the least free and fair electionselections that the country has had in the past three decades or so. In the past, despite the efforts of criminal elements, musclemen, and unscrupulous politicians, the persons who graced the ECI did their best to ensure that elections were conducted as freely and fairly as possible. In these General Elections, however, an impression has gathered ground that our democratic process is being subverted and undermined by the very constitutional authority empowered to safeguard its sanctity. It was rare in the past for any serious doubts to be raised about the impartiality, integrity and competence of the [ECI]. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the present ECI and the way it has conducted the General Elections of 2019. So blatant have been the acts of omission and commission by the ECI that even former Elections Commissioners and CECs have been compelled, albeit reluctantly, to question the decisions of their successors in office.” [Election Commission is Revelling in Past Glory and the Supreme Court Has Called its Bluff (thewire.in)]

Unfortunately, things are worse now.. Though there are many, we need to take four critical issues before the people so that free and fair elections can be facilitated to the extent possible:

1. Preventing selective culling/deletion of electoral rolls to keep away/disenfranchise voters belonging to minority and vulnerable communities with the intention to manipulate election results. 

2. Ensuring compliance of EVM/VVPAT voting/counting with essential democracy principles and End to End verifiability of 'votes as recorded' and 'counted as recorded' so that election results are not manipulated.

3. Combating massive use of money to buy votes through cash and other allurements.

4. Keeping a check on communalising the elections through hate speeches and violence

In addition we also need to put pressure on the EC not to be partisan and ensure stringent implementation of Model Code of Conduct. 

We may not be able to cover the country 100%. But we can identify vulnerable constituencies and concentrate there. All these need wide discussion and coming up with a doable plan of action. In order to discuss, deliberate and evolve an action plan a Zoom meeting is hereby convened at 5.30 pm on Sunday, 02 April, 2023. Would request you to participate and give your valuable ideas and cooperation. Ms Amrita Johri would be sending the Link to the meeting ASAP.

Would request Ms Anjali Bhardwaj and Ambassador Ashok Sharma to coordinate the meeting and its proceedings.

Sincerely,

MG Devasahayam