Beyond electoral bonds, 2024 Lok Sabha polls is an opportunity for voters to break new moral ground

Beyond electoral bonds, 2024 Lok Sabha polls is an opportunity for voters to break new moral ground
BCCL - Non Copyright

It's about making an informed choice

Synopsis

The Supreme Court's verdict deeming electoral bonds unconstitutional raises concerns about the flow of anonymous funds in elections. The Election Commission's efforts to monitor funds during assembly polls have led to significant seizures. The issue of corporate lobbying and the need for voter awareness and ethical voting are also important. In the recent assembly polls in Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana, seizures worth over ₹1,760 crore were reported - seven times more than in 2018 elections.

Elections belong to the people. Everything that happens with, around and about elections needs to be out in the open. This includes money. Electoral bonds were a sort of 'reverse freebie' from corporates to political parties without transparency. This simple fact should suffice to understand Supreme Court's verdict deeming electoral bonds as unconstitutional. But for those celebrating the verdict, banishing electoral bonds will not automatically

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