Saturday, January 22 2005 16:24 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In a far-reaching suggestion aimed at strengthening the electoral system, the Election Commission today (Jan 22, 2005) said Ministers, except a two or three important ones in each State, should resign as soon as the announcement for Assembly elections is made.

Throwing his "personal" suggestions at a workshop on 'Electoral Reforms' in New Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishna Murthy said, "perhaps the Chief Minister, Finance Minister and the Home Minister could continue in office and all others could resign".

Seeking a political consensus on the issue, he said the EC's experience was that the party in power took undue advantage in the State Assembly polls.

"It would be a good convention if all parties agreed to resign when in power in order to ensure that Constitutional obligations are fulfilled during this period," he said.

Suggesting some urgent steps in the electoral system in order to improve the quality of democracy in future, he said the criminals against whom chargesheets have been framed well ahead of elections should be prevented from contesting.

"This is not denial of any fundamental right. This is only a suspension of a statutory right until the person is cleared of the charges," he said.

Noting that in some democracies independents were not allowed to contest the Parliamentary elections, he said it was worthwhile to consider banning independents from contesting at least in Parliamentary elections.

The CEC said the culture of publishing photographs of leaders in advertisements announcing Government policies and achievements should be totally banned at least during the election period.

Petitions filed by the aggrieved persons against the elections should be settled by constituting benches or tribunals within a timeframe of two years if they have to be of any meaningful purpose.

It would be worthwhile to consider granting voting rights to Indian passport holders living outside India, he said adding, it could be either by voting in the constituency in which normally they have a permanent residence or by voting one or two representatives in the House to represent their voices in the Parliament, he said.

Murthy said the recent Lok Sabha polls have been a unique one for number of reasons. For the first time the poll was conducted by using Electronic Voting Machines throughout the country.

The Commission was now in a position to outsource its expertise as it did recently to Afghanistan, Indonesia and Cameroon.