Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma
MEGHALAYA: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has backed the electoral pact as a positive step towards greater transparency in funding of political parties. Addressing an election rally in South Tura, Sangma, who is also the national president of the National People's Party (NPP), lauded the Centre's initiative led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and stressed efforts to create transparency in electoral finance in the emphasis
Sangma highlighted transparent ballot papers, saying their introduction was aimed at preventing direct links between particular companies and political parties, explaining that ballot papers bought by companies were visible to them financial documents, thus contributing to greater transparency in the process.
Expressing disappointment over the Supreme Court’s decision to stop voter rolls, Sangma reiterated his belief that the move was a step in the right direction. Despite the recent disclosure of the list of donors, the Supreme Court said the electoral rolls were originally intended to clear political economy ambiguities
Sangma's support for ballot papers echoes similar sentiments expressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been banning papers to drive money and corruption out of the election budget. Modi consistently advocated for the efficiency of the voter ID system and the deposit of unaccounted funds during elections.
The Opposition leaders including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav have criticized the ballot papers and termed it part of the "world's largest extortion scheme" which has raised concerns over lack of transparency and the Supreme Court questioned the rationale for their implementation and subsequent cancellation .
In a landmark ruling in February, the Supreme Court ruled ballot papers unconstitutional and banned all political fundraising that could be done through these anonymous donation machines. The court’s decision was based on the argument that electoral rolls violate the public’s right to information by protecting donors’ identities and affiliations with particular political parties
Inspite of the controversy surrounding the electoral bonds, supporters like Conrad Sangma and Narendra Modi say the move was an important step towards increasing transparency and accountability in India’s electoral finance landscape.
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