CEC favours political party funding through cheques

Chandigarh, Feb 5 (PTI) Chief Election Commissioner S YQuraishi said today that he is in favour of political partyfunding through cheques, declaration of assets by them andtheir auditing through Comptroller and Auditor General ofIndia (CAG).

Also on the cards is a move to ban governmentadvertisements six months before the elections as "some ofthese are nothing but political advertisements", Quraishisaid.

These are just some of the many reforms the ElectionCommission and the Union Law Ministry intends to bring in thepoll process, he told reporters at the Judicial Academy duringthe Regional Consultation for Electoral reforms.

The CEC said the general perception among politicalparties and the media was that EC has failed in its duties bynot debarring criminals.

But it was for Parliament to act in this direction, headded.

Quoting existing laws, he said a candidate could contestthe election unless convicted by the last court of appeal.

"The entire process may take 20 to 30 years," Quraishisaid, adding the path had to be treaded carefully as thepossibility of a political party using the tool of implicationas a shortcut to victory could not be ruled out.

The CEC and the Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, whowas also present, said criminals should be debarred fromcontesting the polls, money power to be checked and themanagement of finance by political parties to be done in amore transparent manner.