Page 248 - Leap of Faith inside pages with cover (1)

Leap of Faith Journey of Indian Elections

The Cons tuent Assembly (1946-49), while adop ng efficient manner notwithstanding India's vast and
adult suffrage, entrusted the conduct, control and complex terrain, insufficiency of resources, and poor
superintendence of elec ons to a central, permanent and literacy profile. In doing so, it developed procedures and
autonomous Elec on Commission of India. History has methods that are thorough, dependable and transparent.
vindicated the prudence of this decision for securing
On January 17, 2001 while speaking at the Golden Jubilee
elec ons against legisla ve and execu ve interference
thereby pu ng democracy on firm foo ng. The Elec on Celebra ons of Elec on Commission of India, the then
Prime Minister viz. Atal Bihari Vajpayee said-
Commission, in true sense, facilitated Indian's transi on
from a Crown colony to a republic. This ins tu on “India built many ins tu ons a er a aining freedom and
implemented on ground the ideas and hopes of the makers adop ng a Republican Cons tu on. Each of them has
of Indian Cons tu on on electoral democracy. served the cause of the na on in its own dis nguished
way. But if anyone were to conduct an opinion poll on
Independent India acted as a pioneer of democracy in the
which of these ins tu ons has rendered the best service
non-Western world. She chose this form of government
when there were barely a dozen of democracies le in the to Indian democracy with highest degree of integrity, I
have no doubt in my mind that the Elec on Commission
post-World War II era. The applica on of democracy to
Indian reali es was fraught with tough challenges. The of India will be our people's first choice”.
Elec on Commission took those challenges in a stride to More than a compliment, it is a huge responsibility, to
conduct the world's largest elec ons in free, fair and which Elec on Commission must live up to in every

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