Electoral Reforms

1. A friend, Kaushik Sampat had proposed the following for electoral reforms - and after discussions we refined it as follows:
   Compulsory voting by all eligible voters. Device ways and means to implement this. We are a software superpower, I am confident we can implement this by the time of the next general elections (not the forthcoming) .
   At the time of elections we have the 1st past the post system and not proportionate system...so what have we got to improve? A candidate will have to poll at least 40 % of the votes in the forthcoming elections and in the next 2 elections we can increase it to 45 % and 50 % respectively.The whole idea is to make the reps pay more attention by cultivating their constituency, work towards effective interaction & communication system with their constituents, WORK HARD FOR THEIR VOTES and play by the rules which are reasonable towards the people whom they represent. Right now they are skewed..in exchange compulsory voting will also raise the responsibility of the people. We need to close the gap of cynicism too. In addition to hard numbers which we accountants are used to dealing with...softer issues like attitudes towards elections and their consequences need to be factored too. What an irony that South Bombay records probably the lowest turnout in India and yet they are the ones who interact with Govt offiicials the maximum in the day to day dealings. I was always thinking about the largest democracies and their maturity phases and delivering economic success by creating a broad bulge of middle class by (ie distribution of national wealth by creating opportunities)... ....and the answer is UK more than 500 years after Magna Carta...US after approx 150 years after independence...French also approx 150 years after independence...another strong characteristic of all the above....a decent system of governance (streamlines conflict of interest, security takes precedence over politics etc) and perception of justice system which delivers within reasonable time (criminal and civil justice system...corruption, deprivation of huge mass of people in all spheres of life etc) . There might be many, many factors...but these are the crux of our democracy...My belief is that democracy is not a magic wand which works in 10 years...every country requires at least 40/50 years to get their model right. That is what we want to do above...by balancing the MP/MLA responsibilities vs peoples participation.
2. A choice in the ballot "for none of the candidates" which is allowed under section 49-O of the Constitution. The public needs to be made aware of this choice. Please read the earlier post on Section 49-O.
3. Administrative Reforms
   The PM's office should look at having a Mayor-CEO (a professional with integrity and established credentials) for Mumbai and all metropolitan cities under whom the entire administration would function under one umbrella.