Date: 
13.02.2012

Simultaneity of US presidential primaries and assembly elections in Punjab have fueled aspirations, amongst Punjabi NRIs, of bringing democratization to the level of the US.

While Punjabi political parties have announced their chief ministerial candidates ahead of the January 30 assembly elections, results for which are awaited on March 6, a group of NRIs led by North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) chairman Satnam Singh Chahal has opposed the practice of announcing chief ministerial candidates in advance saying, "Going to polls projecting somebody as a leader deprives MLAs and their electors their right to elect a leader."

Chahal told The Times of India, "People of Punjab have won by nearly casting 80% votes but politics has failed them as the leaders are not democratically elected by them but are imposed by the party leadership from the top."

Chahal said, "Unless there is a process of party workers electing their candidates at panchayat, block and assembly levels and then MLAs deciding the chief minister, the will of the people or party workers is not reflected in election of the chief minister and running the state."

NAPA's patron Dalwinder Singh Dhoot said, "What say do the people of Punjab have in running the government and electing their representatives and the top leader?"

They said Congress has nominated Amarinder Singh from the top and Badals have nominated themselves.

The two NRIs are demanding internal democracy in parties legally backed up so that the leaders or MLAs are not nominated from the top.

They recently met the chief election commissioner SY Quraishi to initiate legislative measures for internal democracy in parties.

The organization is also considering lobbying amongst members of parliament to bring a constitutional reform to give the party worker a right to elect his lowest level of candidate in the executive and legislature. This will stop most of the ills in Indian and Punjab politics, they said. Punjabis are great admirers of everything American - democratic processes, institutions and eve lifestyle, the two NRIs based in America said.

They are also studying the Tibetan system of election in which a candidate is nominated by the people through primaries. But, the Tibetans do not have a multi party system.

NAPA is also aligning with Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which already demands internal democracy within parties, and electoral reform campaigners like justice (retired) Rajinder Sachar.

City: 
Chandigarh
Source url: 
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-13/india/31054628_1_assembly-elections-internal-democracy-leader
Mark as New: 
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Author: 
Sanjay Sharma
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