Electoral Reform In India

On 28th January, 2017, NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON “Electoral Reform In India”

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The Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia is organising a One Day National Seminar On “Electoral Reforms in India”
On 28th January, 2017

CONCEPT NOTE

“An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle except for the blood; a mud bath for every soul concerned in it”
-George Bernard Shaw

At the dawn of Indian independence, it was unanimously decided that free India, being privileged enough to be transforming into the largest democracy in the world, shall strive to be a democratic republic and religiously work towards upholding its values. General elections, at regular intervals, form one of the most significant tenets of such a democracy. Elections are the medium through which the attitudes, values and beliefs of the people in a political environment are reflected, expressed, renewed and radically altered as and when the need arises. It is a democratic procedure for selecting and controlling leaders. Elections symbolise the sovereignty of the people and provide legitimacy to the authority of the government. However, with the passage of time, the process of elections in India underwent various monumental changes, most of them coming from various historical legislations, unfortunately tracing their roots to a plethora of malpractices including rampant booth capturing, rigging, and unfair distribution of incentives to lure voters.


To achieve the dream of a becoming a successful democracy, free and fair elections are indispensable. As unfortunate as it may seem, the most important development in our election system over time has been the rapid decline in the quality of democracy, followed by a constant deterioration of values. Mushrooming of innumerable political parties, thereby leading to an exponential rise in defections, despite the law being contrary to it, has become a fashion for power hungry politicians and poses a huge threat for our democracy.


Electoral reforms are a medium by which an unbiased electoral system can be introduced, thereby assuring free and fair elections. It also includes recuperating the existing systems to enhance and increase the efficiency of the same. Whenever the need for necessary action has arisen, the Election commission, as well as the Judiciary have safeguarded our democracy and ensured judicious elections. A number of new initiatives have been taken by the Election Commission to cleanse the electoral process in India. Electoral reforms are various positive steps in the electoral system, undertaken as an endeavour to improve how the public desires are expressed in election results. The transition from secret ballots boxes to EVM’s, the introduction of the concept of adult suffrage and the much required autonomy of the election commission are glaring examples of the changes undertaken by the Government.
In conclusion, however, the scope of massive improvement still lingers large, as many of these reforms are arbitrary and have proved to be grossly inefficient. Keeping in mind these aspects, Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia is organizing a one-day National Seminar on Electoral Reforms in India. With this seminar, an attempt is being made to come up with possible reforms through which major issues, requiring immediate scrutiny, can be duly addressed, contemplated and resolved.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The National Seminar offers an opportunity to professionals, experts and students from various disciplines to present their research papers highlighting the issue of ‘Electoral Process and Reforms in India.’
Consequently, the Seminar will serve as a platform to address the following pertinent issues.

1) Decriminalization of Indian Politics
2) Educational Qualifications of Elected Representatives
3) Politics of Defection
4) Office of Profit
5) Independence of the Election Commission of India
6) Auditing of Election Manifesto
7) Regulating Party Funding and Election Spending
8) Recalling of Elected Representatives
9) Right to Reject
10) NOTA
11) Compulsory Voting
12) Role of RTI and Political Parties
13) Media and Election
14) Exit Polls and Other Methods for Predicting Preferences of Voters
15) One Candidate One Constituency
16) Role of Regional Political Parties in India
17) Politics of Communalism and Casteism
18) Internal Democracy in Political Parties
19) Role of Industry, NGOs and Civil Society Organizations
20) Role of Women in Participative Democracy
21) Code of Conduct

PUBLICATION

The papers selected by the Committee will be published in the form of a book bearing an ISBN No.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

Interested authors should submit an abstract of their original research/conceptual papers and empirical studies/case studies briefly describing objectives, methodology, major results and its implications. The abstract must not exceed 500 words.

All abstracts will be peer reviewed and evaluated before final acceptance.

Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to submit and present their paper at the seminar.

The length of the final submission should not exceed 5000 words (excluding footnotes).

The abstract and the final submission must be typed in Times New Roman, with font size 12 and 1.5 line spacing.

The Blue Book: A Uniform System of Citation (20th ed.) must be strictly adhered to while submitting the abstract and the final submission.

Co-authorship is permitted to a maximum of two authors. Atleast one author must be present at the Seminar for presentation.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

The abstract and the complete research paper bearing the following details shall be sent as an attachment on nationalseminar.fol@jmi.ac.in

Details:

Name
Affiliation
Address for correspondence
Contact details
Theme
Title of the paper

REGISTRATION FEE
Registration fee should be remitted through Demand Draft drawn in favour of The Registrar, Jamia Millia Islamia payable at New Delhi. Participants are required to bring the hard
copies of the Demand Draft, registration form, research paper and a valid Identity proof. Registration fee can also be paid in cash at the registration desk on the day of the seminar.

Type of Delegates

1) Professionals (NGOs/Academicians/Policymakers etc.)
1200 (Single Author)
1500 (Co-Author)

2) Research Scholar
1000 (Single Author)
1200 (Co-Author)

3)Students
750 (Single Author)
1000 (Co-Author)

IMPORTANT DATES

Last date for submission of abstract: 31st December, 2016.
Intimation on selection of the abstract: 5th January, 2017.
Last date for submission of scanned copies of Demand Draft and Registration Form: 22nd January, 2017.
Last date for submission of full paper: 22nd January, 2017.
Date of the National Seminar: 28th January, 2017.

VENUE

The Seminar shall be held at Jamia Millia Islamia.

CONTACT DETAILS

In case any queries/ clarifications arise, the same can conveyed to the committee by sending an e-mail to nationalseminar.fol@jmi.ac.in

For further clarifications, the following may be contacted:

Dr. Mohd Asad Malik (Co-ordinator): +91 9891999938.
Hera Fatima Naqvi (Student Co-ordinator): +91 9711522193.
Suvaiba Fatima Ahmed: +91 8588925680
Faisal Mohammed: +91 8800641448

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Electoral Reform In India