Cong MP Tiwari's private Bill seeks more power to Election Commission

New Delhi: Congress MP Manish Tewari introduced a Private Member's Bill in the Parliament demanding the formation of a high-level committee with respect to the selection of the Chief Election Commission of India to uphold the independence and autonomy of the Election Commission.

The Bill urged the said committee should be included the Home Minister, the Leader of the Opposition or floor Leader in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and Chief Justice of India and two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, besides the Prime Minister as its head.

The Bill, which was presented as a response to the growing concern over the independence and autonomy of the Election Commission, also highlighted the need for regulating, monitoring and superintending the internal functioning, including the election process of all registered political parties.

Tiwari reasoned the importance of superintending the internal functioning of all political parties citing the 'opaque and ossified' structure of a number of political parties, which he stressed, need to be made accountable, transparent and rue based.

The Bill demanded that there must have a procedure to remove the members of the committee. "They should not be removed from office except in accordance with the procedure laid down for the removal of a Supreme Court Judge. Also, after retirement they should not be eligible for any reappointment to any office under the Government of India, State Governments and the Constitution," the Bill says.

The Bill also seeks to provide the Election Commission of India with the "necessary wherewithal to regulate, monitor and superintend the internal functioning of all political parties".