The recommendations of Law Commission will help in arresting and reverse the process of proliferation and splintering of political parties and introducing stability in governance, an official release stated. The Commission has also recommended barring independent candidates from contesting elections to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies. The Commission has also suggested that any political party which receives less than five per cent of the total valid votes cast in the general elections to the Lok Sabha or to a State Legislative Assembly, shall not be entitled to any seat in the Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly, even if it wins any seat or seats. The Commission has also recommended enactment of provisions, requiring political parties to maintain accounts, have them audited and file them before the Election Commission. On state funding of political parties, the Commission has reiterated the recommendations in the Indrajit Gupta Committee report subject to certain changes.
Similar provisions are in vogue in several other democratic countries.
The Commission has recommended that in case of electoral offences and certain other serious offences, framing of a charge by the court should itself be a ground of disqualification in addition to conviction. The Commission has proposed amendment to the relevant provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, in order to check false complaints. The Commission has suggested provisions making it obligatory upon every candidate to declare the asset possessed by him or her or by his or her spouse and dependent relations and the particulars regarding criminal cases pending against him or her in the nomination paper itself in the interest of transparency. Some other important recommendations cover the use of Electronic Voting Machine terminating the nomination of Anglo-India members and restrictions on 'No Confidence Motion', in particular requiring the motion to be accompanied by another expressing confidence in a named individual. All rights reserved.