The electoral bonds imbroglio

The sale of electoral bonds by concealing the details of donor from the public indicates the dialectical relationship between the capital and power. The ruling BJP being the biggest beneficiary of this scheme substantiates the symbiotic association between the two. It is common sense to understand that most of the donors would like to donate the money to the party in power but not to the opposition parties. The undeclaration of the donor details may pave the way for the institutionalisation of corruption in the elections.

Irrespective of the party in power the scheme has the potential of taking away the sanctity of elections attached in a democracy. To preserve and protect the integrity of the election process and its political legitimacy, both funding of political parties in general and through electoral bonds in particular needs to bring within the ambit of the Right to Information Act along with strong audit checks and balances through the independent Ombudsman. Transparency and secrecy do not exist together.

-Nayakara Veeresha, Bengaluru