Already one nation one election proposed by the government is receiving a lukewarm response. However, implementation will see that time and money will not be wasted. In the same way, we should think of amending political laws for the advantage of the nation. Two important amendments to the political laws of the country can help achieve stable governance, in a political system consisting of a State legislature, and decentralisation of authorities.
1. When a party is being elected by the people, the leader of the party should get the vote, not the individual member contesting in a particular constituency. Every individual member’s designation once a party is elected should be finalised by the party leader before the election, and the party leader cannot change his mind after a candidate contesting in that party has enrolled for the election.
The party with the absolute majority comes to administer the State in all the constituencies, and there needs to be no opponent party in the house. After the election, the leader should individually appoint his party members as finalised by him, without changing his mind, and he should also have the right to remove from office any member of that party, at any time, by proving the justified reason for this dismissal, such as misuse of authority, corrupt practises, and unethical or immoral behaviour.
This can only bring about a harmony between the party leader and the party members. Similarly, if the majority of the party members decide to remove from office a leader, or any member of the party, they can also do the same, provided they prove a justified reason to do the same, such as misuse of authority, corrupt practises, and unethical or immoral behaviour. The position of the absent administrator in the vacant seat can be filled through a by-election. If a leader expires, a nominee of the leader takes his place until the next election. Hence, there is a check and balance.
2. Then one may wonder in a democracy, how can independent parties and the common man contest in an election, if party members are not individually allowed to change parties to form a coalition government? Yes, a coalition government can be formed, but the majority of both the coalition parties have to concur to this decision, not just the individual elected members, to do the same, and the leader with the absolute majority appoints the elected member from the coalition party.
This member from the coalition party should have the entitlement to take the seat of the representative who would have otherwise come to office from the winning party. Remember, this member from the coalition party cannot be removed from office without justified grounds, even if the majority of the ruling house desires so.
The difference in this set up is that, as both the opponent parties have become one, there is no separate opponent party in the ministry. The leader has the right to remove from office any of the elected members, provided it is justified with proof, and so can the majority of the ruling house do the same to the leader, provided it is justified with proof.
It is time to have better governance and for which some structural changes are the need of the hour.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
