The Hindu Business Line : Watchdog to keep an eye on polls in Kerala

SEVERAL civil society organisations and individuals have come together under the banner of Election Watch Kerala (EWK) in order to play a watchdog role in the forthcoming elections in the State.

Dr M.N.V. Nair, Chairman of the Public Affairs Forum, is the Chairperson of EWK. Other office-bearers are: Dr K. Raman Pillai, Dr K. Saradamoni, Mr V. Vivekanandan, Mr M.R. Vijayanathan Pillai and Dr M. Kuttappan.

Briefing newspersons here, Dr Nair said EWK is a committee of persons from different walks of life having a common interest in ensuring that the elections are indeed free and fair as envisaged by the Constitution and the laws.

The organisations whose members are associating with EWK include the Kerala chapters of Transparency International, Vigil India Movement, Indian Society for Interdisciplinary Studies, Public Affairs Forum, Kerala Watch and Prathikarana Vedi.

Members of the EWK include Mr T.N. Jayachandran, Mr M.N. Prasad, Dr K.P. Kannan, Dr M. Bhaskaran Nair, Mr N. Ramachandran, Mr M.K. Das, Mr C.K. Ramachandran, Mr Satish Babu, Mr V. Sumedhan, Mr K.A. Pillai, Mr B.R.P. Bhaskar, Mr M. Bhaskaran Nair, Prof Hridayakumari, Mr Mathew Maliekal and Mr P.I. Mani.

EWK is part of a nationwide civil society initiative inspired by the work of organisations such as the Association for Democratic Reform (ADR) and Lok Satta whose efforts resulted in the Supreme Court verdict requiring candidates to reveal their financial position and criminal antecedents. Similar election watch committees have already come into being in New Delhi and several States.

EWK will be expanded shortly by roping in members from different parts of the State who wish to associate themselves with its activities. It proposes to set up constituency-level committees for effective monitoring of the campaign. Its activities will be made known to the public through the media as well as its Web site, www.electionwatchkerala.org, which has already become functional.

Facilities will be set up in Thiruvananthapuram to receive from public complaints of election malpractices and other irregularities. EWK may make its own inquiries into the complaints or refer them to the constitutional or legal functionaries for appropriate action.

The candidates are now required to file affidavits regarding their financial status and cases pending them and furnish periodical statements on campaign expenses. EWK plans to gather the information provided them, analyse them and disseminate the information as widely as possible to enable the voters to make an informed choice.

EWK can be reached at 0471-2312292 or info@electionwatchkerala.org for making complaints and clarifying on election processes and rules. Other contact numbers are 0471-2550474, 98470-84840 and 0471-2447998.