People's Ballot

November 3rd, 2002

Dear Friends,

This is a brief note to give you all an update on the legal challenge and other developments that occurred in the past 6 weeks.

As you are aware LOK SATTA along with ADR, PUCL and other civil society initiatives filed a PIL in the SC challenging the validity of the GOI Ordinance on disclosures. The final hearing in the case concluded on the 23rd of October and orders were reserved for judgment. Our counsels Sri PP Rao, Sri Prashant Bhushan along with Ms Kamini Jaiswal, Sri Rajindar Sachar and Sri Sanjay Parikh have done a commendable job in articulating our stand that in a democracy the people's right to know about their
representa We are reasonably hopeful of a favourable verdict. Irrespective of the judgment, we should be prepared to mobilize public opinion in a big way in support of our democratic reform agenda and towards that I suggest the following course of action:

        1.  In AP we have conducted a people's ballot between the 27-30th of
            October to gauge the public demand on the disclosure issue and we
            received an overwhelming response. 8,54,554 people participated in this ballot
            which was conducted across the state in 500 centres and 8,38,199 (98.09 %)
            of them voted "Yes" saying that we want full disclosures. 5,921 (0.69 %)
            votes were invalid and 10,434 (1.22 %) of the votes were cast "No". People
            from all cross-sections, well beyond our expectations, enthusiastically
            Similar ballot initiatives can be taken up across the country. It is
            simple and effective and college youth, women and retired employees can
            easily undertake it. The benefits of such an exercise are:

                    a. To demonstrate public support for full disclosures and electoral
                        reforms.
                    b. To build a network of volunteers for electoral and democratic reforms.
                    c. To create and popularize a very potent tool for citizen action for better
                        governance.

       2. If the government and parties do not respect public opinion and go ahead with
           the enactment of a law replacing the Ordinance, we should launch a "No
           disclosure - No vote" campaign, indicating that votes will be cast in all future
           elections only in favour of candidates who voluntarily disclose full details irrespective
           of the legal provisions.

      3. Build pressure to quickly enact a funding reform law, which is pending before
          the parliament and ensure its effective implementation.
 
     4.  Focus on making voter registration accurate, accessible, simple and people-friendly
         by making post office as the nodal agency for registration.

    5.  Launch Election watch movements in all states where elections are due in the next
        12 months - Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi.
 
    6. Focus on larger reforms of the electoral system in order to make our political process
        wholesome and clean.

    7. Build a nucleus of non-partisan reform movements in all major states, and expand the
        reach to as many constituencies as possible.

    8. Consolidate the national campaign for electoral and political reforms, and build a truly
        effective national movement.

    9. Participate actively in the work of the delimitation commission in each state to delimit
        the constituencies based on the 1991 census.
 

The overwhelming public opinion is on our side and we should seize this moment and carry forward the movement for democratic reforms. The time is ripe.

With warm regards

Jayaprakash Narayan
National Coordinator

Lok Satta
401/408 Nirmal Towers
Dwarakapuri Colony, Punjagutta
Hyderabad - 500 082
Tel: 040 3350778/3350790
Fax: 040 3350783
E-mail: loksatta@satyam.net.in
url: www.loksatta.org