Ex-CEC Sunil Arora slams Global State of Democracy Report as it lowers India's ranking

NEW DELHI: Former chief election commissioner Sunil Arora has flayed the Global State of Democracy Report-2023 which lowered India's ranking from 62 to 66, asserting that the methodology used was ''full of many fallacious assumptions''.

Arora, who is the accredited representative from India to the board of advisors of International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IIDEA), is leant to have said this lowering of ranking is ''completely out of sync'' with the complexity, diversity, and the scale and consistency of conduct of elections in the country.

The IIDEA prepares the Global State of Democracy Report.

In a strongly-worded letter to IIDEA, Arora is leant to have pointed out that the outcome of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the ''totally different outcome'' in assembly polls held later that year is a major indicator of the power the Indian voters wield freely and fearlessly.

''The incongruence in assessing India's pivotal role becomes even more inexplicable as it does not account for India's contribution in not just maintaining democratic fabric in Asia, but the world at large,'' he is learnt to have said in the 18-page note.

Questioning the methodology followed in preparing the report, Arora said the material used for arriving at the ''sweeping conclusions'' appear primarily based on ''secondary sources''.

''Even these have unfortunately been rather selectively chosen...,'' he noted.

He recalled that during the 2019 parliamentary polls, the Election Commission under him had taken stern action against those who indulged in hate speeches and disturbing level-playing field.

The former bureaucrat also noted that besides having a robust legal mechanism, India also has a fearless and independent judiciary where judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts are recommended for appointment by a collegium of judges.