Election - USA style and the Indian Style

Mr. B.S.Raghavan has given a very concise and touching style of the presidential election recently held in the United States. He has rightly praised the method of election and the sporting spirit and generous attitude of the two contestants towards each other after the results were finally declared.
Mr. Raghavan has questioned why elections in India cannot be held in the same manner. That is a very pertinent question. Mr. Raghavan is definitely aware that the historical background of the two countries is very different. In America the two party system has been followed since the inception of the electoral process, where the President is vested with complete and total power. It is not so India. India is plagued with many drawbacks. Regional feeling, religious affinity, casteism and many other factors which make Indian elections a frighteningly complex circus. In North Indian states, which control Indian politics, the elections are controlled by the mafia. Almost all MPs elected from these states are criminals - dacoits, thugs, murderers, smugglers. The administration has been purchased by them. If anyone is foolhardy enough to refuse to toe their line, he is eliminated. All the six MPs, who were convicted of murder (blog 19/8/08), have been let out of jail and are continuing their criminal activities with full vigour. No media person has the guts to report their activities.
In the U.S., if a person running for election has a criminal record, he is hounded out of the race. In a report published in the TOI in the recent Chhatisgarh election, there were 53 candidates having criminal records. A criminal held in jail for murder can win an election in India.
In most north Indian states, it is muscle power that wins elections. In Pappu Yadav's constituency, one has to vote for him, although he may be lodged in jail for murder and extortion. Or else you'll get a bullet through your head. The Election Commission has no power to ban a criminal from being a candidate. Laws will have to be changed in India, otherwise no matter how much we criticise or abuse the government for non-governance, things will remain the same. New laws will have to be introduced, barring criminals from running for the election. There should be a minimum criteria for a candidate, the most important of which is the person should not have any criminal record and should be honest. This should be imposed on all parties to bring
about a sea-change in the political atmosphere of the nation. The dirt and filth must be washed out to encourage decent honest persons to take control of the nation.