‘Democracy cannot be bought: Time for India to end cash-for-votes politics’

India has undertaken several historic electoral reforms over the decades — from Electronic Voting Machines and VVPAT systems to tighter expenditure monitoring and recent initiatives such as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Yet, one of the gravest threats to Indian democracy continues almost openly: the distribution of money to voters during elections.

This is not merely an electoral irregularity. It is corruption in its crudest and most dangerous form.

Under Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, bribery in elections is explicitly classified as a “corrupt practice.” The law clearly states that offering or accepting gratification in exchange for votes is illegal. Yet, despite the legal framework, cash-for-votes has become disturbingly normalized in many parts of the country.

Today, Assembly elections in several constituencies involve expenditure running into many crores of rupees, while Parliamentary contests may witness vastly larger sums. A substantial part of this money is allegedly used for illegal inducements to voters. The Election Commission itself seized inducements worth nearly ₹9,000 crore during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and freebies.

The consequences are catastrophic for governance.

A candidate who spends enormous sums to purchase votes often begins his tenure not with a vision for public service, but with anxiety about recovering election expenditure. Thus begins the vicious cycle of corruption. Administrative interference, pressure on officials, manipulation of contracts, intimidation of businessmen, and abuse of political influence become instruments for recovering “investments” made during elections.

Public office slowly transforms into a commercial enterprise.

The damage, however, extends far beyond politics. It corrodes the moral foundations of society itself.

When families accept money for voting, corruption enters the household. Youngsters who witness parents taking cash for votes internalize a dangerous message — that bribery is acceptable and morality is negotiable. Over time, society loses the moral authority to question corruption because many become silent participants in the same system.

Equally tragic is the exclusion of honest citizens from public life. Many capable and ethical individuals avoid politics because they cannot compete with money power. Democracy then risks becoming accessible only to those with enormous financial resources or questionable funding networks.

Can this menace be controlled? The answer is unquestionably yes.

India already possesses one of the world’s most powerful constitutional election management systems. I witnessed this personally during the landmark Bihar Assembly elections of 2005, when I served as Election Observer in Munger district. The Election Commission acted with extraordinary firmness against intimidation, booth capturing, violence and electoral manipulation. Central police forces were deployed extensively. Swift arrests were made. Strict enforcement created an atmosphere where ordinary citizens could vote fearlessly for the first time in decades.

The impact was unforgettable.

After polling, villagers stopped our vehicles and garlanded election officials, saying that for the first time they had exercised their democratic right without fear. That experience demonstrated a timeless truth: when the Election Commission acts decisively, democracy triumphs.

The same determination is now required against cash-for-votes politics.

Technology offers India an unprecedented opportunity. The Election Commission’s cVIGIL platform already allows citizens to report Model Code violations. During the 2024 elections, over 4.24 lakh complaints were received through the app, with nearly 89% reportedly resolved within 100 minutes. This platform can now be significantly expanded into a powerful anti-bribery mechanism.

Citizens should be encouraged to upload geo-tagged videos, photographs and real-time evidence of cash distribution. Independent monitoring units equipped with artificial intelligence, digital tracking and rapid-response enforcement teams can immediately investigate such complaints. Those found guilty — whether candidates, intermediaries or voters — must face swift prosecution, disqualification and exemplary punishment under due legal process.

Once strict enforcement begins across constituencies, fear of consequences will replace today’s culture of impunity.

The benefits would be transformational. Election expenditure would decline sharply. Political parties could focus more on governance and public policy than on raising massive illegal funds. Honest candidates with limited resources would gain a fairer opportunity to enter politics. Administrative corruption would reduce substantially because elected representatives would no longer begin their tenure burdened by the need to recover campaign expenditure.

Most importantly, the moral stature of the voter would again.

India today needs a defining electoral moment— an era where institutions act fearlessly and democracy regains public trust.

Welfare measures by governments in a welfare state may be debated on economic grounds. But distributing money during elections is fundamentally different. It is not welfare. It is the commercialization of democracy itself.

India cannot permit democracy to be auctioned constituency by constituency.

The cleansing of public life must begin at the ballot box.

(The author is a former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, who also served as an Election Observer)