The Election Commission of India (ECI) occupies an unusual position in the constitutional architecture. Article 324 vests it with the “superintendence, direction and control” of electoral rolls and elections to Parliament, state legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President. The Constitution also gives the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) a formidable security of tenure; removal is possible only in the manner and on the grounds applicable to a Supreme Court judge.
The design is deliberate as the election regulator must be sufficiently independent to resist the influence of a government, a political party or a powerful candidate. However, constitutional independence on paper is not the same as institutional independence in practice. The ECI’s history illustrates the difference.
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