Democracy Is Not Silence Between Elections |
The Pulse | Politics | South Asia
Democracy Is Not Silence Between Elections
A vote gives a government the authority to rule. It does not give it the right to silence the people.
Screenshot of a video of Delhi Police beating protesters with batons in New Delhi, India, June 20, 2026.
In a democracy, an election’s credibility depends not only on the votes cast by citizens, but also on their confidence in the institution responsible for conducting it. India’s Election Commission (EC), a constitutional body entrusted with safeguarding the integrity of elections, is therefore expected to stand above partisan interests. Yet, allegations by opposition parties and activists that the EC has favored the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in elections as well as processes determining who can vote, alongside questions about electoral transparency and institutional independence, have brought this constitutional responsibility into sharp public debate.
The concern extends beyond any single election or political party. When citizens begin to question whether institutions designed to act independently are functioning impartially, the issue becomes larger than electoral competition. There is something deeply political about being made to stand outside, whether outside parliament, outside a university auditorium, outside government offices, or outside the very institutions that claim to represent you. In a democracy, the distinction between being inside and outside is never merely geographical.
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In a democracy, an election’s credibility depends not only on the votes cast by citizens, but also on their confidence in the institution responsible for conducting it. India’s Election Commission (EC), a constitutional body entrusted with safeguarding the integrity of elections, is therefore expected to stand above partisan interests. Yet, allegations by opposition parties and activists that the EC has favored the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in elections as well as........