India’s democracy is under siege from unchecked money power, warns a new report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Titled ‘Political Finance in India: Assessment and Recommendations,’ it spotlights seven critical flaws: the dominance of money and muscle power, absent internal party democracy, lack of legal teeth for Election Commission (EC) rules, inability to deregister errant parties, evasion of Right to Information (RTI) laws, candidates flouting regulations and zero political will for change. These gaps foster financial secrecy and unbridled campaign spending, eroding fair elections.
