New Delhi: English newspapers in the country, in their editorials, decried the Election Commission’s proposed reform asking political parties to disclose the financials pertaining to poll promises they make in the wake of the ongoing debate on “irrational freebies” in the Supreme Court and outside.While some described the move as “overreach”, others termed it a “political plunge” on the part of India’s poll body. Although all dailies underscored that handouts or giveaways or freebies during elections have reached “dangerous levels” with adverse financial implications whilst “vitiating” the poll process, they, however, said the ECI cannot arrogate to itself the power to conclude and pull up parties on the question of financial viability of poll promises.“The EC has no place in that space, it must retrace its steps,” declared the Indian Express editorial.‘Not a meaningful exercise’: Times of India The daily highlighted that it is the politics that has to change as the poll body’s proposal on freebies is “unlikely to work” even as freebie culture has reached “dangerous levels”.It sought to drive home its point from the standpoint of economic forecasts that parties ought to make in the event they are pushed to submit financials to the poll authority on how they would make a financial case for their promises.“Economic forecasts are fraught with risk as they are based on assumptions that often don’t work out. So, asking political parties to make assumptions about their fiscal promises is unlikely to throw up meaningful information. Plus, parties in campaigning mode don’t have an incentive to be realistic. Therefore, asking political parties to disclose more details on poll promises is unlikely to be a meaningful exercise,” the daily’s editorial argued.Also read: In Proposed Reform, EC Wants Parties to Explain How Poll Promises Will Be FinancedIt also touched upon how development gets stunted due to the culture of giveaways but argued against the poll body wading into the space of overseeing the financial implications of poll promises.“EC or courts are not the right bodies to put a check on the dangerous freebie culture. Only political parties can do that – just as they attempted to do by enacting the FRBM [Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management] law two decades ago,” the newspaper cautioned.‘Political plunge,’ says Indian ExpressThe editorial of Indian Express sought to underline that the latest circular of the ECI – seeking views of political parties in the country on its proposal to amend the Model Code of Conduct – has cast a shadow on the credibility it has built over the years.“Now, in the name of disclosure to the voter, the EC seems prepared to cast aside its own legitimate reservations – to take a political plunge,” the editorial said, adding that the poll body should have continued with its “admirable circumspection” it had demonstrated earlier at the Supreme Court on the question of freebies.The ECI had earlier told the top court, during a hearing on freebies, that it cannot be on the proposed committee on tackling freebie culture due to the fact that it may have government representatives and it could assume a political character. However, the poll body in its latest move has made a volte-face by asking parties to explain the financials of their poll promises.“If the EC arrogates to itself the power to sit in judgment on the feasibility of the promises parties make to voters, it would be guilty of stepping into a pact it is not part of. It would be doing so, moreover, by taking a cue from the party in power… The EC has no place in that space, it must retrace its steps,” the Indian Express editorial averred.‘Matter best left to voters to decide’: Free Press JournalAccording to the daily, a healthy democracy necessitates that trust is placed in a “vigilant voter” than an “overreaching” Election Commission.“This is a matter best left to voters to decide. Even if the voters are hoodwinked by tall promises, in time they will turn their collective back on the party which deceives them. The argument that ordinary people are ignorant and prone to be misled cannot be allowed to hold sway for, taken to its logical conclusion, it would nix our faith in the democratic system itself,” the daily argued in its editorial titled ‘The voter is savvy, let her decide’.It further sought to argue that controversy over freebies has assumed a “sharper edge” after the “newbie”, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), swept to power in the national capital by “promising free bijli-paani”. However, the editorial said, how can ECI or any other authority in the country could have prevented the AAP from “making wild promises”.“Admittedly, the promise of giveaways vitiates the atmosphere for an independent and fair poll, but the remedy is a vigilant voter, an aware voter, a well-informed voter, not an Election Commission that insists on knowing how and from where funds will be raised to pay for the freebies,” the newspaper concluded.On Tuesday, October 4, the Election Commission proposed amending the model code to ask political parties to provide authentic information to voters on the financial viability of their poll promises.In a letter to all recognised national and state parties, it asked them to submit their views on the proposals by October 19. The EC said empty poll promises have far-reaching ramifications and added it cannot overlook the undesirable impact inadequate disclosures on election promises have on financial sustainability.