Have elections in India become plutocratic?

This episode of In Focus by The Hindu examines whether India's electoral system is becoming plutocratic, with wealth increasingly determining political success. As Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry head to polls, the discussion centers on the soaring costs of elections—estimated at 50 to 100 crores per candidate—far exceeding the official cap of 95 lakhs for Lok Sabha candidates. Experts M.R. Madhavan and R. Rangarajan highlight how unregulated spending, lack of party expenditure limits, opaque funding mechanisms like electoral bonds, and the absence of state funding create a deeply unequal playing field. While money is not sufficient to win elections, it has become a necessary condition, especially for independents and smaller parties. The conversation explores systemic flaws such as the first-past-the-post model, which marginalizes smaller voices, and the influence of welfare politics, muscle power, and caste. Despite feasible reforms like increasing spending limits, enforcing transparency, capping government ads before elections, and adopting proportional representation, political will remains absent. Civil society, media, and judicial activism are seen as vital for awareness and pressure, but lasting change requires deeper public engagement and structural reform. The episode concludes with a sobering reflection: even if elections are rigged by money, the real crisis lies in the erosion of legislative autonomy—where elected representatives are bound by party whips and lack real power. True reform, the guests argue, must go beyond campaign finance to empower lawmakers as independent agents of governance. The Supreme Court’s 2024 strike down of electoral bonds is celebrated as a step toward transparency, but the broader question remains: should corporations—non-voters—be allowed to fund elections at all? The answer, they suggest, demands a national debate, not just legal fixes.