Election Commission – A Guardian of Democracy Fourteenth Annual DAKSH Constitution Day Lecture
Details
Nov 30 2025 to Nov 30 2025 6:30 p.m.
Where
Bangalore International Centre
7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071
Event Description
At a moment when democratic legitimacy rests on public trust, the role of the Election Commission demands urgent, sober reflection.
This Constitution Day session examines the institution at the heart of India’s electoral democracy: one tasked with ensuring free and fair elections for over 900 million voters. Yet recent concerns over voter-roll preparation, election scheduling, enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, and responses to hate speech raise critical questions about its autonomy and constitutional resilience.
Grounded in the original vision of an independent referee, the discussion considers whether today’s political pressures and structural vulnerabilities call for renewed safeguards or a deeper reimagining of the Commission itself.
An essential conversation for anyone seeking to understand how democratic institutions endure, and what it takes to protect them.
In collaboration with:
Speaker
S Y Quraishi
Former Chief Election Commissioner of India
Dr. S. Y. Quraishi is the former Chief Election Commissioner of India, serving as the nation’s 17th CEC from 2010 after a term as Election Commissioner. A distinguished civil servant, he previously held senior positions including Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and Director General of the National AIDS Control Organisation, where he pioneered India’s landmark Universities Talk AIDS programme.
A respected public intellectual, Dr. Quraishi has written extensively on democracy, elections, public health, social marketing, and governance. His influential books include Social Marketing for Social Change (1998) and An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election (2014). He also served on the Board of International IDEA from 2012 to 2021.
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