ECI to establish chair in honour of Former CEC TN Seshan at IIIDEM

The Election Commission of India on Saturday decided to establish and fund a visiting chair on an interdisciplinary approach to Electoral Studies in the Centre for Curriculum Development at India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management( IIIDEM) at New Delhi from 2020-2025.

CEC Sunil Arora today announced this decision while delivering the keynote address at the Institute of Law, NIRMA University here. Arora had been invited by the University on the occasion of Law Conclave organized in memory of the legendary Constitutional expert, economist and jurist Nani Palkhiwala.

Speaking on the occasion, Arora said: "TN Seshan's enduring contribution to the cause of probity, transparency and integrity in various aspects of the electoral process in India has made his name synonymous with electoral best practices worldwide. In his memory, ECI would establish the Chair. It shall be our endeavour to ensure that the Chair becomes fully functional during the next academic session August-September, 2020."

The Chair will be mentored by Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N Gopalaswami.

The detailed modalities of its establishment shall be worked out by Secretary-General Umesh Sinha, DG IIIDEM Dharmendra Sharma, and Director of ECI Mona Sreenivas and will be presented to the Commission by March 15, 2020.

The Visiting Chair programme will be targeted at young academics with a proven track record in fields relatable to electoral studies. The Chair will also be expected to curate one national level seminar on specific aspects of Electoral Studies. The Visiting Chair will also supervise the designing and development of an interdisciplinary curriculum for further training and research at the IIIDEM.

Delivering his lecture on Electoral law - its evolution and practice in India, the Chief Election Commissioner said, "Coincidentally, the 70th Anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India on November 26, 1950, is close at hand, affording an opportunity for all of us to deliberate upon the path ahead."

Arora said, "Our Constitution is a living document. In many ways, it is also an evolving document which has endured the test of times. From its very inception, the Constitution has spelt, for each and every Indian, a vocabulary of rights, entitlements, duties as well as the trinity of equality, freedom and dignity which make life meaningful."

"The Election commission, like any institution, has to constantly reinvent itself in order to confront new and emerging challenges", the CEC added.