The Man Who Changed Indian Elections

          Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan, known as T. N. Seshan, was a fearless civil servant who served as Chief Election Commissioner of India from 1990 to 1996. At that time, elections were often affected by booth capturing, fake voting, money power, and political pressure. He decided to strictly enforce the existing laws and restore discipline in the system.

          He strongly implemented the Model Code of Conduct, warned political parties, canceled elections when necessary, controlled election violence through re-polling and security measures, introduced voter photo identity cards to prevent fake voting, and monitored election spending to reduce misuse of money.

          Using the wide powers under Article 324 of the Constitution, he made the Election Commission very powerful. Many political leaders felt authority was concentrated in one person, so in 1993 Additional Election Commissioners were appointed to ensure collective decision-making. In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled that all Election Commissioners have equal powers and decisions must be taken by majority.

          After his tenure, the Election Commission became stronger and more respected. He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1996, contested the Presidential election in 1997, and passed away in 2019.

         T. N. Seshan proved that democracy becomes stronger when rules are enforced without fear.