Regional Consultation on Electoral and Political Reforms – Southern Region

Date & Venue: 30th June, 2018; IIT-Madras, Chennai

AGENDA
09:30 – 09:45: Registration – (IC & SR auditorium)

Welcome Address Prof Sudarsan Padmanabhan (Trustee-ADR/NEW)

09:45 – 10:00
Introductory remarks Maj.Gen.Anil Verma (Head, Association for Democratic Reforms)

Session 1: Electoral Reforms

Chair person Dr Nasim Zaidi (Former CEC)

Electoral malpractices and its
consequences
10:00 – 11:50
Simultaneous elections -
Possibilities and Challenges
Prof Sudarsan Padmanabhan (Trustee-ADR/NEW), Dr. Balasubramaniam
(Founder – SVYM, Karnataka State Coordinator, ADR), Maj.Gen.Anil Verma
(Retd.) (Head – ADR/ NEW)
Shri T.S.Krishnamurthy (Former CEC), Dr. Sridharan (Former Member of
Parliament, AIADMK), Prof. Sanjay Kumar (Director - CSDS)

Open Session
11:50 – 12:10 TEA BREAK

Session 2: Political Reforms

Chair person Shri T.S.Krishnamurthy (Former CEC)

Dr. Vipul Mudgal (Director–Common Cause, Trustee–ADR/NEW) Shri Rakesh

Electoral Bonds and increasing
Reddy Dubbudu (Founder – FACTLY, AP & Telangana States Coordinator, ADR),
opacity – what next?
Shri. Venkatesh Nayak (Coordinator – CHRI)
12:10 – 14:00
Prof Trilochan Sastry (Founder-Trustee: ADR/ NEW), Shri N.L. Rajah (Sr.
Election expenditure of parties-
Counsel, Madras High Court), Prof Arun Kumar (Former Sukhamoy Chakravarty
Election funding and disclosure
Chair Professor, JNU)

Open Session

14:00 – 15:00: Lunch

Session 3: Local & Urban Governance

Chair person Prof Sudarsan Padmanabhan
Dr. Balasubramaniam (Founder – SVYM, Karnataka State Coord, ADR), Shri
Jayaram Venkatesan (Convenor - Arappor Iyakkam), Shri Nanda Kumar
Issues and experience of the South
(Panchayati Raj Activist), Shri Joseph Victor Raj (Director – HOPE, Puducherry
State Coord, ADR)
Issues and experience of the Ms. Pankti Jog (Executive Director-MAGP, Gujarat State Coord, ADR), Shri
15:00 – 17:00 Sudhir Pal (Chief Functionary-Manthan, Jharkhand State Coord, ADR)
East and West

Open Session

Vote of Thanks - Prof Sudarsan Padmanabhan