"Election Commission has been treated as a sidekick to the government." 

Former Chief Election Commissioner, T.N. Seshan said that family values had kept him the way he was. "We were taught the value of time, money, honesty, and hard work from a very early age."
"Every possible imaginable work in the household I have done. Cleaning the house, during those days there was no gas, so lighting up a fire from firewood, draw water out of the well, milk the cow, clean the cow, cook. Work was not something that was unedifying. All work was edifying work".
He also said that his father taught him at a very young age to read the Gita.
"Spirituality does not mean demonstrative spirituality. I am not saying that those who do are wrong. You can be spiritual in your own space, own house. I base myself on the Gita. The first one third is about karma yoga, the second one third is about nyana yoga and third one third is about bhakti yoga. I have practiced this in my own little place. One does not need pictures of gods and goddess in conference room in order to be religious".
He said that he got into the Chief Election Commissioner's job by sheer accident. In October-November of 1990, when Chandrasekhar became the Prime Minister, he called T.N. Seshan and said he would like to give me some job. Unfortunately for everybody, Mr. Peri Sastri, the previous Chief Election Commissioner expired suddenly. "I was asked if I would like to be the Chief Election Commissioner and I refused. Before 1990 the only time I had done an election was in 1967, when I was collector in Madurai".
"Varieties of circumstances conspired and I consulted Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, he said no. I consulted Mr. Venkatraman, he said no. I consulted my brother, he said no. I consulted my father in law, who was a scientist, who in turn consulted his astrologer and was told that I would take up the job, but would sit on it like I was sitting on a bunch of thorns. I consulted the Acharya of Kanchi, who said I should take it up as it was a job with great dignity".
A month into the job Seshan wanted to quit. He approached the Prime Minister, who got annoyed with Seshan for deciding to quit so soon. Another month later, in January, Seshan wanted to quit again. It was only in March of 1991, with the elections round the corner that Seshan felt that he would like to continue in the job.
"My understandings of the Constitution of India, Article 324, and the subsequent articles have intended that the Election Commission should be truly independent. Today across the world, in Haiti, Ivory Coast and various other places where the absence of an independent election commission is causing havoc to democracies. Unfortunately design and theory is one and practice is another".
He said that the Election Commission was treated as a sidekick of the government. "In all papers it read Chief Election Commissioner, Government of India. I said sorry, I am not part of the Government of India. I am part of the structure of this country but am not part of the Government of India." He said that it took considerable effort to satisfy or bring home to the government that the Election Commission was of the government but not under the government.
"Establishing the independence of the Election Commission was one thing, the other thing was that the people did not understand the beauty of the language of the Constitution. Through the years, elections had become a joke".