Some measures taken by the government to reform political parties have been :
(i) Anti-defection law, which states that if any sitting MLA or MP changes his party, he will lose his seat in the legislature.
(ii) It is mandatory now for every candidate to furnish all details related to the assets, criminal cases pending.
(iii) Election Commission has made it mandatory for parties to hold regular elections a file income tax.
(iv) Recent judgement by Supreme Court that disqualifies convicted MP's and MLA's who have sentenced to more than two years of imprisonment by the lower court and whose appeal against their conviction is pending and is debarred from contesting elections is considered to be the landmark decision by the apex court to clean the system.
Other suggestions for reforms :
(i) The financial accounts of the parties must be audited, this will decrease the role of private big business house donors.
(ii) State funding of political parties must be done to meet their election expenditure.
(iii) The accounts must be made available to public'
(iv) Parties must come under the ambit of Right to information to increase transparency in the system.
(v) Common people must be encouraged to give donations to parties and such citizens must be exempted from income tax.
(vi) Parties must encourage inner-party democracy, have regular elections.
(vii)They must encourage participation of women.
