SC empowers the voters with right to reject

Electoral reforms moves ahead to bring ethics in politics by landmark verdict of the Supreme Court on Friday held that citizens have right to cast negative vote rejecting all candidates contesting polls, a decision which would encourage people not satisfied with contestants to turn up for voting.

The apex court directed the Election Commission to provide 'none of the above options' at the end of the list of candidates in electronic voting machines (EVMs) and ballot papers to allow voters to reject those contesting polls. A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam said that negative voting would foster purity and vibrancy of elections and ensure wide participation as people who are not satisfied with the candidates in the fray would also turn up to express their opinion rejecting contestants. It said that the concept of negative voting would bring a systemic change in the election process as the political parties will be forced to project clean candidates in polls. The bench noted that the concept of negative voting is prevalent in 13 countries and even in India, parliamentarians are given an option to press the button for abstaining while voting takes place in the House. The court said right to reject candidates in elections is part of fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression given by the Constitution to Indian citizens. It said that democracy is all about choice and significance of right of citizens to cast negative voting is massive. With the concept of negative voting, the voters who are dissatisfied with the candidates in the fray would turn up in large number to express their opinion which would put unscrupulous elements and impersonators out of the polls, it said.

Supreme Court recognised on Friday the right of voters to reject all candidates contesting polls, seen as a key reform ahead of general elections due next year.  A bench headed by Chief Justice of India P. Sathasivam asked the election commission to change electronic voting machine ballots to give voters a choice of "none of the above".  "Democracy is all about choices and voters will be empowered by this right of negative voting," he said, ruling on a petition by the non-profit People's Union for Civil Liberties.  "Negative voting will send a clear signal to political parties and candidates as to what the voters think about them."  Until now, voters had no right to reject candidates despite demands from activists to create such a provision, Sathasivam said