The call for electoral reforms
Reject clause and its essence
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 01, 2012 -

The growing call for electoral reforms is a submission that there is a dire need to revamp the very system of electing the people who would one day go on to steer the course of the country or a State.

The general perception that India as a democracy is doing fine but that some reforms are needed is diplomatically putting across the message that the very basis on which elections are held is full of loopholes.

No one wants to be caught uttering something which are deemed politically incorrect and so the diplomatic touch.

And so it is, 'improvement needed, reforms needed, etc while in reality it should be the current model has thrown up more crooks than leaders.

How else can one explain the impunity with which people with criminal records find themselves contesting as candidates and winning it too ? The latest statement from the Chief Election Commissioner of India on the need to include the Right to Reject Clause in the election is a damning say on the character, the qualification, antecedents, in short the overall profile of the people who throw their hat into the election ring as candidates.

That there has been a rising call to include the Right to Reject Clause in the election or the EVMs says something very, very significant and add the dwindling number of people coming out to vote (as per a statement issued by the office of the ECI some time back) and the disillusionment of quite a large number of people with the very process of electing their representatives becomes clear.

The need to include this clause is an indictment on the quality of people who come out to contest the elections and nothing could be more unfortunate than this.

With money being set as the benchmark to contest the election, the result can be seen in the number of contractors/suppliers with dubious antecedents suddenly donning the garb of 'social workers and then entering the electoral arena to do 'something meaningful for the people ! It cannot get more absurd than this but with the present system, where there is no avenue for the voters to say that none of the candidates in fray match up to their expectations, there are only two choice-do not vote or choose one of the lesser evils.

This is not a healthy sign of a democracy.

As the man heading the Election Commission of India, Mr SY Quraishi seems intent on leaving his mark on the institution and this is welcome.

The Right to Reject Clause is something which The Sangai Express has expounded in detail, more than once, courtesy an article submitted by an elderly gentleman some time back.

It is important to note that the Right to Reject Clause should come with certain appendices or else it may derail rather make the business of electing the people's representatives more meaningful.

For starters, if 50.

01 percent of the voters who turn out for the election press the Reject button then the election in the particular seat, Parliament or Assembly, may be declared null and void.

A re-election may be held with the rider that none of the candidates who contested earlier are eligible, since more than 50 percent had rejected them.

This will entail huge financial costs, no doubt, but come to think about it, no expenses should deemed too costly for getting the people's mandate.

In the long run this will help in ensuring that more and more qualified or acceptable candidates come forward.

Apart from the Right to Reject clause, there are other ideas which need to be worked upon.

The ECI has demonstrated that it is intent on checking the flagrant use of money power.

While the efforts are laudable, something more needs to be done.

Why not think out of the box and go in for some revolutionary steps ? Why not work out a system in which the candidates do not know from which Constituency they are going to ultimately stand for the election ? For example intending candidates may file their nomination papers earlier, they may spell out their agenda and release their manifestos or the election manifesto of their respective parties.

Discussions, debates etc may carry on, but let the decision from which Constituency they are going to stand for the election be decided by a draw of the lots, say two or three days ahead of the actual date.

This will compel all to look beyond their immediate neighbourhood and adopt a pan India or a pan State outlook and plus this will go a long way in cutting down expenditure by way of hosting feasts or distributing money.

Say if candidate A is from Constituency B but has to stand the election from Constituency C, this would go a long way in curbing money distribution as well as hosting feasts.

This will also help in blunting the travesty of private interests dictating the choice of the people.

Some revolutionary changes are called for, or else election will continue to be decided by the amount of money that each candidate spends or distributes.

The time for the Right to Reject clause has come.