EC chief endorses 'Right to Reject'

EC chief endorses 'Right to Reject' New Delhi, Jan 28 (IBNS): India's Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi said that the time to consider the 'Right to Reject' may have come, endorsing an idea backed by activists such as Anna Hazare that has caused much discomfort among the country's political class. The proposal, if effected, would give voters the choice to press a button which would say "None of the Above" if they would not like to vote for any of the candidates listed in the electronic voting machine. "One suggestion of the Anna group I have started considering very positively -- initially we were dismissive about it - the Right to Reject," Quraishi, said in an interview to television news network NDTV. "Our concern was that the Right to Reject may lead to too many elections and as it is people complain of election fatigue. "But when we discussed this with the people who had come to meet us, we had a long very cordial meeting, in which they said that it will not lead to too many elections," he said. Quraishi said that the prime reason behind the Election Commission giving the idea sound consideration was the fact that they were unsatisfied with the effectiveness of their crackdown on illicit poll funding. He said that the Election Commission had so far seized illicit money worth Rs 44 crores in the run up to the state elections that began with polling in Manipur on Saturday, however, political parties "continue to indulge in such malpractices".

New Delhi, Jan 28 (IBNS): India's Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi said that the time to consider the 'Right to Reject' may have come, endorsing an idea backed by activists such as Anna Hazare that has caused much discomfort among the country's political class.

The proposal, if effected, would give voters the choice to press a button which would say "None of the Above" if they would not like to vote for any of the candidates listed in the electronic voting machine.

"One suggestion of the Anna group I have started considering very positively -- initially we were dismissive about it - the Right to Reject," Quraishi, said in an interview to television news network NDTV.

"Our concern was that the Right to Reject may lead to too many elections and as it is people complain of election fatigue.

"But when we discussed this with the people who had come to meet us, we had a long very cordial meeting, in which they said that it will not lead to too many elections," he said.

Quraishi said that the prime reason behind the Election Commission giving the idea sound consideration was the fact that they were unsatisfied with the effectiveness of their crackdown on illicit poll funding.

He said that the Election Commission had so far seized illicit money worth Rs 44 crores in the run up to the state elections that began with polling in Manipur on Saturday, however, political parties "continue to indulge in such malpractices".