The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Election Commission awaiting court verdict on negative voting

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 26, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Election Commission awaiting court verdict on negative voting

Special Correspondent

Electoral rolls in a much better shape: Gupta

CHENNAI: The Election Commission is awaiting Supreme Court verdict in a case on the right to cast negative vote during polls, Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta said here on Sunday.

He was taking part in an interactive session on human rights organised by Human Rights Organisation, an NGO.

Negative voting would involve fixing an extra button on electronic voting machines to register "none of the above candidates" choice. If the apex court showed the green light, then the law would have to be suitably amended to make the necessary changes.

He said cases of bogus voting might be eliminated if those not interested in casting their votes made an appropriate entry in a register kept in the polling booth. The electoral rolls were in a much better shape now, though a few shortcomings were there.

The interactive session passed resolutions favouring inclusion of human rights watchers in road safety and traffic management councils.

Human rights organisation should be made a part of government-run autonomous institutions.

Volunteers should be pressed into service for distributing food items and kerosene through fair price shops.

Member of the State Planning Commission Lakshmi Kanthan Barathy spoke.

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