CHANDIGARH: On the eve of polling for the Punjab Assembly, a citizens' initiative for cleaner politics, Punjab Election Watch (PEW), has pointed out that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) of the Election Commission of India do not provide an option for voters who wish to invoke the provisions of Rule 49-0 of the Conduct of Election: to "reject all" candidates.

In a statement here, PEW has argued that the electors would not be able to exercise the option under Rule 49-0 directly and would be forced to inform the presiding officer, seriously impairing secrecy.

However, the organisation has urged the citizens to shed their apathetic attitude and exercise their right to franchise, including the facility of Rule 49-0.

It has also drawn the attention of the authorities and the people that the EC through its D.O. Letter no.3/ER/2004 dated July 5, 2004, to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had proposed that rules be amended to include a column, "None of the above", to enable a voter to reject all the candidates when required. So far no action has been initiated by the decision makers on this issue.

The PEW has expressed concern over the poor turnout of voters during the 2002 elections in Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar which was recorded at 43.90, 48.61 and 52.28 per cent respectively.

It was a clear indicator of lack of participation by the urban voters, who are presumed to be the informed electorate, in the democratic process.

The group said voters often were in a dilemma due to paucity of worthwhile candidates and had no avenue to express their disillusionment with the system of governance. This led to many deciding

against going to the polling station at all, making their votes vulnerable to misuse by impersonators.

While there was no proper system before the voters to register their displeasure, as the statute did not provide the "Right to Reject", PEW has drawn the attention of the public towards Rule 49-0 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.

The rule states that if an elector decides not to record his or her vote, a remark to this effect shall be made against the respective entry in the Register of Voters, which is named as Form 17A. Such a vote is not counted as invalid but shown separately while declaring the poll results.

The PEW is of the opinion that by exercising the option of 49-O, the voters not only prevent electoral fraud but contribute in discouraging disreputable candidates. However, it cautioned that while most presiding officers might be unaware of the provision, some may try to hoodwink the voters to avoid extra work.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail