Monday 7 October 2013

None of the above (NOTA) voting

None of the above (NOTA) voting option    
Indian voters now will have a new option of "None of the above". As per recent order from Supreme Court of India, the electronic voting machines(EVM) and ballot papers will now have an additional button with NOTA on it. In case the voter think that none of the listed candidates is good enough, one has right to select NOTA. The earlier process for rejecting a candidate was cumbersome. The old process was to make an entry in some register and then casting the vote on separate voting ballot. This was never an option with EVMs.

Following NOTA, at least the political parties will think to put the best available men for a seat in election. Hopefully this will ensure greater participation from the citizens. There are many among us who think that some constituencies are lacking in good politicians. NOTA will provide an option to reject the candidates. People can straightway reject candidates having criminal background. This gives voters more option to express themselves. Now the voters will have right to reject all the candidates. What else they can ask for. Now the value of a vote is more than it was never before.

People might think that if they dont have to select any candidate then why to go for voting in the first place. But this is not the case. If say in a constituency with 10lakh voters, around 50% decide to go for NOTA there are chances for re-election may be with fresh candidates. Remember NOTA may not be cure that our system needs, but it definitely is a step towards the well being for system. This NOTA kind of facility is already provided to voters in various countries. 

In my opinion, to make things better Supreme Court should order to ban all the candidates who have ever faced any criminal charges against them or have been to jail for wrong reasons. The election process should start 6 months before the due date and there should be background check for all the candidates irrespective of their stature in the Indian politics.If implemented to the core, that would be a landmark step towards making the system perfect.

In a parliament like ours almost every one in three is facing(have faced) criminal charges. If voters can take the responsibility and vote appropriately, things can be changed. As quoted by the Supreme Court of India, the convicted lawmakers must be removed from parliament. Together we can bring the change. Journey of miles start with a single step. Jai Hind.