NEW DELHI, Oct 16 � Amid a demand by Team Anna for radical poll reforms, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi says he is not in favour of �Right to Recall� �Right to Reject� or elected representatives, warning that any such electoral rule will �destabilise� the country, reports PTI.
Opposing any move to have a �Right to Recall� as in many developed countries, Quraishi said it may not work in India given the size of the country.
�It�s not possible in India...It will destabilise the country, everywhere where there is discontent, people will start recalling,� Quraishi told Karan Thapar on the �Devil�s advocate� programme on CNN-IBN.
The inclusion of any right to reject proposal in voting, said Quraishi, could be misused to put out an unintended political message, especially in places like Kashmir and North-Eastern states where people already feel alienated.
�We have to see the implication of everything for the country,� he said.
He advocated introduction of 49-O button in EVMs instead which would help voters to express their unhappiness over the candidates.
�Instead of a negative force of right to reject, why don�t you select a good candidate instead,� he added.
On the proposal of introducing a clause on Right to Reject, Quraishi said even though the Election Commission has supported introduction of 49-O (rule) button in EVMs for voters to express their displeasure over candidates, the proposal will lead to more frequent elections.
The CEC, is however, open to discussion with activist Anna Hazare who has suggested that if all candidates spending crores in elections are rejected by the voters, it will discourage them from overspending and would control election expenditure.
�We have an open mind on this. If a proposal leads to that larger good, then we must consider it. I would like to discuss this interesting point and see what are its implications,� said Quraishi, disclosing that he has scheduled a meeting with Hazare later this month on the issue.
