SHILLONG, Dec 6 � Team Anna got a major boost to their campaign against criminalisation of politics, after the Election Commission of India today said it favoured �right to reject� to do away with criminals in India�s polity.
HS Brahma, Election Commissioner said: �The Election Commission welcomes the �right to reject,� but not the �right to recall� as it would bring political instability and hamper developmental activities.�
Brahma said that the Commission had proposed to the government in December 2001 to introduce a button in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) so that voters could exercise �none of the above� option, which means the voters dislikes all the contesting candidates.
�A proposal for debarring candidates, against whom charges have been framed by the court of law for heinous crimes, from contesting elections has already been sent to the Government way back in 1998 and the same is at an advanced stage of consideration by the government,� Brahma said.
However, another of Team Anna demands, on lines of several Western nations, to recall any politician who has not performed did not find favour with the Election Commission.
�Right to recall is next to impossible. This option is impossible because of various implications involved in frequent elections and repeated imposition of the Model Code of Conduct,� Brahma maintained.
Meanwhile, Brahma who held one-on-one discussions with Governor RS Mooshahary and Chief Secretary WMS Pariat here said the Commission is yet to take a decision on introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) to ensure free and fair elections.
He further reviewed Meghalaya�s preparation of electoral rolls and preparedness to conduct the Assembly elections, scheduled in 2013 with State�s Election officials.
