Group demands right to not vote

With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, and as various political parties and their candidates launch their election propaganda to woo voters, a group of political activists in Vadodara has launched a campaign called 'Vote against all candidates' (VAAC).

Those participating in this campaign are Rohit Prajapati, Swati Desai, Dr Trupti Shah, Amrish Brahmbhatt, Krishnakant and Anand Mazgaonkar. In an application sent to the election commissioner in New Delhi and the chief election officer of Gujarat, they have demanded the right to 'vote against all candidates'.

The group has asked that ballot paper and electronic voting machines (EVM) have an alternative in addition to the democratic choices. "Under section 41(2) of The Conduct of Election Rules (1961), people had the right to choose none of the candidates. But the electronic voting machines do not have this option. In the present system, voters are forced to subscribe to the approach that it is better to support the lesser evil to defeat evil," said Prajapati.

He said that they had sent an application to the election commission, asking that they be granted the right to not vote for any of the candidates. "Till they accept our demand, section 41(2) of The Conduct of Election Rules (1961) must be restored. By having a system of 'Vote against all candidates', voters will be able to exercise their rights as well as reject the candidates," he said.

Explaining their proposal with an illustration, Prajapati said, "In a situation where two lakh out of six lakh voters cast their votes and the winning candidate receives 20,000, this system will allow 1 lakh people to outright reject all democratic candidates."

He said that this system will accurately reflect the position and stature of winning candidates. "It will encourage genuine alternatives in electoral politics in the long run. The election will thus be able to truly reflect the voice of the people," said Dr Trupti Shah.