2 former CECs welcome SC judgement on negative voting

Former Chief Election Commissioners TS Krishnamurthy and N Gopalaswami have come out in support of the Supreme Court judgement today allowing citizens the right to reject election candidates, saying it would improve the electoral system.
"I welcome the judgement. If not immediately, it will eventually improve the quality of candidates fielded by political parties," Krishnamurthy told PTI. He was the CEC between February 2004 and May 2005.
He said he had initiated the move in 2001 but could not proceed further since he was faced with legal issues over including the 'reject' option while moving from paper to electronic voting.

"I had written to the government on this issue but there was no reply. Again in 2004, I wrote to the prime minister regarding this. Later, when PUCL filed a petition, as the CEC, I had replied and welcomed the idea.
"Eventually it has happened after seven to eight years and I am happy," he said.
Gopalaswami, who was the CEC for three years between June 2006 and April 2009, said the judgement could be a 'stepping stone' towards voters getting the option to reject (a single candidate), if it was taken in the right note.

He pointed out that earlier, those who did not wish to vote for any contestant, had to tell the polling officer about it (to record his rejection in a relevant form), which would reveal his identity.

"But with the latest judgement, his identity will not be revealed," Gopalaswami said.
Explaining the difference between negative voting and the right to reject, he said, "Now you can allow voters to select none among the options. Right to reject is where you can reject (any one of the) candidates fielded."
In a landmark verdict, Supreme Court has held that citizens had a right to cast negative vote rejecting all candidates contesting an election and directed Election Commission to provide a 'none of the above' option in electronic voting machines and on ballot papers.