Nagpur, December 29: Calling for wider consultations across the political spectrum on electoral reforms, including the right to recall and negative voting, BJP President Nitin Gadkari today said he would personally meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar to request them to convene an all-party meet to discuss the issue.
Speaking at a ‘Meet the Press’ programme hosted by Nagpur Union of Working Journalists (NUWJ) here this afternoon, Mr Gadkari said an all-party meeting would prompt political parties to formulate their stand on the issues, and this would make the consultation process representative of the people’s opinion.
In addition to the right to recall and negative voting, issues like compulsory voting and the use of electronic voting machines (EVM’s) also ought to be discussed threadbare, especially since doubts had been expressed regarding the reliability of EVM’s and the feeling that there should be a paper back-up, he said.
”Gujarat has taken the lead (in electoral reforms) by making voting compulsory. It is a welcome step, and I feel that the entire country should follow the example of Gujarat. However, I do not want this matter to be politicised and to be treated as an issue of the BJP alone. It is in national interest and must involve everyone, not any one party, and must be discussed rising above politics,” Mr Gadkari said.
That was the reason that he wanted the Prime Minister to take the initiative and set in motion the process of electoral reform, and would meet Dr Singh, Ms Gandhi and Ms Kumar in this regard, he also said.
–Agencies