Mumbai: Social activist Anna Hazare has come out in support of the `Right to Recall’ bill introduced by the BJP MP Varun Gandhi in the Lok Sabha.
In a letter sent to Varun Gandhi on May 16, Hazare said such a provision will mount pressure on the political parties not to allot tickets to candidates facing corruption charges or having criminal background.
The parties give tickets to such candidates because they control vote-banks, Hazare said, while also batting for “Right to Reject” option at the stage of polling.
“If the majority of candidates from a constituency have criminal background or are facing serious charges of corruption, there should be Right To Reject option. EVM should have an additional button for ‘Not-Like’ (“napasand”) and if majority of voters press this button, the election from that constituency should be cancelled,” Hazare said in the letter.
“There should be a re-election where the same candidates won’t be able to contest,” he said.
The `None Of The Above’ (NOTA) button on EVM isn’t good enough as the election doesn’t get cancelled even if majority of voters opt for NOTA, Hazare said.
According to the bill moved by Varun Gandhi, MPs and MLAs can be recalled within two years of being elected if 75 per cent of voters in the constituency are dissatisfied with their performance.
–PTI