First of all, I would like to ask a question to all the citizens of India, "Do we know everything about our constitutional right to vote?" Let's discuss Rule 49-O, one of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, that unfortunately, not many Indian citizens are aware about.
Democracy itself, is defined as a form of government in which the power of a country is held by people under a free electoral system. Political rights are also a part of human rights. So, every citizen has a right to vote for a candidate, who he/she trusts as capable of understanding public issues and making decisions for the betterment of the public. But there could also be a scenario where a voter thinks that none of the competing candidates are eligible to get his/her vote.
In such a situation, the voter is free to register for Rule 49-O and express his/her decision. Rule 49-O states that a voter can opt for a 'negative/neutral vote', if he/she finds the candidates are not up to the mark. The presiding officer will remark about the voter's decision on the voter's list and the latter has to sign or give thumb impression against the remark. Also, it has been mentioned that the negative/neutral vote will be considered at the time of counting votes. Well, this sounds certainly good. Now, the present scenario is that many of the voters either do not vote or do multiple voting and waste his/her vote. If Rule 49-O really works, then every person can record his/her decision about the competing candidates. However, the major flaw is the violation of secret voting since the voter has to inform the presiding officer about the further procedure of remarking. To overcome this, there should be an option such as 'None of the Above' in the ballot paper and Electronic Voting Machines (EVM).
Rule 49-O: Text
49-O. Elector deciding not to vote. - If an elector, after his electoral roll number has been duly entered in the register of voters in Form-17A and has put his signature or thumb impression thereon as required under sub-rule (1) of rule 49L, decided not to record his vote, a remark to this effect will be made against the said entry in Form 17A by the presiding officer and the signature or thumb impression of the elector shall be obtained against such remark.
A still unclear concept about this rule is that if the number of votes recorded under Rule 49-O exceeds the maximum number of votes polled for any of the candidates, a re-election is held and the rejected candidates can't compete again.
Public awareness about Rule 49-O is lacking! If we, as Indian citizens don't know about our own rights, then for whom have these rules been framed! The politicians are elected by none other than the public. We should be aware of our right to reject the candidate(s) standing for election, if he/she is not suited for leading the nation. So, let's wake-up to the reality and form a popular government on the merits of the candidates, and not by seeing how popular he/she is in the media. Let's unite as 'One India' and follow 'no words but action' and implement it for a better and safe tomorrow.
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