Sir,
We, the people of India (aren't we thrilled when we pronounce that phrase our Founding Fathers have put down in the Constitution!) beg to present the following before you.
We are indeed thankful to you for providing us with that long-hoped for button in the EVMs -- the NOTA button. For once, we have a means to express our disapproval of, our displeasure with, and our dismissal of some of those who would not leave us alone until we let them represent us in the Houses of the People. And that too for five lone years, given the history of close co-operation between the Treasury side and the Opposition, something that is only rarely seen when it comes to debating and passing some legislation that might even remotely benefit those poor souls who had sent these worthies to their posts initially and who continue to cough up the taxes that maintain them in style. (No, we are not forgetting the "other incomes" they have, but that is something that we don't discuss openly in Arsha Bharat.)
As any "aam aadmi" could learn if they care to visit the Election Commission's website, it is the Constitution of India that has vested in the EC the powers of "... superintendence, direction and control of the entire process for conduct of elections to Parliament and Legislature of every State and to the offices of President and Vice-President of India". If you dig further, you will be tickled to see "...elections to the Lok Sabha are carried out using a first-past-the-post electoral system ... the winner being the candidate who gets the maximum votes ". Oh my, it is as simple as a race, with the first to touch the tape declared the winner. How simple and time-tested and time-honoured!
Ours is a democracy, perhaps the largest in the world, touch wood. When we were in school and we had a 'mock Assembly", and when we voted, we remember it was just one vote that swung the balance one way or the other. That is democracy's way of saying that if we have hundred people, what 51 says is right, though we may not want to immediately condemn the unlucky 49 to summary hell. Today's polity, as the Hon. CEC too is aware of, is littered with parties large and small, angling for a piece of the post-election pie. Little do they attempt to forge alliances before they face the people and the elections. (Who doesn't know the best ploy is to sit on the fence and join the winning side at the last moment?)
Another vexation for the humble citizen voter has been the proliferation of people who styled themselves as "people's reps", but whose past was mired in criminality and anti-social activities. This sometimes meant all the buttons of the EVM were assigned to candidates who were basically a bunch of bad apples, oranges or mangoes. In the good old days, the "aam aadmi" could gleefully put his stamp upon all the names, and the vote will be declared invalid and not counted. But today's voter, thanks to your largesse, could now register his displeasure and disapproval of those self-styled servants of the public.
The NOTA (none of the above) button, we feel, has as much importance as the others that represent each candidate. Had it been representing somebody "other than the above list of you know who", surely when the polled votes was "first past the post", s/he would be declared the winner. But the democratic wisdom of the EC has unfortunately chosen to ignore in toto "the will of the people" that is represented by the NOTA button.
This, sir, is most unfortunate and undemocratic, if not completely unsportive.
No amount of tautological acrobatics is going to prove that "none of the above" means "one of the unwanted above". No, and NO! How could anybody come to such an interpretation? In simple terms, the voter is saying that he does not see anybody whom he could trust as far as representing him is concerned. It is not a question of the "lesser devil" winning.
This is not the time nor occasion to bring up questions of real, proportional, democratic representation and all that. Let us just say that if the EC is willing to ponder for a moment what was the spirit of democratic elections envisaged by our Founding Fathers, then surely the EC would readily declare a re-election with a list of new candidates -- if/when the NOTA button's tally crossed the post first.
It is usually the politicians who are fond of giving peple little sops when the public gripes. You raise a hue and cry for a Lok Pal, and they readily give you one -- sans tooth and nail! You raise a clamour for a NOTA button, and there it is on the EVM in the very next election. But to what avail? Sir, we understand, your exalted post is no political seat, and your duty has been sanctioned by the Constitution itself. It is our humble prayer that you should at the earliest link the NOTA button to a more meaningful and truly democratic implementation of the will of the people, in letter and spirit.
While on the subject of the spirit of democracy in elections, may we invite your attention to, and learned action as regards the interpretation, of a couple more factors. The first is that of the present practice of a person contesting from more than one constituency. This, simple reflection would tell us, is not in the spirit of the representation of the will of the people of a locality, and further, it is wasteful of the resources of the EC too. This has to be done away with, sooner than later.
The second, and perhaps a more important point upon which your immediate attention should be focussed, is the somewhat vexing problem of unelected people occupying responsible positions of power. Surely we understand that amending the Representation of the People Act requires more than your indulgence. Still, the Nation's larger interests will be served if we specify that no post in this country, from that of the Panchayat President to that of the Prime Minister, shall be occupied by a person who has not faced the litmus test of being elected by the people in a democratic contest.
It is with prayers for consideration of our pleas and fervent hopes of an impartial and just intervention in these matters, that we present the above before your honourable self.
Most sincerely yours, Sir,
-- Aam Aadmis of this great Nation
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... and Aam Aurats of this great nation.
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