ESM and Jawans Right to Vote

Surprisingly, even after a lapse of 61 years from our independence, the Indian soldiers serving at different parts of the country and abroad, are not empowered or enabled to exercise their franchise. Out of approximately 14 lakhs serving soldiers, majority of them do not get an opportunity to cast their votes, either because their names do not appear in the voters' list or do not get the postal ballots in time, for which the District administration is entirely responsible. This anomaly needs to be corrected well before the forthcoming general election. This can be done only through concerted , combined and coordinated efforts by the district administration as well as by the military commanders at the unit and formation level.

The Commanding Officers should be made responsible to ensure that all men under their command and their family members are included in the voters list. There are orders and procedures existing on this important aspect. Similarly, the unit administration should monitor the receipt of the ballot papers in time and the soldiers should be made aware of their responsibility towards the election process of the country. The data on such exercise should be collected, collated and processed at the concerned level by the military authorities, to ensure that the soldiers as responsible citizens, do fulfill their duties in the sacred process of franchise. Then only a soldier will feel that he is not only a mere defender of the country's democratic form of government, but also a participant in the process of making the government.

Major Mathew Oommen (Retd)

Comment: All ESM organisations like the apex IESM, IESL and the like should educate all its members in actively participating in the election process by casting their votes. It is the duty of every citizen to cast a vote. Australia is the only nation in the world that penalises its citizens if they do not vote by fining them. Resulting in 96 percent of the population casting their votes.

Voting rights: Status of Negative Vote

The Truth about 49-O:

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 shall 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. This Infers that in no case will there be a re polling in the said constituency, however the negative/neutral vote is registered and counted so as to cross check on the total number of votes polled. VoteIndia.in encourages Voters to cast a protest vote incase they feel there is no right candidate to vote for.

Here is what the Election Commission has to say on NEGATIVE/ NEUTRAL VOTING:

The Commission has received proposals from a very large number of individuals and organizations that there should be a provision enabling a voter to reject all the candidates in the constituency if he does not find them suitable. In the voting using the conventional ballot paper and ballot boxes, an elector can drop the ballot paper without marking his vote against any of the candidates, if he chooses so. However, in the voting using the Electronic Voting Machines, such a facility is not available to the voter. Although, Rule 49 O of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 provides that an elector may refuse to vote after he has been identified and necessary entries made in the Register of Electors and the marked copy of the electoral roll, the secrecy of voting is not protected here inasmuch as the polling officials and the polling agents in the polling station get to know about the decision of such a voter.

The Commission recommends that the law should be amended to specifically provide for negative/ neutral voting. For this purpose, Rules 22 and 49B of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 may be suitably amended adding a provision that in the ballot paper and the particulars on the ballot unit, in the column relating to names of candidates, after the entry relating to the last candidate, there shall be a column "None of the above", to enable a voter to reject all the candidates, if he chooses so. Such a proposal was earlier made by the Commission in 2001 (vide letter dated 10.12.2001).

(A petition by the People as Union for Civil Liberties seeking such a provision filed at the time of the recent general elections is pending before the Honíble Supreme Court) the way; of our whole political system… it is seemingly surprising why the election commission has not revealed such a feature to the public.
Correct information about Section 49-O of the Constitution