Right to recall will bring instability: EC

EC says right to recall will hamper development activities because of frequent elections.

As Team Anna prepares to lead a campaign for a clutch of electoral reforms,the Election Commission has expressed its reservations about one of their major suggestions of right to recall,saying it will bring instability and hamper development activities.

The suggestion about the right to recall was discussed in detail. He (Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi) also mentioned that such a move would bring instability as the losers could start such a campaign from day one. He further pointed out that this would also hamper development activities because of frequent elections and imposition of Model Code of Conduct too often, said a

press communique issued by the Election Commission on Tuesday regarding Team Annas meeting with the Election Commissioners on Monday.

In this context,the Team Anna delegation,which comprised Shanti Bhushan,Prashant Bhushan,Arvind Kejriwal,Manish Sisodia and Kiran Bedi,is said to have agreed that the proposal of right to recall needed further examination keeping all the above implications in mind.

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As for the right to reject,the commission told Team Anna members that it had proposed way back in 2001 an alternative to the government to provide for a suitable provision in the rules to introduce a button in the balloting unit of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) so that electors could exercise none of the above option.

The commission underlined that the right to reject would require an amendment to the Representation of the People Act,1951,and cautioned that it may lead to more frequent elections.

Team Anna members,however,begged to differ with the Election Commissions view on this count,saying this provision would make the parties field good candidates in elections. In this context,Quraishi is said to have reminded them that this provision would only have an impact if the voting percentages were really high.