Advani proposes open ballot for Rajya Sabha

Advani proposes open ballot for Rajya Sabha
HARISH GUPTA

NEW DELHI, MARCH 30: Rattled by the role of money power in the just concluded Rajya Sabha polls and inability of the government to curb it, Home Minister L K Advani has asked the Law Ministry to examine the possibility of introducing an ``open ballot'' system for the MLAs.

Advani is of the view that the secret ballot system could not be allowed to be misused in a blatant manner to bring the entire parliamentary system into disrepute. Since Rajya Sabha polls are conducted on the basis of respective strength of political parties in Assemblies, it is an indirect election. Therefore, the possibility of conducting it through an open ballot should be examined after what has happened recently.

Secondly, the election for the Rajya Sabha should be like a vote of confidence which is through an open ballot in the House itself. If any MLA violates the whip of the party, he or she should be disqualified from the membership. Of course, he will then have the right to split the party itself under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.

Advani has asked the Law Minister Ram Jethmalani to seriously examine what measurers could be taken in this regard and if the Representation of People's Act is required to be amended. In fact, Jethmalani will soon be talking to be presiding officers in this regard.

Advani told The Indian Express that he has asked the Law Minister to examine the issue in detail.

Advani was not unduly disturbed by the cross-voting that has taken place on a large scale in UP. But what has caused worry is that some of the candidates and even parties hoped to fetch extra votes on the basis of their coffers and clout in the industry.

For example, the Congress Party fielded its candidate merely on the basis of just 15 votes it had in the UP Assembly while the requirement was that of 36 votes.

In fact, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Advani took personal interest in Karnataka and Maharashtra to ensure that there was no cross-voting. In Maharashtra, Advani went to the extent of personally persuading Jawahar Goel of the Zee TV group to withdraw. In Karnataka, Vajpayee spoke to Civil Aviation Minister Sharad Yadav, Ramakrishna Hegde and others to ensure the victory of the BJP candidate, Rajshekhar Murthy.

However, in UP, even Surface Transport Minister Rajnath Singh could survive by two extra votes.