The voters of the Nagar Panchayats of Gunderdehi and Nawagarh in Durg district and of Rajpur in Sarguja district, in Chhatisgarh, have created history by electing to recall their representatives on June 16, 2008. Though the right to recall (RTR) in local bodies exists in some states like Maharashtra, which NCP supremo Sharad Pawar objected to, it has been exercised for the first time in democratic India since Independence. This “first” raises interesting questions and possibilities.

Several proposals have been mooted in India to remove electoral malpractices and anomalies in recent years. The introduction of the EVMs has been the most notable development in electoral reforms since Independence. A model code of conduct has been in operation. A ceiling on election expenses has been imposed and political parties and candidates have to provide details of such expenses. To check the entry of candidates with criminal antecedents, a system of affidavits with details of criminal cases was introduced. The candidates are also obliged to give the details of their financial assets. These apart, in 2004, a proposal was made by the Election Commission of India to introduce to the ballot paper the option of “None of the Above” (NOTA), which has not been accepted.

RTR has also been mooted as a measure of electoral and parliamentary reform in the country. Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee has been the most ardent supporter of this measure, using every possible public forum since 2006 to express his support for it. Recently, he reiterated its need while delivering the EMS Namboodiripad Memorial lecture in Thiruvananthapuram on June 13. Former Chief Election Commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy has included RTR as an electoral reforms measure in his PIL before the Supreme Court. However, its practicability and implementation need a critical review in the light of global experience and Indian realities.

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