Right to reject
Topic: Electoral Reforms: Money, Criminalisation and Simultaneous Elections · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The right to reject is a proposal that an election should be cancelled and held again if NOTA ("None of the Above") gets the most votes. NOTA lets voters reject all candidates. It came through the courts in 2013. But today NOTA has no effect on the result, because the candidate with the most votes still wins. The right to reject would give NOTA real force. It is not law for Lok Sabha or assembly elections. Some State Election Commissions apply a version of it in local body polls.
Example
Suppose NOTA gets more votes than every candidate in a Lok Sabha constituency. Under the present law, the leading candidate still wins. Under a right to reject, a fresh poll would be held, possibly with new candidates. Some State Election Commissions already follow this approach in municipal elections.
Don't confuse with
- NOTA: NOTA is the option on the EVM that lets a voter reject all candidates, and it exists today. The right to reject would make a NOTA majority cancel the election, and it is not law for legislatures.