Anna's unique lingo: What is Napasandi?

Anna’s unique use of Hindi and Marathi, has lead to the wide use of the term ‘Napasandi’, or right to reject. While talking about the right to reject, he often says, “napasandi ka button hona chahiye (on the electronic voting machine, there should be a button for right to reject)

What is Napasandi?

With right to reject, a voter can say he does not want to vote for any of the candidate.

The issue of inclusion of form 49(O) in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will ensure that the voter has the ‘right to reject.’

‘Napasandi’ option would also give people the right to demand a re-election if they vote for none of the candidates.

Team Anna also demands use of totaliser in the counting and barring of candidates against whom courts have framed charges. To contain criminalisation of politics, Team Anna suggests that candidates against whom a court has framed charges should be barred from contesting an election.

On using ’totaliser’ for counting, they say, it will help in mixing all the votes of a constituency and thus no candidate will come to know which locality did not vote for him.

Anna Hazare said he would undertake a nationwide tour before the 2014 General elections to advocate the voters’ “right to reject” unwanted candidates.

Is it a good idea?

On paper, the Right to Reject is a good idea. As Firstpost earlier noted, “in theory, it would empower voters to discard all candidates on offer. This, in turn, would make parties consider the candidates they pick with some seriousness. With better candidates around, politics would be a lot saner than what it is now.”

But, it does not translate exactly the way it is perceived when it is put into practice. When it comes to voting behaviour in the country, nothing follows a fixed script. Read more here