The government and majority of political parties were guarded in their response to the Supreme Court verdict holding that citizens have the right to reject candidates contesting polls. However, CPI(M) said that the judgment has led to an “abnormal situation” that needs to be corrected. Congress general secretary Ajay Maken said the judgement needs to be studied to see if the apex court has taken all aspects like overwhelming number of negative votes into account as reacting on the spur of the moment could be a little premature. Implementation of the verdict will be difficult and it may create many problems, another party leader Rashid Alvi felt. He said the court’s order may create many problems. “Even the Representation of People Act will have to be amended. If 60 per cent people participate in the elections and in case all over the country they exercise their right to reject, then it will become difficult to form the government,” he said. While BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stated that his party was in favour of electoral reforms. “About 25-30 years back we used to have elections once in five years but now we have elections every four months in some state or the other. To say whether this decision is right or wrong now would be hasty. Anything can be said only after studying the judgement,” he remarked. In a guarded response, BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said: “We welcome any such move through which the system becomes stronger. It is the call of the institutions to maintain their own credibility and if the political system is not going to maintain its credibility, other institutions are going to take over.” However, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury came out strongly against the verdict. “This is an abnormal situation that needs to be corrected. Elections after all are the direct contribution of our parliamentary democracy. Neither the judiciary nor the Election Commission participates in the elections. It is the political parties which participate. Without even talking to them deciding like this, it is not a good sign,” he said. Meanwhile, welcoming the judgement, BSP chief Mayawati said, “Babasaheb Ambedkar was also in favour of right to reject.”
