It is understood that BJP Member of Parliament Varun Gandhi has introduced a private Bill in the Lok Sabha which seeks to recall back MPs and MLAs who do not perform. The Bill proposes that MPs and MLAs should be recalled within two years from being elected if 75 percent of those who voted for them are not satisfied with their performance. At present there is no recourse to the electorate if they are unhappy with their elected representative.
Varun Gandhi reportedly said that logic and justice necessitate that if the people have the power to elect their representatives, they should also have the power to remove these representatives when they engage in misdeeds or fail to fulfil the duties. As per the Bill, recalling process can be initiated by any voter of the constituency by filing a petition before the Speaker, signed by at least one-fourth of the total number of electors in that constituency. After confirming its authenticity, the Speaker will move the application to the Election Commission for its verification and authentication of the voters’ signatures on it. The Commission will verify the signatures on it and will organise the voting in 10 places in the respective constituency of the MP or MLA.
The Bill proposes that if three-fourth of the votes that member has polled in his election, go in favour of the recall process, the member will be recalled. Within 24 hours of the receipt of the result, the Speaker will notify the result to the general public. Once the seat gets duly vacated the Commission can organise a by-poll in that constituency. Incidentally The Representation of the People Act, 1951 only provides for vacation of office upon the commission of certain offences and does not account for general incompetence or dissatisfaction of the electorate as a ground for vacation. This Bill is a step in the right direction as the legislation would mean that the electorate has the power to recall those they elected to power for non-performance. Incidentally this will motivate the elected representatives to provide better service to the people, since many a times it is observed that those elected to power totally neglect the constituency from where they were elected and many of them are inaccessible to the general public. It is the right of every citizen to have those leaders to represent them who can deliver the goods and make a difference in their lives.
