Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has decided against casting his vote in the Lok Sabha elections in order to express his “neutrality in the political fray”.
The Indian president had completed all the formalities for voting through postal ballot. Had he voted, Mukherjee could have become the first head of state to have voted through a postal vote.
“The president in order to express his neutrality in the political fray has decided not to cast his ballot,” President’s Press Secretary Venu Rajamony said in New Delhi.
Mukherjee had asked for a postal ballot to cast his vote for South Kolkata Lok Sabha seat which goes to polls on May 12. He is a registered voter in 160 Rashbehari, part of South Kolkata parliamentary seat. The decision was taken for maintaining the tradition as most of his predecessors had done the same, Rajamony said. But former president APJ Abdul Kalam was an exception.
South Kolkata will see a multi-cornered contest with Congress fielding Mala Roy and BJP nominating state President Tathagata Roy. Trinamool Congress has fielded sitting MP Subrata Bakshi whereas CPI-M’s candidate is professor Nandini Mukherjee.
qualification of any voter to cast vote is on the basis of being an INDIAN not on the basis of designation or position, it will encourage other voters not to cast vote in future
More earnest steps canbe taken to establish personal and general neutrality in the electoral process. Makes no sense. It was heard saying by one bigwig on a party that not voting should be considered as a penalizable offence! What about directing an RTI blanket over all parties Mr. Pesident? Or else doesn’t it sound like the proverbial ‘sau choohe kha ke’ episode, sirrrr?
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