A simple amendment to The Representation of the People Act should cure most of the ills plaguing our Electoral system.
First, dispense away with this first past the post principle, where a guy who gets say 28% of the popular vote (which means 72% have rejected him!!!) gets to become the MP or MLA, only because the second best candidate got 27% of the votes. The winning candidate should get at least 51% of the votes to get elected. If this means having two rounds of elections, then so be it. The second round can be held after eliminating all the candidates from the third place down, and as a straight shoot out between the top two. With EVMs, this should not be difficult. The first round can be held at least two months prior to the final round.
Second, educate the electorate on the 49(O) option available to them. This is an interesting option, though not widely known. Instead of staying at home and not voting, a Voter can go to the Polling Station, and then decide not to cast his vote, and decide to record this fact. Though the original purpose of this clause is to prevent someone from misusing the vote. But this can be a powerful tool as it tackles one of the major problems that face the voter - having to choose between two rotten candidates. Imagine a scenario where majority of the voters excercise the 49(O) option!!. This will mean the political parties having to withdraw undesirable candidates and give the electorate clean, acceptable candidates!!!
Worth a try, isn't it?
