Open ballot system in RS poll: Who will it benefit?
Bengaluru: The June 10 Legislative Council polls and the Rajya Sabha polls due the next day, have different rules and conventions.
The Council elections from the Assembly constituency follow the secret ballot system while the RS polls have an open ballot system. In the open ballot system, the voter has to show the ballot paper to the official agent of the party and cast the vote.
"If the vote is not shown in the RS polls, it is considered invalid," N. Murthy, the incharge secretary of Karnataka Legislative Assembly said. In the Legislative Council polls, the practice is exactly the opposite of the RS polls’. Since it is a secret ballot, if a members shows his paper, his or her vote will be considered invalid, sources in the Election Commission said.
If a member violates the whip and cast his vote for the candidate of his choice, at best he or she could be expelled from the party. "The party can petition the Speaker and get the member’s name deleted from the party list. But, the particular member will not lose membership of the Assembly," former additional solicitor general, K.N. Bhat said.
A nominated member of the Legislative Assembly is eligible to vote during Legislative Council polling but not in the Rajya Sabha polls.