Consider including a column for negative vote in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to ensure secrecy, the Bombay high court asked the Maharashtra State Election Commission.

A division bench of Justice DD Sinha and Justice VK Tahilramani asked the election commission to file a reply on the issue in two weeks.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Thane-based doctor Mahesh Bedekar.

The petition contended that that secrecy is maintained while a voter casts his vote for a candidate, but not when he chooses not to vote for anyone. So, the same should also be ensured when a person wants to cast a negative vote.

Sanjeev Gorwadkar, advocate for Bedekar, pointed out that when a person wants to cast a negative vote — he does not want to vote for any of the available candidates — he is asked to fill out a separate form and his name and details are registered. “There is a chance of the person being harassed,” he argued.

Hence, Gorwadkar said, there is a need for a column for negative vote in EVMs.

The PIL sought inclusion of a column for negative vote in the EVMs for the upcoming municipal corporation and zilla parishad elections.

But, Sachin Shete, advocate for the state election commission, said it was “too late” to make changes in the EVMs. “The commission is willing to consider including negative vote column in EVMs, but we will not get time to try it.”

The high court asked the commission to file its reply within two weeks and kept the PIL for hearing on January 19.