The Freethought Party of India (FPI) has demanded that the provision of NOTA (Not Any of the Above) should be withdrawn and a mixed PR system of election, as it is working in New Zealand and the Federal Republic of Germany, should be introduced in India prior to the 2019 general elections.
Holding its executive committee meeting here chaired by party vice-president Prof Prasanna Kumar Karbar, the party demanded that minimum voting age should be brought down from 18 to 16, qualifying age for standing as a candidate for the lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha should be brought down from 25 years to 20 and no political leader while holding ministerial position in the Union Council of Ministers and, similarly, no political leader holding any ministerial position in the State Council of Ministers should engage himself or herself in any sort of electoral propaganda activities, Ministers should cast their votes through postal ballots and there should be no road show by any leader, etc.
FPI general secretary B Ramchandra CST Voltaire, joint secretary Gandharb Nayak, vice president Harish Chandra Kar, EC members Babaji Kumar, Swapna Bijayini, Bijay K Swain, Manas Jena, Madhusudan Yadav, Smitarani Patanik, Rajesh Kumar Jena, Suvendu Nayak, among others attended.