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3 min readNew DelhiFeb 11, 2026 05:55 PM IST
AAP MP Raghav Chadha said more than two dozen democracies worldwide, including the US and Switzerland, have some form of recall provisions initiated by voters. (Credit: Raghav Chadha/X)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha on Wednesday called for the introduction of a “Right to Recall” mechanism in India, arguing that voters should have the power to remove elected representatives whom they consider as non-performing before their five-year term ends.
“Voters have the right to vote someone into office and they should have the right to vote them out of office too,” he said while speaking during the ongoing Budget Session 2026 in Parliament.
Describing the proposal as a step toward “citizen empowerment,” Chadha said a right to recall could encourage political parties to nominate more accountable candidates and strengthen democratic oversight by giving voters the power to both elect and remove their representatives.
He said there is “no profession where you underperform for five years with zero consequences”.
If voters can HIRE a neta, they should be able to FIRE the neta too.
If Indian voters have the Right to Elect, they should have the ‘RIGHT TO RECALL’ too.
Right to Recall is a mechanism that empowers voters to de-elect an elected representative, before their term ends, if they… pic.twitter.com/6mB4gpQKPu
— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) February 11, 2026
What is Right to Recall
Right to Recall is a mechanism that empowers voters to “de-elect an elected representative, before their term ends, if they fail to discharge their duties,” Chadha explained in a post on his official X handle.
“If we can impeach the President, the Vice President and judges, and move a no confidence motion against an elected government mid term, then why should voters be forced to tolerate a non performing MP or MLA for five full years,” the AAP national spokesperson said.
Why forced to tolerate non-performing MP? Chadha asks
Speaking in the House on Day 11 of the session, Chadha pointed out that while Indian citizens have the right to elect their representatives, they currently lack a formal process to hold them directly accountable in mid of the term.
He questioned why voters should be “forced to tolerate a non-performing MP or MLA for five full years,” in India at a time more than two dozen democracies worldwide, including the United States and Switzerland, have some form of recall provisions initiated by voters.
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Need for safeguards
Chadha accepted that certain safeguards were required to prevent the misuse of such a system in India.
He proposed an eighteen-month cooling off period after elections, requiring at least 35-40 per cent of voters to support a verified recall petition before any voting, and a recall only in cases of proven misconduct, corruption or serious neglect of duty.
He added that any recall should succeed only if over 50 per cent of voters support removal in a final vote.
“This is citizen empowerment. It will push parties to field performers, reduce corruption, and bring democracy back to accountability,” he said.
English (US) ·