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| Gujarat's Controversial Proposal |
| Gujarat's Controversial Proposal for Mandatory Voting Hits a Hurdle
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| INDIA
, 21-August-2015
6:56:46 AM |
| The Gujarat government's controversial decision to make voting in local body elections compulsory hit a hurdle today, with the state's high court ordering a stay until further orders.
The state government plans to impose mandatory voting in civic and panchayat elections to be held in October this year. It proposes to impose a fine of Rs. 100 on those who do not vote. Chief Minister Anandi Ben Patel had recently confirmed that the state government was prepped to action mandatory voting in October.
The decision was challenged in court with the petitioner contending that it violates a citizen's fundamental right of choosing to vote.
Gujarat does not figure in record books for a high voter turnout. It's highest ever turnout in a national election was 66.4 per cent last year, when the BJP had won all 26 seats. Municipal elections have seen even lower interest, with the figure not crossing 60 per cent since 1995.
Mandatory voting was first proposed by the Gujarat government in 2009, when Narendra Modi was chief minister and is seen as one of his pet projects. Twice, governor Kamla Beniwala, famous for her run-ins with Mr Modi, had sent back the proposal to the state assembly, saying it was "against the principle of individual liberty."
The opposition Congress too has criticised compulsory voting, accusing the BJP government in the state of using the brute force of a big majority in the Assembly to push the measure through.
"You can pass the laws through majority but you have to see the spirit behind it. Such compulsory voting system is imposed on communist countries like Russia and China. People will be harassed in such system," Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly,
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