GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat is going to become the first state to make voting compulsory, though in civic polls only. With approval on the controversial Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill 2009 by Governor O P Kohli, all the people staying in the state have to cast vote or face penal actions.
The Bill also provides 50 per cent reservation for women in all civic body elections.
state government is going to make provision on what makes voting in local body elections compulsory has been approved by the state’s governor OP Kohli. The same Bill also provides for 50% reservation for women in all local body elections.
As per State Assembly Secretary D M Patel, the Governor had signed the Bill three days back. The state government has issued a notification clearing the way for its enforcement.
Loading ...The controversial Bill empowers the state government to take punitive action against those who do not vote in local body elections. However, it does not specify the type of action that would be taken against a defaulter.
Earlier, the Bill had to be passed twice by the state assembly as the previous governor Kamla Beniwal had returned it the Bill for reconsideration in April 2010 after the House cleared it in December 2009. However, even after it was passed for the second time in March 2011, she did not give her assent and the bill lay unapproved all through her tenure at Raj Bhavan. It received approval only after Kamla was replaced by OP Kohli.
Dr Kamla had objected to the bill on the ground that it violates the “freedom which a citizen is entitled to enjoy under Article 21 of the Constitution.”
