Live in Gujarat? Now voting
is compulsory
in local body polls
in local body polls
Gandhinagar: Gujarat has become
the first state in the country where voters will have to compulsorily exercise
their franchise in local body polls with new Governor OP Kohli clearing the
Gujarat Local Authorities Laws Bill, passed earlier by the state government
under Narendra Modi, but was opposed
by ex-Governor Dr Kamla.
The Bill also provides
for 50 percent reservation for women in local bodies.
Representational image.
"The Governor of
Gujarat has signed the Gujarat Local Authorities Laws bill and gave sanction
for its implementation to the state government," State Assembly Secretary
D M Patel told PTIon Sunday.
The Bill was sanctioned
by the Governor three days back, he said.
As per the Bill, any
person who fails to vote during local body polls, is liable for
"punishment and will be penalised," though it did not explain the
exact nature of action.
The Bill, passed twice
by the BJP government under then chief minister Narendra Modi in the
Legislative Assembly, had faced a stiff resistance from the former Governor who
had taken the stand that the provision of compulsory voting is violation of
Article 21 of the constitution.
The ex-Governor had not
approved the Bill during her tenure, but after the change of guard at Raj
Bhavan, Kohli has given his assent.
The Bill was first
introduced on the floor of state Assembly in December 2009 and passed by a
majority vote.
However, Dr Kamla
returned it to the government for reconsideration in April 2010 with remarks
that "forcing voter to vote is against the principles of an individual
liberty".
"The present Bill
violets the freedom which a citizen is entitled to enjoy under Article 21 of
the Constitution. Government should not have entered into a controversy to
compel voters to act against their conscience by means of coercion," Dr
Kamla had said in her letter asking the BJP government to make amendments to
the Bill.
She had also asked the
government to separate issue of women's reservation in local body polls from
that of compulsory voting.
PTI
