Voting must in Gujarat’s local bodies elections

Manas Dasgupta

Ahmedabad, July 28

Gujarat has become first state in the country to introduce compulsory voting in the local self-government elections. A notification to this effect has been issued by the state government threatening punitive actions against the “defaulters” failing to cast their votes in the civic elections scheduled later this year.

The notification, however, did not specify the “punitive actions” that could be taken against the person failing to exercise his or her franchise. “The rules under the Act will be framed later specifying punitive actions against the defaulters,” an official spokesman for the state government said. It could be monetary fine or debarring the defaulter of certain civic amenities wherever feasible, the spokesman indicated.

The designated authority would have the power to declare a person “defaulter” if he or she failed to cast their votes in the civic elections without prior permission or giving adequate reasons for absence.

However, in case of an elected representative or an official of the civic bodies, failing to cast their votes could invite severe actions, including disqualification of holding the post in future, the spokesman said.

There are eight municipal corporations, more than 150 municipalities, 33 district panchayats, over 225 taluka panchayats and more than 14,000 group village panchayats in the state a large number of which are scheduled to go to the polls before the end of the current year. Of the eight, the elections to six municipal corporations including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar are scheduled to be held by October.