Click to play videoGandhinagar: Voting is now compulsory in Gujarat after the state Assembly on Saturday passed the landmark bill that also allows a negative vote.
The Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009 seeking to amend the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corp Act 1949, the Gujarat Municipalities Act, 1963 and the Gujarat Panchayats Act 1993 was passed by the Assembly on Saturday making Gujarat the first state in India that has made voting compulsory in elections to local bodies.
The new law has made voting compulsory in all seven municipal corporations, 159 municipalities, 26 district panchayats, 223 taluka panchayats and in 13,713 village panchayats of the state.
The Opposition Congress called the new law a gimmick but the new law has given another first to Chief Minister Narendra Modi's credit.
Modi says the new Act will help increase voter turnout and will take away black money and huge spending in elections.
"Until now, voters were affiliated to a candidate, caste or party. This bill gives a chance for the neutral voters to participate in the democratic process," said Modi.
But if a person fails to do vote he or she will be served a notice and will have to furnish a valid reason within 30 days of the notice being served.
If the reply is not satisfactory, he or she could be declared a defaulter.
The Act though has met stiff opposition from the Congress which alleges that it is just another gimmick by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Modi.
"Modi just wants to be in the news all the time and so this one too. Also, his votebank seems to be slipping away and so he's making it compulsory for people to vote," said Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shaktisinh Gohil.
Undoubtedly, Modi will take credit for Gujarat being the first state to pass a bill for compulsory voting.
But by clubbing it with the 50 per cent reservation for women bill, Modi seems to be challenging the Central Government to pass the bill.
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