Ahmedabad, New Delhi:
Vote or get into trouble: That's the latest from the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat.
The state government will table the Gujarat Local Authorities Law (Amendment) Bill 2009 on Thursday.
If passed:
- Voters of Gujarat will have to compulsorily vote in municipal, district, taluka and panchayat polls
- A voter who does not turn up will be declared defaulter and punished
- He will have to explain the reason for not voting
- The defaulter will be spared punishment only if he was ill or travelling out of the state at the time of the polls
- The bill also allows negative voting if the voter does not prefer any of the listed contestants
The proposed amendment has come at a time when 49 municipalities including the one in Ahmedabad are scheduled to go to polls next year as also over 20 District panchayats.
Understandably the Opposition fears a hidden agenda claiming it's aimed at scuttling any anti-incumbency factor.
''The government clearly has next year's elections in mind, and that's why they want to hurry through with the bill," said Arjun Modhvadiya, Gujarat Congress Spokesperson.
''The Gujarat government's decision can be challenged in court on the simple point that right to vote is part of right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution. Right to speak includes right not to speak. Just like that you can't force a man to vote. But reasonable restrictions can be imposed on public interest on this right. Then question arise after seeing the restrictions whether they are reasonable," said P P Rao, Constitutional expert.