Gujarat Governor signs compulsory voting Bill Voting to become Compulsory

Gujarat Governor signs compulsory voting Bill Voting to become Compulsory

Gujarat Governor O P Kohli signed the Gujarat Local Authorities Laws Bill, 2009, which has the provisions of compulsory voting and 50 per cent reservation for women in the institutions of local self-governance.

Once the Act comes into effect, Gujarat will be the first state to have the provision of compulsory voting.

The Bill encompasses municipal corporations, municipalities and the district, taluka and village panchayats of Gujarat. Elections to six municipal corporations, 31 district panchayats, 231 taluka panchayats and 53 nagarpalikas in Gujarat are due in October next year.

History of the Bill

The Bill was first introduced in the Assembly in December 2009 and passed by a majority vote.

April 2010 –

When Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat the bill was passed twice by the Gujarat government
But former Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal did not sign the bill on the ground that forcing voters to compulsorily vote violates Article 21 of the Constitution

The bill was returned with remarks that “forcing voter to vote is against the principles of individual liberty”. Beniwal had returned the Bill to the government for reconsideration with her comments

Beniwal had also asked the government to separate issue of women’s reservation in local body polls from the compulsory voting one.

Ignoring Beniwal’s suggestions, the then Modi government had once again passed the Bill on December 28, 2011 by a majority vote in the Assembly and sent it to Beniwal


Move is good but the bill is faulty one should not support such bill.

The government needs to make a separate law for women reservation

The government needs to add right to recall to the bill.

The government needs add to bring accountability and bring provisions of punishments to elected politicians in this bill

Then make voting compulsory.

If we go and vote but elected politicians does nothing what is use of such vote if we cannot ask him questions and punish him

One will see there is a provision of NOTA but it’s useless as NOTA only registers you do not like anyone in the list, its powerless function and power.

Reality views by sm –

Monday, November 10, 2014

Tags – Gujarat Compulsory Voting