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Guj Assembly passes mandatory voting bill (India Today)

Gujarat Assembly on Saturday passed a landmark bill which makes, for the first time in the country, voting mandatory in local body polls.

The Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009, which also seeks to raise the reservation of seats for women in local self governance bodies from 33 to 50 per cent, was passed by voice vote. The opposition, led by Congress, opposed the mandatory voting provision, terming it in contradiction with the constitutional provisions but supported raising of seats for women in the local bodies from 33% to 50%. The opposition had demanded separate bills for 50% reservation for women and for mandatory voting in local self governance bodies.

Under the bill, if a voter fails to vote for the reasons other than prescribed in the rules, he may be declared a "defaulter voter" and would face consequences for which rules will be framed and placed before the assembly for its approval later. "It is observed that due to low turnout of voters to discharge their duty by exercising their right to vote, the true spirit of the will of the people is not reflected in the electoral mandate," said the statement of objects and reasons of the bill.

This is a landmark bill, which if enforced with proper carrots and sticks may shape the politics in the state and in the nation is future. Mandatory voting will force the middle class voters to come out, and will kill the vote bank politics. Government should also think about giving tax-incentives, which would be a big draw for middle class voters, as they take the heaviest burden of taxes.

Not just the above change, Narendra Modi is also planning to bring in a "Right to Recall" bill in the state. These are welcome reforms.

After must-vote, Modi govt plans voter’s right to recall (Indian Express)

After its controversial Bill making voting in Gujarat local body polls compulsory, the Modi government is now mulling another — giving voters, among other provisions, the right to recall non-performing local representatives. The state election commission has already vetted its final draft for Modi’s nod. Once operational, the law will enable the electorate to recall elected representatives across all local self-government bodies — municipal corporations, municipalities and panchayats — if he or she fails to deliver or is involved in any serious misconduct.

Once the Bill goes through the Assembly, District Collectors would have the power to remove any elected local body representative and order a repoll, if one-third of the electorate lodges a complaint, and the Collector finds substance in it. Elected representatives, however, can serve an initial two years of their five-year term, before voters could exercise the right to recall.

“The draft for this and some other recommendations are ready. We will soon hand it over to the government for its consideration,” Gujarat Election Commissioner K C Kapoor told The Indian Express, adding that he “strongly believes” the government would accept it since ‘right to recall’ is already being implemented in local bodies in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh. The SEC has also suggested to legislate for barring anyone above the age of 65 from contesting any local body poll.