Amid protests by the opposition Congress, the Gujarat government on Saturday passed the Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009 in the Assembly. The Bill seeks to make voting compulsory in elections to local self-government bodies such as municipal corporations and panchayats.

The Bill was passed by a majority vote even though Chief Minister Narendra Modi was absent during the proceedings. Later, Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil told The Sunday Express that “it was ironic that Modi himself did not participate in the voting on the Bill that seeks to make voting compulsory for people in the local body polls”.

Gohil also opposed the government’s decision to club the provision of 50 per cent reservation for women in local bodies in the Bill with that of mandatory voting. “The Congress supports the provision of 50 per cent reservation for women, but not compulsory voting in elections to local bodies. This is unconstitutional,” he said.

Moving the Bill in the House, State Urban Development Minister Nitin Patel said the main objective of making voting compulsory was to involve the voter in strengthening the democratic process, and bring him to the polling booth. It empowers an election officer to be designated by the State Election Commission to declare the voter, who fails to vote in the elections, as “defaulter voter”.

The government will prescribe by rule the disadvantages and consequences to be suffered by the “defaulter voter”, Patel said, adding, “It’s not the sole objective of the government to punish the voter who may fail to vote, but to encourage him to spare some time to exercise his right to vote in a local body election that comes once in five years.”