The Gujarat government has proposed to make voting compulsory in the local bodies polls and will bring a bill to the effect in the two-day state assembly session, official sources said.
A Gujarat Local Authorities (Amendment) Bill, 2009 which will be introduced in the state assembly session starting from December 17 has proposed to make voting compulsory in Municipal Corporations, Municipalities and Panchayat polls, they said.
The proposed bill, however, provides for giving freedom to voters to cast their vote in favour of "none of the candidates contesting elections". As per the provision of the bill, all registered voters will be required to vote in the elections. Voting for elections has never been compulsory in Gujarat all these years. The proposed bill also has a provision that qualified voter will be exempted to vote if he is physically incapable or he is absent from the country or the state on the date of voting or for any other valid reason prescribed by the rules to be framed by the government in consultation with the Elections Commission later.