Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani has often enthusiastically talked about the idea of making voting mandatory to strengthen democracy and the party’s State government in Gujarat has in fact passed a law to make voting compulsory in local elections. But the very idea is being staunchly opposed by the party’s ally the Janata Dal (United).
Even as the BJP talked here on Monday about the need for the subject to be nationally debated, JD (U) President Sharad Yadav practically described the very idea as anti-poor and anti-daily wage earner.
“I am certainly opposed to making voting compulsory. Millions of daily wage earners are working in places outside their home State and village as migrant labourers earning daily wages on casual jobs or as agriculture labour. “Do you expect them to spend Rs. 2000 to Rs. 3000 on their fares to go home to their villages to vote?” He almost dismissed the suggestion as draconian and unworkable without causing misery to thousands if not millions of people.
It seems that even within the BJP there are not many admirers of the Gujarat law. Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said it could be taken up as a subject for “national debate”. He also added that the Election Commission would have to be involved if any view is taken on this.
