Gujarat Govt passes mandatory voting bill

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