| Compulsory Voting | | | | diseased people. The people in army, in |
| | | | security forces should be allowed to cast |
| Dalip Singh Wasan, Advocate. | | | | their votes through proxy and they may be |
| | | | allowed to appoint a member of their own |
| If we have adopted democratic system, we | | | | house. When we have introduced this |
| shall have to adopt compulsory voting system | | | | electronic system, the people should be |
| so that the people who sit in the houses | | | | allowed to cast their votes through these |
| should be elected by all the people of the | | | | channels. |
| country and not by a minority. If we see the | | | | |
| voting system in India only half of our | | | | While making voting compulsory, we should ban |
| voters cast their votes and half of our | | | | all collection of people by the political |
| voters do not go to a voting both for casting | | | | people. What they want to place before the |
| their votes. We have not conducted a survey | | | | people that should be disclosed through the |
| as to why the remaining half of our voters | | | | electronic media or through the press. The |
| are not casting their votes. They may be | | | | candidates should also give an account of |
| disliking the people who are standing as | | | | their qualifications, training, experience, |
| candidates. They may not be liking any one | | | | their background and their plans and projects |
| of the candidates standing in their | | | | which they have in their mind and which they |
| constituency. They may be rich and powerful | | | | shall be carry out if they are given a seat |
| and they may not be liking that they should | | | | in the house. They should also give an |
| stand in the same line in which poor people | | | | account from where they had arranged money |
| are standing. The state could not establish | | | | for the election and they should also give an |
| separate polling booths for the rich, | | | | account of their health, age and expectancy |
| powerful and educated people who are not | | | | of life. If the people are ill and diseased |
| liking to stand in the same lines where | | | | and they are just trying to have a seat in |
| illiterate people are standing. | | | | the house for carrying on their medical |
| | | | treatment, the people should avoid to elect |
| When the nominees are to be elected by the | | | | such people, |
| people, this term people should means all the | | | | |
| eligible people who can cast their votes and | | | | The people of India are not in a position to |
| not a single group. If we apply the correct | | | | send their own candidates to the houses, |
| calculation, when a candidate could not get | | | | because here in India this work has been the |
| more than half of the votes, it means he is a | | | | responsibility of the political parties and |
| rejected candidate. But here only those are | | | | they are themselves nominating the people and |
| occupying the seats of power who could not | | | | the people i.e. the voters have got no say in |
| catch more than twenty percent votes of the | | | | the election of the man. They are simply |
| area from where they were contesting. If we | | | | voters and they are to vote in favour one |
| are to see that only those be allowed to sit | | | | though that may be a stranger to the people |
| in the houses who get at least thirty three | | | | of the constituency from which the candidate |
| percent votes, then we shall have to | | | | is standing. All these items are |
| introduce compulsory voting system and we | | | | non-democratic, but we cannot alter all these |
| shall have to reduce the number of political | | | | basics which are in operation in most of the |
| parties. Under the present circumstances, it | | | | countries. The people who are with money and |
| is not possible to declare a candidate | | | | who are belonging to one of the gangs in |
| elected only if he catches at least thirty | | | | politics, they can stand in elections and the |
| three per cent votes of the area. | | | | people who are just voters come and cast |
| | | | their votes and then they are pushed back to |
| The people who are not voting are violating | | | | suffer for another term of five years or |
| the norms of the democracy and therefore, | | | | more. |
| they are criminals and they must be punished. | | | | |
| If there is no law, we should frame that law | | | | Compulsory voting system shall be writing of |
| because people in countries like in India | | | | some of the problems which are being faced by |
| only have got fear of law and all other | | | | the people. time has come when educated |
| persuasion fail. We can introduce a system | | | | people should come forward and vote and it |
| where votes could be cast by proxy. The head | | | | could be ascertained only if there is |
| of the family may be allowed to cast votes by | | | | compulsory voting system. and in India this |
| proxy. We can introduce a system under which | | | | system should be adopted without any further |
| we can catch votes from the ill, old and | | | | delay. |