The GHMC polls have concluded peacefully. However, the low voter turnout recorded in these elections has turned out to be a topic of discussion. If the voter turnout in the 2016 GHMC polls was 45.27%, the voter turnout this year has been 46.6%. When compared to the previous elections this year there has been a slight increase in polling this time. But a low voter turnout despite the high-octane campaign in a metropolitan city like Hyderabad has led to a strong debate.
Let alone polling percentage, in a megacity like Hyderabad where revolutionaries reside the low voter turn out, has led to several views. Some even opine that the electoral machinery should’ve shown additional interest in luring the voters to exercise their franchise. On the other hand, intellectuals say that it is the individual responsibility of every citizen to come out and vote for the betterment of society. Now, with the urban voter turnout falling below rural voter turnout, a new demand to make voting compulsory has come to the fore.
Though a discussion on the same had been raised earlier, the same didn’t materialize in our country.
In 2017, during the Mumbai Municipal elections, there was a pan-India discussion on whether voting should be made mandatory. The reason behind this was an advertisement printed on a newspaper by an organization titled Election Committee of India, which warned of severe consequences against those who don’t vote.
Put aside the credibility of the organization, the issue led to massive outrage. In a similar manner, the state government in Gujarat had issued orders making voting mandatory for the local body polls in 2016. However, the Courts dismissed all orders thereby bringing an end to all such discussions. The Court made it clear that such decisions to make voting mandatory are a hindrance to an individual’s Right to Freedom and that it is against the Indian Constitution.
