Karnataka to experiment with compulsory voting

BENGALURU: Karnataka where the gram panchayat elections are being held in peak summer with voters on long summer vacation, the turnout is expected to be poor.
To force rural electorate to vote, the state government has made it compulsory to vote in the elections.
But it will not punish those who do not go to ballot boxes since it would want to give enough time to the electorate.
Rural development and Panchayat Raj minister H K Patil told reporters on Saturday said the government under the new rule can punish people who fail to vote but it has decided against it this time, he added. ''People should realise that voting is a social responsibility and a fundamental duty as well,'' he added.
''By actively partcipating in the democracy, people should empower gram panchayats,'' he added.