Veteran BJP leader LK Advani has once again advocated the introduction of compulsory voting. “I don't find compulsory or mandatory voting as something which is impossible in India. People have to be encouraged that they fulfil their responsibility towards democracy,” he told journalists on Thursday. Gujarat has in fact made a beginning in this direction, and passed a bill, which is yet to be approved by the governors.

Compulsory voting is a big idea with its pluses and minuses. It has the potential to take the roots of democracy deeper like no other move can. One of the points repeatedly made in our debates is, some people do not even bother to vote and yet expect democracy to deliver. On the other hand, there are logistic problems of making vote mandatory for each citizen.