FOR THE first time, over 1,000 company homes in Gujarat have signed agreements with the Election Fee (EC), enterprise to watch “electoral participation of their workforce” and publish the names of those that don’t vote on their web sites or workplace discover boards.
Disclosing this, Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Bharathi advised The Indian Specific: “We now have signed 233 MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) that can assist us implement the rules of the Election Fee. For the primary time in Gujarat, we shall be monitoring the electoral participation of the workforce belonging to 1,017 industrial models.”
The MoUs have been signed with particular person models in addition to trade our bodies, and the try to get extra on board will proceed until polling day. Meeting elections are due within the state later this 12 months.
As reported by The Indian Specific, the EC had, in June, requested central and state authorities departments, public sector models and company entities with 500-plus staff to nominate nodal officers to determine staff who avail go away on polling day however don’t vote.
“So as to develop our attain, we determined to watch industries using 100 or extra employees in Gujarat. The human sources officers in these models have been appointed as nodal officers. They are going to put together a listing of staff who don’t vote and publish it on their web sites or discover boards,” mentioned Bharathi.
Apathy vs coercion
WHILE THE EC has mentioned it’s an try to handle voter apathy, the choice to call and disgrace those that don’t vote could also be seen as a coercive step in the direction of obligatory voting.
Equally, staff of state public sector models and authorities departments who don’t vote may even be tracked, he mentioned.
When contacted, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar mentioned: “Out of seven least voting proportion districts throughout 2019 normal elections, 4 had been metropolitan cities. Voting proportion in city areas is usually much less, flattening the general voting proportion. Enthusiasm in discussing up to date points mustn’t stay confined to social media alone, but additionally wants to search out expression by voting. So we’re requesting, motivating and nudging leave-taking and non-voting ones (voters) in city areas by sharper SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Schooling and Electoral Participation) actions, distinct from different goal teams like rural areas, girls and youth.”
Based on Part 135B of the Illustration of the Individuals Act, 1951, each registered voter employed in any enterprise, commerce, industrial enterprise or another institution and entitled to vote in a Parliament or Meeting election needs to be granted a paid vacation for the aim. The state and central governments all the time notify polling day as a paid vacation inside the which means of Part 25 of Negotiable Devices Act, 1881.
Throughout his current go to to Gujarat, the CEC had mentioned the Fee can’t implement obligatory voting, however needed to determine employees in large industries who don’t vote regardless of availing the vacation. Requested if this was a step in the direction of obligatory voting, he mentioned: “As there isn’t a obligatory voting, that is an try to determine those that don’t vote.”
Bharathi mentioned that in some industries, the administration itself was not eager on granting go away to permit employees to vote.
The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Trade (GCCI) mentioned most of its members function MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) models, so they could not be capable to grant a vacation to employees on polling day. “As per our settlement with EC, we shall be facilitating our employees to exit and vote. We won’t be able to provide a vacation, however we’ll allot a time slot and make conveyance preparations. This facility shall be just for native employees,” mentioned Pathik Patwari, GCCI president.
A senior EC official had advised The Indian Specific earlier that employers shall be urged to ship employees who skip voting for particular voter consciousness workshops organised by the ballot panel. “The goal is to deal with voter apathy, particularly in city areas,” the official had mentioned.
The voter turnout in Gujarat was 69 per cent within the 2017 Meeting elections, and 64 per cent within the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The polling stations that witnessed low turnout in 2017 have been recognized, mentioned the CEO.
In the meantime, Congress spokesperson in Gujarat, Manish Doshi, mentioned “the EC must also be certain that employees aren’t pressured or manipulated by their administration or manufacturing unit house owners” to vote for a specific get together. “Encouraging employees to vote is an efficient step. However will the Fee additionally publish the names of firm house owners in the event that they don’t vote,” he mentioned.
With ENS, New Delhi