Compulsory voting not practical for India: CEC Nasim Zaidi

Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi addresses the inaugural session of International Conference and Exhibition on Voter Education for Inclusive, Informed and Ethical Participation in New Delhi on Wednesday. (PTI Photo)

Compulsory voting is not practical for a country like India, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi said in the capital Wednesday, months after the government had rejected the demand in Parliament.

However, Zaidi, who was addressing an international conference on voter education that was attended by representatives of 27 countries, said the Election Commission is still open to hearing the experiences and views of other countries on compulsory voting.

“Issue of compulsory voting as prevalent in some countries has been a matter of discussion earlier. We found the idea not so practical. But we will like to hear others,” he said.

Later, he told reporters that the country’s voter population was the biggest hurdle in implementing compulsory voting. “We have 85 crore voters. What if 30 crore out of them don’t turn up to vote, how do we deal with them?” he asked.