Complete shutdown for election

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Things cant get cheaper than this

If there ever was an absurd brainwave to aid voter turnout on election day, the Maharashtra state labour commissioner's idea has to be top of the pops. On October 13, the day the state goes to the polls, all commercial and industrial establishments, hotels, malls, multiplexes and restaurants will have to down their shutters.

Why? Because this would presumably leave people with nothing to do and drive them out of their homes, straight to the polling booth. Only essential services like public transport, fire brigade, police, press, hospitals and continuous process industries - power and water supply, for instance - are exempt from this hare-brained scheme.

All employers have been instructed to give their employees a day off on October 13, failing which the employers are liable to be arrested under, ironically, the Representation of People Act (1951). This is democracy through coercion. The logic, supposedly, is that Maharashtra - especially Mumbai - has witnessed poor voter turnout during the last couple of Lok Sabha elections. The financial capital fares particularly poorly, with only 41.24 per cent Mumbaikars turning out to vote in the last general elections. In a democracy, citizens have the right not to vote as much as they have the choice of casting their ballot.

Coercing them to vote - either by making it compulsory as in Australia, or by issuing diktats like the labour commissioner has, goes against the grain of free will, which is the very basis of a democracy. If citizens feel like opting out of the electoral process, so be it. And that is not to mention the economic losses caused by the forced shutdown.

In any case, there is no way of ensuring that just because people do not have to show up at work, and have no entertainment hub to go to on voting day, they will automatically land up at the polling stations. If someone has decided to not vote, she will not, no matter what the incentive. People might just count this as a bonus holiday, get together and have a rollicking house party. Now are you going to arrest them too, commissioner sir?
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This goes too far - Edit Page - Opinion - Home - The Times of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Maharashtra-to-shut-down-on-Oct-13/articleshow/5095673.cms

They want to bring the horse towards the pond..but do u people feel horse will drink water?
 
Low voter turnout favours politcal parties as they have to spend even less to win an election. So its in every party's interest to have low voter turnout.

Can someone explain why the Maharashtra state labour commissioners plays a role here ?

He's the party pooper and i dont mean in the way the article puts it ie to the ppl but more for the parties because they have to work harder as a result.

I understand there will be loss of business etc, so the state labour commisioner is playing a powerful role here. Pissing off the parties as well as the ppl, basically everyone.
 
Everyone will be pissed off. The people do not care anyways - fact confirmed by looking at the governments they have selected for past 20 years.
 
This is a good thing... :hap2:

Election day is considered as a holiday by most of the people. :@
 
Democracy is not meant to empower....it is meant to keep people in the delusional state that they have the power..... I know that many here think that they can change the nation by voting, and I thought so once too, but I've moved on..... Now I see why Bhagat Singh believed what he did...... I wonder how people fall for this democracy crap .... :D.
 
Because they were tired of being ruled by others in the past ?

If you notice self-determination became the in-thing since the last 200 years.
 
They should kinda keep everything under the TABS in the voting window time frame.

Also it will help if they would put booths @ multiplexes and places of public gathering :P
 
rahulmig said:
MALLS , HOTELS , Cinemas are Open on 13th oct
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Nope total shutdown, Malls, cinemas eateries all to be closed apart from situations where total employee count is 3 and 2 are voters and 1 is non voter, so that establishment can remain open with 1 employee as per the ToI. But offices and other business have other way to counter it.
 
I dont think there is any way to counter the close call.

Only those establishments which are classified under essential category can remain open and even they have to allow time to the employees to vote.

Shravan
 
! 0 t A said:
They should kinda keep everything under the TABS in the voting window time frame.
Also it will help if they would put booths @ multiplexes and places of public gathering :P
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lol good idea :clap:, give your ticket and vote for your party and then enter the cinema hall :rofl:
 
This is a good thing!! people who dont vote are doing a dis-service to themselves as well as other citizens. And more often then not, its the educated people who skip voting, and thus prompting victory to many of the morons we have as politicians.
 
Yes, relatively speaking this decison is actually pro-democracy, when compared to the more frivoulous reasons of shutting down a city for the sake of an actor or politican which is more pro-party.

So why does the labour commisioner give a damn ?..whats in it for him or is this selfless sacrifice.
 
Aces170 said:
This is a good thing!! people who dont vote are doing a dis-service to themselves as well as other citizens. And more often then not, its the educated people who skip voting, and thus prompting victory to many of the morons we have as politicians.
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True as that might be, I cant find any single candidate who's not a moron and is someone I would like to vote for.......what do I do then ? I want my right for a presidential nominee as the Vidhan Sabha member..... But there is no such provision ...

However, I'm happy that the office would remain closed. :D
 
blr_p said:
So what the betting pool looking like for this move :)

Will it increase voter turnout or not ?
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I think they are making way for PIL...u cant force someone....Also the shut out should be for a particular time frame...Also booths at mall is not bad idea..but mall peeps wont like dwellers taking AC + their 5 class toilet service

I m ready to vote...but i know all are good of no use..so i m ready for option 49-O ...which does disclose my vote that i voted for no one.....

SO in all they force me to vote.......Also without ballot option i cant make invalid vote too.....btw this time will try pressing 2 buttons at same time lets c what happens
 
shravank30 said:
I dont think there is any way to counter the close call.

Only those establishments which are classified under essential category can remain open and even they have to allow time to the employees to vote.

Shravan
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Why not Off on 13th work someother day like sat/sun to compensate the work loss :P
 
I think they are making way for PIL...u cant force someone....
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But this is done on behalf of the EC.

Question : How legitimate is a govt. elected with less than 50% of votes ?

This happened in the past in Australia and thats why they have compulsory voting.

If this recent move increases voter turnout it will become a norm in the rest of the country.
 
WTF I just got a recorded message for voting in his favor from some candidate. This is all crap yaar does the DNC apply on Politicians?
 
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