By IANS,
Ahmedabad : The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani Thursday called for amending the constitution to fix the term for legislatures and make voting compulsory.
Advani, accompanied by his wife Kamla, cast his ballot in Shahpur in the Ahmedabad (West) Lok Sabha constituency around 9.30 a.m.
They could not vote in Gandhinagar, from where the BJP veteran is contesting, as their names were not in the voters’ list there after the delimitation exercise.
“We must amend the constitution and have a fixed term of five years for the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha (state legislative assembly). We follow the British pattern where legislatures can be dissolved even before they complete their term. This doesn’t suit us and we need to change it,” Advani told reporters after casting his vote.
He also suggested that political parties and the Election Commission should think over whether “we can make voting compulsory”.
Advani said that one of the reasons for low voter turnout in the ongoing general elections is that these are being held in summer. Another reason is that there has been one election or the other every second year.
“Earlier, Lok Sabha elections were held in February, but now elections are held in summers when the temperature is almost 43 degrees. I feel if the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections are held at one time and on one date then it will enhance the participation of people,” he said.
He added that after independence doubts were being cast if India could become a successful democratic republic. “The world has been proved wrong and I am very happy that I and my wife have come to vote,” Advani said.
He expressed confidence that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would come to power after the general elections.
“I am sure that BJP will emerge as the single largest party and NDA as the biggest coalition in Lok Sabha will form the government,” Advani said.