

RAJKOT: Election officials working hard to increase voter turnout don’t need to campaign in this village. In fact, villagers of Rajsamdhiyala can give their urban counterparts a lesson on the importance of voting in a democracy. Since 29 years now, voting has been made compulsory for all in this village. Those who don’t follow the diktat have to shell out Rs 51 as a fine. Ironically, Rajsamdhiyala has never witnessed an election since 1956 and the village head (sarpanch) is selected by the development council.

“Our council is a very powerful body and their diktat is being implemented strictly. Voters need to have a really convincing reason for not voting. The council memberswill decide if the reason is genuine or not,” head of the council Hardevsinh Jadeja said.

Rajsamdhiyala has already established itself as a model village for its rain water harvesting programmes.

According to Jadeja, there are roughly 1,120 voters in the village with a population of 1,747. The village falls in Rajkot (rural) constituency, which goes to polls in the first phase on December 13. A day before the polls, the council members will go doorto-door and verify who all are not voting. “On an average, around 80% voting has been reported here,” he added.

