By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The right to vote is a fundamental right of every individual and anyone found violating this right or forcing another individual to vote for any candidate will face penalty, State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Prashant Naik said.
Talking to media persons here recently, Naik said the decision to vote for any candidate during an election should be taken by an individual not the village durbars. “And if any one found forcing or threatening any individual to vote for the representative of their choice would be punished as per the Indian Penal Code (IPC)”, the CEO said.
It may be mentioned that there are some villages or group of individuals who take a decision to unite and vote for a representative of their choice with reasons like the good behaviour of the candidate or having been lured by money while forgetting the choice of the others who do not wish to do the same.
It is found that to get what they want, these groups often threaten such individuals forcing them to do something which is against their will.
“This is completely wrong and since India is a democratic country, there are certain rights which should be kept in mind and the right to vote is one of them”, Naik stated while mentioning that anyone found violating this right will be dealt accordingly as per law.
He also asked the citizens of the state to be vigilant in such situations and if they feel that they have been forced to do such things, they can immediately report the matter to the Deputy Commissioner of their respective district.