Pune Mirror 20 Oct 2014
I believed for the longest time that slogans like ‘VOTE FOR
CHANGE’, ‘GET INKED’ and ‘YOUR VOTE COUNTS’ are actually serving the purpose
they were meant for after seeing the surge in the voter turnouts since last few
years. But how much of help these appeals are and what they entail in a healthy
democracy are some rudimentary factors which deserve threadbare analysis. I’ve
come across a lot of articles lately by prominent writers pensively venting
their frustration about the uninterest of the voters and their low turnout in
the elections. Yes, over the years the figures have bettered thanks to the
social rage or to be articulate a fad to get inked. But contrary to this
popular belief, it doesn’t underpin the democracy in reality, dig in a bit
deeper and you would be able to comprehend why these figures are damning. I was
flummoxed not to find even a single article out of hundreds that I read since
the General Elections which pointed towards the devil in the detail of these
figures. So, while voting in the assembly elections in Maharashtra on 15th
Oct I tried to have a sketchy look at the size of the devil and I wasn't
surprised to see that it was indeed a mammoth one. Before you think that I am
desperately attempting to build up the climax, let me disabuse the fact that it
is actually the context with stark reality. As a voter 'what do I know' and
'what should I know' are the factors which are as important as exercising my
right to vote. I asked many of my friends and few strangers as well who were at
the polling booth taking selfies to update their status on the social media
about the assembly, municipal and general elections, the difference and their
expectations from the new government. Barring a few, most gave replies that
proved that Alia Bhatt isn't the only one in a class of her own, many highly
educated people working with MNCs deserve to be her peers, the poor girl just
paid the price of being a celebrity. I asked people if they are voting for the Lok
Sabha or the Rajya Sabha and enthusiastically almost all within the earshot
said the latter. I had to control my grin because they deserved few follow up
questions. I thought they would get embarrassed if I invoke the term Vidhan
Sabha but I was wrong yet again. The question resulted in some stuck faces and
few stuttered responses. I continued asking if they’re voting for a Mayor, a
Chief Minister, a corporator, an MLA or an MP, and I got few hands up in all of
them as I mouthed the options to the young and educated voters. When asked
about their expectations from the new government then the response reminded me
of Rahul Gandhi’s women empowerment speeches. One wouldn't purchase a car just
for the attractive looks if he doesn't know the alpha and omega of it, isn't it
amusing to know then that how on earth these proud voters decide their pick for
politicians? Every politician and political party does chest thumping in the
election season, the grandeur of their publicity steers the thought process of these
ignorant riffraff (it’s sullying but haven’t we asked for it) which then
transpires into votes. Isn't the ignorance of this level a disservice to the nation?
Aren’t they belittling the verdict of the poor who are in the line of fire of
every decision of the government unlike them? Irresponsible voting waters down
the real mandate and will cost dearly to those who pin all their hopes on
elections. Isn't it better that only those with proper knowledge and
understanding of the candidates and system should vote? Stripping such citizens
of their fundamental right isn’t my argument; I am only advocating basic
responsibility as decision-makers. An HR's job is an extremely responsible profile;
you can't pick and choose resources to run a government without the basic
background checks. Not even knowing what expectations one should keep from
these resources is a crime against the people at large. Don’t speak when you
don't know because when you do then unfortunately your say counts.
