I don’t know when I last went to a voting booth. In fact, I believe that I’ve cast my vote in only one election so far.
If I claim to be educated, honest and conscientious, I must be ready to do my bit. Instead of being a cynic and an arm-chair critic of the political system, I ought to demonstrate my commitment by, at least, taking the trouble of walking up to the nearby booth and casting my vote.. So I am lectured quite often.
When I look at the list of candidates and have nothing but contempt for each one of them, why should I bother to walk up to the booth at all?
Otherwise someone else would misuse your vote, I am told. So, it is better to go to the booth and tick the option of “I don’t want to vote for anyone”. I find this argument ridiculous. Why should I participate in an exercise merely to help plug a systemic failure?
What is the use of good people like me queuing up at the booth to discharge their duties, only to be confronted with a list of horrible candidates to choose from?
The issue, therefore, is not that good people are not persuaded enough to vote; it is that good people are not motivated enough to offer their candidature, in the first place,
Why aren’t honest, efficient people keen on plunging into active politics?
Because, nobody will vote for them.
And, so the cycle continues.
If I claim to be educated, honest and conscientious, I must be ready to do my bit. Instead of being a cynic and an arm-chair critic of the political system, I ought to demonstrate my commitment by, at least, taking the trouble of walking up to the nearby booth and casting my vote.. So I am lectured quite often.
When I look at the list of candidates and have nothing but contempt for each one of them, why should I bother to walk up to the booth at all?
Otherwise someone else would misuse your vote, I am told. So, it is better to go to the booth and tick the option of “I don’t want to vote for anyone”. I find this argument ridiculous. Why should I participate in an exercise merely to help plug a systemic failure?
What is the use of good people like me queuing up at the booth to discharge their duties, only to be confronted with a list of horrible candidates to choose from?
The issue, therefore, is not that good people are not persuaded enough to vote; it is that good people are not motivated enough to offer their candidature, in the first place,
Why aren’t honest, efficient people keen on plunging into active politics?
Because, nobody will vote for them.
And, so the cycle continues.
2 comments:
There's a provision that allows a voter to cast a null ballot - indicating that none of the options available are to his/her preference. If there are enough of these, then no candidate can be elected in that constituency.
I feel very strongly that everyone should go out and vote. Make a pick from the best among the worst. I agree that most of the candidates are bad. You know why because educated people like us don't vote and the political parties know this. Why have educated candidates when they are catering to poor, illiterate or people bothered with other issues so accordingly they have chosen their candidates. Once they realize that people will not just sit and talk or lecture but they will be a force to reckon with in terms of numbers, you will see a change coming about.
I believe that along with expectations come responsibilities. Fulfil your responsibility first as an Indian citizen!
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