Ballot Wars

Just a month back, I was totally enthralled by the way political arena in India was shaping up. With campaigns like ‘Lead India’ spreading awareness, lot more young people were willing to exercise their voting rights this year. I have voted many times in the past. But thanks to the media attention this time, the political war turf is really hot. 

Disclaimer: Since this is a democratic country and I am entitled to discreteness when it comes to voting, I am not going to take any names here.

I was initially trying to choose between two parties whose ideologies I approved of. I thought that by voting for a party I can ensure that I back the winning horse. Then the ever vigilant media focused on the misdeeds of the candidates fielded by either parties and questioned the rationale behind their nomination. Then I thought I rather not stick to a party, but probably I should look at the candidates in the constituency that I am entitled to vote. Having gone through the party manifestos, I was further disillusioned about the ‘welfare’ that the party in power would bring to the people in state. When I looked at the candidates, I was more confused. I was not convinced that I want any of them to be my representative in the assembly and I was not totally convinced about their integrity.

Now what do I do? Though I wanted to vote, it has become a case of choosing among the lesser evils. 

Another thought crossed my mind - why should I vote at all? I no longer reside in my home state. It really doesn’t matter who represents my constituency since I am not affected personally. I do not have voting rights in the current location where I stay and hence I do not have a say in the governance that directly affects me. But my inner voice told me that it is my duty to vote, not a choice.

There are many interstate migrants like me. How can they exercise their voting rights? They have to take the trouble of going back to their home state or opt for postal ballet. Many have two voter ids – one for their home state and one for their recent address. 

I wish there was a system where I can influence through my vote in the locality I stay in rather than the locality that I am registered as a voter. Probably we can have a centralized unique social security number for all citizens so that one cannot cast vote twice. I can use my SSN to vote in the place I stay and thus benefit from my decision as a citizen. Possibility or a day dream? 

Well, I am back to watching ‘Ballot wars’ on television hoping to shortlist my candidate to vote for.