“Power corrupts the absolute, absolute power corrupts absolutely”

Its time for elections. The Eccentric, Lunatic, Emerging Cowards Omnipresent in the Nation-State (ELECTIONS) will blow their own trumpets, add feather to their caps, and make the whole politics tamasha look like dog and the bone game.

It’s the first time I am gauging the elections so closely. And trust me, after seeing the whole jingoism, campaigning, shouting of slogans, and the ministers so closely, I am perplexed about the new face of my country.

I remember the days of my childhood, when there were talks about elections in and around my house. Both my parents have been responsible citizens of the country and have casted their vote with extreme sincerity and honesty. And when people used to come and tell them stories about bogus votes, booth capturing and many more, I remember my parent’s faces turning red with anger. But for me, election was relaxation, fun and collection of posters, badges, flags and many more things distributed at the time of campaigning. My mom will freak out if she’ll know this, but when there used to be rallies at the time of campaigning, passing by in front of my house, I used to sneak out, gather my friends and go in the rallies. I always liked the hulla bulloo at the time of elections. Whenever there were elders taking part in a serious conversation about politics, I used to jump in between saying that I like a particular candidate. Imagine a kid doing all this in the age group of 6-12 probably. The fact was that I knew nothing about politics and the term voting meant boating for me. My imagination even left behind the speed of light. I thought that all the people contesting for elections go for a boat race and s/he who wins the race wins the elections. What fun I’d thought. Then once, I faintly remember there were talks about a polling booth based in the Pallival Park in Agra. And I remember that mom had taken us once for boating there. It didn’t even take a minute for me to think that I have sat in the same boat as our esteemed candidates.

But I always thought after listening to the boring stories from people about party representatives, parties, manifestos, and candidates, that I will never like the subject and will maintain a safe distance from all this, when it comes to opting for a career. But probably those conversations built a mindset for me, and today I love to criticize or critically analyze anything and everything about politics in and around the world. I fee people who say they do not have a political opinion are fooling themselves because the fact that you are not political is also a political opinion.
But there is a slight change. While in my childhood I liked all the tamasha in the name of politics, today I like/dislike ideologies but not the furore in the name of elections. I like critically analyzing a particular situation/candidate/ideology/manifesto… but not the day to day nonsensical things that go in it. Like for instance, I like a party’s stand on the G20 summit, but I abhor if someone discusses if Rahul Gandhi will marry or not.

Now that I have an insight to what goes within for elections, I can tell you that it’s easy to contact Barrack Obama but not our not so esteemed party candidates from an ant sized ministry who are contesting elections for no other reason than a vested interest.
The phone calls keep ringing, people do not respond, if they do they reply by saying that the person is not there. If they are there they won’t listen, if they listen they won’t react, if they do their reaction is far from maturity. Hence, the agenda gets lost in this queue for plausibility. I’m not saying that all the policticans are the same. But most of them.

We released the dalit’s charter of demands wherein we invited all the political party representatives to take it up for inclusion within their party manifesto. Guess what, a major chunk of people did not turn up. If even if they did they started belittling each other. Two opposition party leaders started abusing each other on the stage. It was a funny sight to watch. But what about the agenda? I personally also do not support a separate world for anyone. Even if the decision makers did not want to recognize the demands they could have atleast asked for changes in the demands. And for this presence is mandated and attention towards the thing addressed, the prime focus. Alas, the charter kept flying in the air, from one hand to another but the situation till date is the same. NO RESPONSE. (Do you know that the Reservation bill was passed within two minutes in the winter session of the parliament without any objection even from the SC ministers in the Lok Sabha?)

The total electorate in India has risen to 714 million from 671 million in 2004, there are photo electoral rolls and electronic voting system, and people have started understanding the nuances of politics. To say, the number of people who are interested in changing the membrane of our country has gone up. Surely, this year’s election will be a good to watch. With the dynamics of the parties standing on frivolous grounds, it will also be good to see who wins actually and if her/his victory is worth it. The best part is that this time, none pf the parties is very powerful and so if a particular party does not woo people its chance f winning reduces. Thus, all party’s ideologies are waiting to stand the test of time. Instance, very rightly BJP has sublimed its Ram Mandir issue, Congress has covered its corruption, and the CPI has disguised its pseudo approach to anything that it does.

Thankfully, the aam aadmi has become important. All we need to do at this crucial time is utilize this power in our hands and use our right of voting to the optimum. Today, when the ghetto, oh sorry the alliance is given importance on the basis of power and not ideology, it rests in our hands who we want should win and who should not. The best way I think of doing it is by giving preference t candidate than party because in the present scenario a party also rests on a candidate’s shoulders and if chosen he manipulates the party at his convenience. So why don’t we make use of this art.

I am disheartened with the ways of governance and am sure even you all are in some way or another. But let’s not leave hope and rekindle our patriotism by smudging our nails in the ink of true patriotism. Saviours, rise and shine!

Love,
Anjali