My city goes to the polls tomorrow. After weeks of frenzied campaigning and an overkill of election propaganda, the streets are vanilla again. Yes, all signs of campaigning have been removed as per election commission guidelines. But you can still smell it in the air, you can hear it in the wind. The drums may have stopped beating but the echos haven't faded.
The Indian General Elections 2014. The world's largest democracy voting to elect its next central government. Complicated, calculating, sometimes comical, this election seems to be one of the most exciting elections ever. Excited to be in country to vote in a general election for the first time since I turned 18, I went through all the procedures to get my name included in the voters list in my constituency. However when the final lists were published, I was utterly devastated to see that my name wasn't there.
I set out on a mission to try and find the main master voter list to see if maybe my name had inadvertently been mixed up and put in another ward. Spoke to my local and very approachable electroral registration officer who sent me to the constituency HQ. There I met a bunch of busy no doubt but very unfriendly staff who quickly shooed me off to another local office. Thus began a typical pillar to post game of tag. After visiting four such offices (must clarify that not everyone was rude or unhelpful) I realised that nobody had this master list. Everyone seemed to be checking the list online, the same list that I had poured over, searching every combination or possible spellings of my name. At the last office I visited they suggested I come back after the election, as everyone was just too busy. Really, they just could not see the point of my eagerness to vote. Perhaps they were amused or surprised that someone would go through all this trouble 'just to vote'.One of them even optimistically said, "Don't worry next time your name will be there."
I gave up then. Oh by the way, I even wrote a passionate email to my party/candidate of choice saying help me, so I can give you my vote. But alas, no surprize, I am still waiting for an answer. Stupid to even expect one I guess. But I wasn't leaving any stone unturned:)
So thats that. No ink will stain my right index finger. I am sad, very sad and very very angry. This was my right. And because I feel that in this election, every vote is crucial, I believed my vote could have made a difference.My vote could have counted and helped bring my party of choice to power. I know there are hundreds of people like me out there, who want desperately to vote, but who didn't make it to the list. And for everyone of us,I am also sure that there is someone who has made the list, but won't go out to vote. I appeal to these people, don't waste what's actually a privilege. Go, exercise your vote. Prove you believe in the power of democracy. Prove you love your country. Yes we may be choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea, but remember atleast with the sea there is a possibility of remaining afloat but with the devil, we'll be selling our soul.
The Indian General Elections 2014. The world's largest democracy voting to elect its next central government. Complicated, calculating, sometimes comical, this election seems to be one of the most exciting elections ever. Excited to be in country to vote in a general election for the first time since I turned 18, I went through all the procedures to get my name included in the voters list in my constituency. However when the final lists were published, I was utterly devastated to see that my name wasn't there.
I set out on a mission to try and find the main master voter list to see if maybe my name had inadvertently been mixed up and put in another ward. Spoke to my local and very approachable electroral registration officer who sent me to the constituency HQ. There I met a bunch of busy no doubt but very unfriendly staff who quickly shooed me off to another local office. Thus began a typical pillar to post game of tag. After visiting four such offices (must clarify that not everyone was rude or unhelpful) I realised that nobody had this master list. Everyone seemed to be checking the list online, the same list that I had poured over, searching every combination or possible spellings of my name. At the last office I visited they suggested I come back after the election, as everyone was just too busy. Really, they just could not see the point of my eagerness to vote. Perhaps they were amused or surprised that someone would go through all this trouble 'just to vote'.One of them even optimistically said, "Don't worry next time your name will be there."
I gave up then. Oh by the way, I even wrote a passionate email to my party/candidate of choice saying help me, so I can give you my vote. But alas, no surprize, I am still waiting for an answer. Stupid to even expect one I guess. But I wasn't leaving any stone unturned:)
So thats that. No ink will stain my right index finger. I am sad, very sad and very very angry. This was my right. And because I feel that in this election, every vote is crucial, I believed my vote could have made a difference.My vote could have counted and helped bring my party of choice to power. I know there are hundreds of people like me out there, who want desperately to vote, but who didn't make it to the list. And for everyone of us,I am also sure that there is someone who has made the list, but won't go out to vote. I appeal to these people, don't waste what's actually a privilege. Go, exercise your vote. Prove you believe in the power of democracy. Prove you love your country. Yes we may be choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea, but remember atleast with the sea there is a possibility of remaining afloat but with the devil, we'll be selling our soul.
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