The IT industry is gearing up to vote. Factors like pink slips and salary cuts will not keep IT employees in Pune from casting their vote; rather,these will egg them on to make their poll choice to protect their interests. A project leader at AMDOCS,Sarang Deshpande,is not a regular voter but has decided to vote this year. I will vote because of the awareness created by various groups on the importance of voting. A business manager at Avaya Global Connect,Amol Mahapatra too would have abstained but the economic situation motivated him to decide to vote. But there are a few,like CEO,Cybage Software,Deepak Nathani,who recently accepted Indian citizenship,who feel external factors should play a role in determining whom to vote rather than whether to vote or not. Nathani will vote for the first time as an Indian citizen this year. Ironically,our political scenario is such that people dont have much choice to make,when it comes to choosing a promising candidate. Still,it is the moral responsibility of every citizen to vote, said Nathani. Kishor Bhalerao,senior vice president (HR),Persistent Systems,who has been voting regularly,feels that irrespective of the outcome of the election,one should vote. An awareness programme on the importance of voting was organised by a city-based group at Persistent,which around 100 employees attended. Deepak Shikarpur,chairman,Computer Society of India,feels the economic slowdown and its cascading effect on the IT industry were encouraging not only IT professionals but also IT graduates to exercise their franchise. Those who are passing out are more worried. Unemployment is staring at them and they will exercise their franchise to protect their interests. They will be looking at who will be the best candidate who can give them a job guarantee. This years poll has a different face altogether. Although it is difficult to predict how much of a difference it will make to the outcome,I am really looking forward to voting, says senior project manager,Infosys,Yashwant Bhogade. With a number of groups engaged in creating awareness on voting,Preeti Chakkingal,a senior software engineer at HSBC Technology,is not able to decide whom to vote for. With same parties,the same candidates and the same promises its difficult to zero in on a particular candidate. Making a choice between the bad and the worst is a difficult task.
