Time to vote

As the voters exercise their franchise in the first round of polling today in 222 Lok Sabha constituencies, they have to make up for some of...

As the voters exercise their franchise in the first round of polling today in 222 Lok Sabha constituencies, they have to make up for some of the deficiencies of the campaign. This is mainly because political parties have more or less failed to provide the voters with a clear choice in this election. The pre-poll alliances they have made do not carry conviction as they are either amoral or opportunistic. They are unlikely to stand the test of time as the constituent parties have little in common except their overweening desire to come to power. Nor have political parties been able to focus voters8217; attention on any specific issue that concerns them. Thus the average voter is as confused as he was at the time political parties decided to go in for elections. Nonetheless he cannot afford to be lax as on his decision hinges the fate of the nation. While political stability is important, he will also be guided by factors like the suitability of the candidate and the ideology he represents. Averting a situation inwhich a hung Parliament becomes a certainty is of paramount importance. The heavy price the nation had to pay for such a Parliament is too recent to be forgotten.

Ideally, these are considerations that should have weighed with political parties when they chose to join the electoral battle. But guided as they are by petty rivalries and petty issues, they failed to rise up to the voters8217; expectations. This has made their task all the more difficult. It is true that the voters8217; involvement has been minimal in the run-up to the poll though large crowds thronged the election meetings of star campaigners like the BJP8217;s Atal Behari Vajpayee and the Congress8217; Sonia Gandhi. This could be because of the Election Commission-induced austerity on campaign spending. But then voters have by now become familiar with what can be called colourless8217; campaigns. There is, therefore, no reason why they should not go to the polling booths in large numbers. After all, the success of an election depends primarily on theparticipation of the voters.

No political party has been true to its promise of not fielding any criminals as has been borne out by the finding of an independent body of eminent people that identified 72 candidates with a criminal past contesting on the tickets of mainstream political parties. It is within the power of the voter to reject such candidates and thereby give a warning to the parties which fielded them. Similarly, despite their commitment to give more tickets to women, the specious theory of winnability has been invoked yet again to deny them their due share of seats. Through tactical voting, voters can ensure that those who are not in favour of allowing women their rightful place in the polity eat humble pie. Equally distressing has been the nonchalant attitude of the parties in fielding people notorious for their corrupt conduct. They too need to be shown their place, irrespective of the party label they sport. The recent poll-related violent incidents in the north-east and elsewhere have casta shadow on the polls in those areas. The large presence of criminals in the fray has further compounded the problem. But for a committed citizenry such threats are no deterrent to active participation in the elections.