Journalism of Courage
Chhattisgarhs turnout,in the shadow of the Maoist threat,has a heartening message for India.
As Chhattisgarh wound up the first phase of polling,across 18 constituencies of Bastar and Rajnandgaon,the affirmation rang loud and clear: even in a Maoist-created climate of intimidation,most people deeply value their vote. Hundreds of thousands of voters poured into polling booths to exercise their franchise. Even as a corrosive cynicism about politics seems to have become the fashion in metropolitan India,Chhattisgarh voters have sustained its turnout at a heartening 67 per cent.
Unlike in the rest of the world,where voter turnout has steadily declined,Indians remain strongly engaged with electoral democracy. Data shows that this engagement remains robust at all levels in fact,assembly and panchayat elections routinely show greater participation than national polls. Even as those in more affluent or urban areas disregard these processes and voice their frustration with politics,most of India participates with enthusiasm,especially those who are lower on the social and economic ladder. These numbers,and the investment they show in political outcomes,should be a lesson for those middle class Indians who mistakenly imagine their anti-political sentiment to be a nationwide phenomenon.
