What's Wrong with Democracy in India

Posted on: December 26 2007 | Author: megha | Comments:4

"Democracy is good. I say this because other systems are worse."

-Jawaharlal Nehru

by Megha Gowda

photo by lakerae (attributed under Creative Commons)

The list of casualties of India’s enviable democratic system include, ironically some “non negotiable” cornerstones of democracy: idealism, integrity, egalitarianism, justice and, of course, governance. However, even more vexing is the widely prevalent lack of common sense; very often, we hear (with a hint of derision) that common sense is not so common in ‘common’ people! Will this continue to be the mantra for the upwardly mobile Generation X in India?

The root of all that is wrong with our democracy, however, appears to be the negative approach of citizens towards voting – “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote”. Voting has today become a trade and the “VOTE” a highly tradable commodity. Very often elections are reduced to a sham wherein the highest bidder (those who offer the most rewarding inducements and rewards) emerges victorious, sans merit, competency or interest. Indeed, most voters are simply apathetic because the factor that tilts the fate of elections is the ubiquitous “vote banks”, which is explicitly manipulated by the political parties. For example, Party X secures the votes of minorities, while Party Y’s support base comes from the urban middle class – this preference is often made for short-term contentment and lacks any larger vision or commitment.  

Present day politics in India is so overtly besmirched by our netas that the thinking man or most educated citizens in India do not want to risk applying his or her mind in an effort to vote, let alone establishing changes in the society, because he believes it is a dead cause and any attempt is but an exercise in futility. 

Such is the bane of our existence in this country, prisoner or warden, leftist or rightist, owner or slave, man or superman; we have resigned our fate as guinea pigs in this experiment in democracy and self-rule. What happened to the belief that we could right what was wrong, that as individuals we were capable of heroic thoughts and actions? 

But this could all change - if you decide to change it. It is really quite simple; people look at wine differently after spending quality time in France. All good changes start when we revolutionize our perception. We urge every Indian to control the disparagement of the system, exorcize their denigrating attitude, and view India as their new canvas. Realize and celebrate the true potential of your dream for this country for there is definitely hope.  

The populace is now entitled to review valuable details on the candidates standing for elections; information can now be accessed from the Election Commission websites. This right to information will enable us to make a deliberate choice while voting, and to appraise the candidates based on the information such as their criminal antecedents, assets and liabilities and educational qualifications – this will resuscitate the dogma of “determined votes”. The parties can no more obfuscate their agenda.

The initiative that PAC started in 1996, to inspire educated choices for local elections, has been an aid for citizenry to make deliberate decisions. It was to be trampled by cynicism at its inception, but today it is a force with which people can device their nationwide dream. Along with this the new initiative “Vote Bengaluru” is once again the vehicle on which people can practice their power of choice, use their voice. Vote Bengaluru – an agenda to improve the voting system, to cleanse the voters’ list, motivate voters, encourage independent candidates, is a platform from which we can only soar up high.  

Awake from your indolence, the fate of the future generation and “India Tomorrow” rests on your shoulders. Dispense of your frivolous blame game and pull up your socks, because if you believe that politics does not affect you or your family, you are WRONG. It does! The truth is it decides the taxes you pay, your entitlements, even the price of the rations you pick up from the market, right down to the time you have to wait for your telephone to be repaired, because it is the politicians who decide on the policies, they who represent your cause for concerns, they who process your criticisms and comments and decide whether it needs to see the light of day or not. Because the decisions taken decades ago by our politicians still affect us, therefore, your actions today decide your tomorrow. The problem that exists in our electoral system, the corruption in our society, and child labour will continue to exist unless you do something about it. Make a choice, read the newspapers, use the Internet, educate the others, make the right decision for your future - this is your story – make it matter! 

The difference between thoughtful participation and apathy is that of the living and the dead.

UPDATE: We received an update from Gautam Rao, who notified us about the issue of "Negative Vote or Right Not to Vote"

Below is the email he sent us:

Dear Megha,
Your organisation is sincerely working for the cause of civil society and I read today that you are trying to cleanse the electoral roles. I commend your work and efforts.

I would like you to be aware of section 49-O of the electoral rules which is nothing but the voters right to REJECT ALL CANDIDATES IF NECESSARY. The Karnataka assembly elections are due early next year and I hope NGOs like you will take up that cause. I am copy-pasting the relevant portions of the above said rules, that is, section 49-O for your perusal and needful. I suggest that the mass media should be involved and newspaper and T.V. advertisements and coverage must be given to the right which we electors have to REJECT ALL CANDIDATES.
Kindly go through the following:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49-O

http://lawmin.nic.in/ld/subord/cer1.htm

http://ndtv.com/mb/messagethread.asp?TopicId=19973&tablename=Custom

49-O is one of the sections of The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, which governs elections in India. It covers the procedures to be followed when a valid voter decides not to cast his vote, and decides to record this fact. In recent times, the urban educated electorate has not turned out in large numbers in Indian elections. This has been attributed to disillusionment with the system, and a perceived paucity of good candidates. In some cases, voters with valid identification documents have been turned away because impersonators had already cast their votes. Recording one's vote under Section 49-O is a choice that a voter can exercise to prevent electoral fraud, and misuse of his vote.

Since the ballot paper/EVM contains only the list of candidates, a voter cannot record his vote under Section 49-O directly. He must inform the presiding officer at the election booth. This violates the secrecy of the ballot.

Some recent articles suggest that in case the number of votes recorded under Section 49-O is greater than the maximum number of votes polled in favour of any of the candidates, a repoll is held. This is not explicitly mentioned in any of the sections of The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961.

Thanking you,
Regards,
Gautam