Sunday, April 6, 2014

Why Elections 2014 would be the most eventful election of all time?

As the mercury is rising in India, emotions are rising high too.  And I am not just referring to the cricket fever - which has become more or less like a chronic disease ailing people all year round.  I am talking about the national elections 2014.

A friend of mine recently had the following status message on facebook - "I need political detoxification". Well, all of us do. Ever since the polling in Delhi, politics has been the top of charts for any conversation online and offline.  And that is not without reason.  What we are about to witness may just go down history as one of the most important elections of all times. And if you still have managed to remain aloof politics or refrained from expressing your political opinion, worst still, if you haven't yet formed your opinion, please read on,  pull up your socks, and cancel your plans to sleep through the voting day. Here is your chance to be a part of history.

1) Largest number of voters ever and largest electoral in the World
When India goes to vote this month, 800 million people would be eligible to cast their vote and exercise their right to decide their political and economic destiny. That not only makes India the largest democracy in the World, it is also the largest number of voters ever eligible to vote in India as well, making this year's National elections the largest electoral exercise in the World. Ever.

2) The power of youth voters and social media
This time 814m people are registered to take part and estimates suggest that around 120m of them, or about 20 per cent, will be first-time voters.
In places such as the huge northern state of Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 200m, the youth vote could play a crucial role in deciding who emerges as the eventual winner.
24 million voters aged 18 to 19 will be polling for the first time in an election in which social media and internet-based campaigning faces its first electoral test. Therefore all those twitter and facebook fans of Modi or AAP would finally have an opportunity to actually put into action what they have been preaching online.

3) The choice of NOTA
Voters will now have an option of selecting "None of the above" or NOTA on their EVMs when they go to vote this time. This means that even if you feel that none of the parties deserve to form a government, you still have an option to express your opinion. This is a very strong tool especially in the backdrop of extreme grey political sentiments without any clear public favorite.

4) The rise of a revolution
This the first time since India's Independence that the political staples have been challenged at the national level. The strength of the Aam Aadmi is here to test the mettle of many a seasoned politicians. A party that is the epitome of the common man, that challenges the motives of every established party, that is fearless in uncovering the harsh truth that no one talks about, that has the guts to stand up against power, money, strength and diplomacy and only push one agenda forward - The agenda of the common man.
The common man on the other hand, is clearly fed up. Recent demonstrations, social media opinions, public gatherings and coming together of people during the Nirbhaya tragedy are all pointing towards this sentiment. The common man is done with status quo. The common man is ready for a radical change. For action. What this means for the existing political parties - and their unchanged promises, we will know soon.

5) A promise for change but for a price
This election is not about BJP vs Congress. It is about Modi  vs others. Lets accept it, the people that defined BJP are all gone or alienated. The new face of BJP is the face of Modi brand of politics. That is built on a strong corporate lobby, a sharp business acumen, and a merciless approach towards minorities. That aside, the extremism that Modi brings with himself may not be good for any community given that peaceful coexistence is what keeps India together.  Modi is running this election over his Gujarat model of development. What kind of development we are talking about, remains questionable.
I am told that thousands of stone pieces have been gathered in Ayodhya. The temple could be built in days. Everything is ready and waiting. If Modi wins, we might build a concrete structure within days. But what about building a country that is being crushed under the need for fairness, equality, honesty and every man doing his job righteously. We are about to give up our chance to all that, for a fight of primitive land rights. This country's entire future is a big price to pay for a piece of history - rather a piece of mythology.

6) Abki baar advertising ki bauchaar
Right from Ms. Ansari's yuva soch, her spoof's sharp retort, to the poetic "Abki baar" campaign, advertising by various political parties has been at loggerheads with each other. That may not have any political or historical significance and I would be surprised if a single vote converts simply by the strength of these punch lines, but nonetheless, it definitely ads lot of drama to the existing cacophony of pre-elections mudslinging.

With so much simmering around the country, if you as a citizen still prefer sleeping over voting, then you are a moron. You are lame. Please go find your voter ID and save face.  More importantly, save the country.

7 comments:

Archana said...

For the first time in a long time, this truly feels like a democracy. you have covered all the point perfectly! Will you be voting this time?

Archana said...

For the first time in a long time, this truly feels like a democracy. you have covered all the point perfectly! Will you be voting this time?

The Head Over Heels said...

Hey Archana.. unfortunately I wont be able to vote (regret it so much!).. but I want to do my part to motivate everyone who can!

Seema said...

Hey Sana,

We’re soon nearing the end of this year and stepping onto 2015. A lot happened across the blogosphere this year; I was amused to catch up on so many new events when I opened my Reader after a long hibernation. The beginning of this year and the last saw a bunch of us bloggers participating in a month long marathon. It was fun, crazy, exciting, hectic and absolutely insane. I thought we must continue with the tradition in the upcoming year as well. Would you like to join the madness this time too? Please drop me an email if you are interested at kamathseema1@gmail.com

Thanks,
Seema

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