Indelible ink mark on your middle finger.
India is going through polls in the midst of hot and dry weather. Polling is taking place in 5 phases spread out over a month. Mumbai went to polls on 30th April and Delhi would be casting their votes on 7th May. Every elections in India over past years have been special. This year’s election process is also special. India is expected to see consolidation amongst the political parties. Polling has been good in some pockets but rising temperatures has refrained people from going out and casting their votes. Lower voting percentages will definitely be playing heavy on the minds of major political parties.
Democracy thrives on people taking time out and casting their ballots. An indifferent approach stifles the democracy. Election commission tried their best to educate the people about the importance of exercising their rights and casting their ballots. But Mumbai it seems was not inspired. The percentage polling dropped to 43% from the earlier poling of 2004-47%. Film Stars came out in big numbers exhorting people to vote. But the impact was negligible. Mumbai is the business capital of India and lower turnout means that people are not at all interested in deciding who should run the country. It seems quite ironical. The city which took out processions just few months back and seemed united in wake of 26/11 aftermath could muster only 43-44% votes.
But showing indelible ink mark on middle finger instead of index finger which customarily was employed to identify the voters who has casted their votes, has raised a small storm. Raising middle finger is akin to an obscene gesture. But even if this act inspires people to vote let it be. We need larger participation of people in the democratic process.
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