Elections: An IT Voter

Wav ….. That’s the feeling of an election for any social person that works and thinks about society and country. What else can be more amazing than choosing your manager, or selecting your CEO; probably it’s only in India that elections and politics get so colorful with all political parties playing different strategies and coming up with most creative ideas. May it be the drama of asking his son to quit with bunch of MLAs to become CM or the reinterpreting of “roller” as “roller of law”. Perhaps when this gets published we will be in late phases of election or near the counting.

Gone are the days when the parties used to setup huge banners, with so many vehicles with loud speaker, shouting “hastakke mata namma nimmelarigu hita”(Vote the Palm, for the betterment of you and us”), “kamalada gurutige nimma mata” (Vote the symbol of lotus) etc. and children running behind them to get hold of pamphlets. Now with the advancements in media, more cautious voters, and election commission trying to conduct elections as fair as possible, the election process is getting more and more matured and equally complicated. Unlike those days, politics is made at higher level may it be branding of a party as communal or branding a PM as stale or even the hate speeches circulated through media;

Now, lets talk about the woos of an young IT voter and his responsibility and response towards it. Based on my experience with the political knowledge of IT folks, I would describe an IT voter is fool with lots a knowledge. Knowledgeable because he has idea about happens in India and abroad, who is responsible for Iraq war, who demolished twin towers, impact of housing credit, recession etc. Fool because he doesn’t have fair idea about power of his voting. We generally hear statements like “Oh what a vote can bring for you, come lets party as it’s a holiday”. The same guy who knows in and out of mutual funds and their investments asks “Oh I don’t have voters ID, can I vote?” IT guy who handles international laws and finance processing says “can we vote anywhere? If we have voters ID”, and a sales guy roaming around paces to meet executives and policy makers for an industry asks “Oh is it an MP election or MLA”. One side we feel, we are the educated and socially thoughtful human beings who can bring change to the society, and well god should save if such guys start bringing the change. Many a times illiterate workers who earn for their livelihood look better than us because, believe me they are the ones who get time to talk about the politics, nuclear deal (current affairs) and India at least for once a day; Along with poor voting registration statistics, IT people who are aware and enthusiasts looks like having less or no knowledge about the politics. Hardly there are IT guys who can think out of politics and find out who are the right candidates to be voted and unfortunately rest of them rely of media and “surface” politics. There by giving full chance for wrong parties exploit and influence them. On top of all this even if a political party or a political leader approach anybody, he would definitely face solid argument against him and his policies and this happens for each educated person’s vote. Now why would a politician come forward to convince these foolishly innocent guys or try and work for their benefit? Instead if I were a political leader, I would make all other people stand against foolishness, and lavishness of these people and get the incumbency votes. And that’s what is being done by few regional parties these days.

So now who is responsible for getting these votes in to vote boxes and to right people? It lies with in each one of us. Instead of bunking the elections irresponsibly with some foolish reason, we should not just vote as a person but rather try influencing one or more to vote for the right person. Discuss your political stands amongst known people, which would educate each other about the importance of choosing the right governance. Most important is the eradication of that silly “what change one vote can bring”. I think he who doesn’t understand importance of one drop of water should be made thirsty and fed with few drops of water you know when it rains it rains in drops, he who doesn’t understand the importance of one rupee should be deprived of money for days and be given one rupee you know a crorepathi earns the money through profits in mere paisa’s from lakhs of consumers, he who doesn’t understand the importance of one grain should be kept hungry and fed with few grains of food you know every tree produces food in small grains they ultimately fill up the stomach of the hungry world everyday, I think he who doesn’t understand the importance of his vote should be deprived of his citizenship, you know its one people each who have made 120 crore in India. People fight with brothers for the right on ancestral properties; being the born right of every citizen, “Voting” is one of the most satisfying things for those who care about themselves and their future. After all when BJP lost its vote of confidence by 1 vote (271 against/270 far), the lowest margin for an anti-BJP MP was 4 votes!! Imagine if 4 of you if voted would have made a different history by now.

Vote India vote! All the best to all the candidates of 2009!!