And Then One Voted

What I had to go through to get my voter ID card will take up two and a half blog posts, but after having cast my vote now, I feel it was worth all the effort.

Here's to Indian democracy -







Wrong finger?




















Thank you very much, DNA. Huh.




















Old Airport Road, Bangalore at 6:45 am.
































The Polling Station


















List of candidates and alternate ID proofs.


















The polling booth at 7 am. There were problems with the EVM and polling began only by 7:15.

























Heartening to see the queues getting longer!







Do share your voting experiences!

Bangalore Goes To The Polls | Speculation Over Results

Honestly, one hasn't been able to spend the time following the elections at a closer level. But then, from what it looks like, one might also not have to wait for five years for the next general elections. God(and voters) forbid, hope that doesn't happen and we get a clear mandate for a government to rule us for the next five years. That's probably asking for too much.

Constituencies in Bangalore go the polls tomorrow and one is (terribly) excited to vote for the first time. One's name is included in the voters list and one sees no reason why he should not vote. One hopes that it is worth all the effort that one had to do to get the voter ID issued.

As much as one would loved to come up with an analysis and my prediction for these polls, like this excellent one by Our Psephologist In The Making (Seth, we'll make you one even if you don't want to be. Heck, you are already one), I'd like to share my sense of what is a more probable outcome at the end of the elections (One is being very careful in choosing the words).


As Dolby mentions in his comment to Seth's considered opinion, NDA will probably be able to cobble together a majority if it is able to put together the NDA that it was during Atal Behari Vajpayee's Pramod Mahajan's time. Whatever the current posturing of parties like BJD, TDP, AIADMK, BSP, even JD(S) may be, they would not, in my opinion, hestitate to be a part of a BJP-led government if they are able to enjoy power. Also, it is Advani's last shot at glory and one gets the sense that the entire party is clearly rallying around him to ensuring the PM's post for him by hook or by crook (necessary to mention this?). So there you go, one's feeling is that, *eventually*, the NDA will come to power with a thin majority.

As for the two great politicians mentioned in the above paragraphs, BJP knows how much they are missing Mr. Mahajan's networking and organization skills and only much much later, when it is too late, will our learned media realise that they have not giving Mr. Vajpayee his due. A post each on M/s Mahajan and Vajapayee and on the lack of proper political history documentation in India due for later.

As far as Karnataka is concerned, one would not be surprised if a few of the Congress bigwigs(don't think any of them wear wigs) from among M/s Dharam Singh, Mallikarjun Kharge, Veerappa Moily, S Bangarappa, Janardhan Poojary and Mrs. Margaret Alva lose in these elections. The BJP could end up winning more seats than what is being projected.

One would also be keenly following the response of the urban, educated voters who are supposedly more aware of the issues and now have been woken by these guys, drinking their tea and with our poster and reel boys and girls doing their bit of preaching. One would love to be proved wrong on this one, but one doesn't think the apathy of the urban voters towards particpation in our democratic process and public institution has gone away and it will still be rural, poor voters who will come out in large numbers and vote. One is glad that it is that way, at least those people come out and vote for some reason they believe will be to their benefit. One's worst fear is voting being turned into a cool, fashionable thing to do for our young, upwardly mobile crowd. We'll know tomorrow.

PS. One's constituency, Bangalore Central is apparently the most urban of the constituencies in Bangalore. Here's a glimpse of the BJP's campaign. No signs of other parties campaigning, at least close to where one lives and works. Urban, did someone say?








































Call me racist, but this is proof that China has the highest population in the world. They don't get to vote in China the way we get to in India, do they?

Getting The Voter ID Card

Finally, after four trips, numerous arguments, quiet persuasion and lots of stubbornness, I got the Voter ID Card. Had to spend more than 15 hours for an activity which took less than 3 minutes.

Have enough material to write an entire book on the experiences in getting the Voter ID Card. I can now understand those who distance themselves from the system because things don't work, don't seem to work as fast as they want them to. But then, that's the beauty of India. That things work and there is a certain way to get things done. If you know the right way, and more importantly, the right people, things will always happen. If anything, my experiences during this exercise, though very draining, have only further strengthened my faith in the system and though it will take time, I am hopeful that things will eventually change for the better.







Queue at the BBMP Office on a Sunday afternoon




















Is there a queue equivalent of tip of the iceberg? The previous photo was that!



















Make hay while the sun shines. The tender coconut seller knew it better than anyone else!















Bad Timeing, definitely.












Searching counter.













Mera number kab aayega, literally!























I will write further on the experiences, but all I can say is that clearer and smoother communication would have made life easy for everyone involved. Nevertheless, I am happy that the card is finally issued to me I got my card issued and very excited about voting for the first time.

Choosing 'No Vote' | Multi Seat Constituencies | Compulsory Voting

Choosing No Vote

A lot of us might have received the chain mail about choosing not to vote and suggesting that if the number of people who invoke the right to 49-o is more than the winning candidates vote count, a re-poll is ordered with something amounting to a permanent ban on the previous candidature.

I'm sure we'd have liked the idea, considering the huge disgust for our politicians , believing that it serves our non-serving politicians well. (Huh! Pun).

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen (and not children, because they can't vote!), that is not the right interpretation of Rule 49-O which the chain mail (or the person who started it) considers to be rule for such no vote.

Kind folk(s?) at 49-O - The Real Deal have taken the trouble of clarifying this to us. Here are the details -

What is Rule 49-O of the Conduct of Elections, in a nutshell?

There are a couple of different explanations that people have adopted to make sense of 49-O, the one we found most convincing was posted by a Lawyer based in Mumbai. I’ve tried to keep this as simple as possible, so as not to read like a government regulation.

Prior to 1992, India voted physically, not electronically. So every single vote was accounted for on paper, given the fact that the voter was signed into the polling station physically and a ballot paper with the selected candidate was physically accepted from him/her. Today, India votes electronically.

Now given the present scenario, a voter is physically signed into the station but votes privately, by pressing a button on the EVM (Electronic Voting Machine). What stops him from NOT pressing that button in the event that he doesn’t wish to vote for the contesting candidature. This STILL isn't where the problem lies. Now you have X number of people signed in, and X-1 votes. Nobody can trace who didn’t vote, hence that vote can be misused. It is for this reason that Rule 49-O exists. Via this rule, a voter is given an opportunity to sign a separate form (Form 17-A), and submit it to the presiding officer, thereby putting this decision on record. This clears up the haze when votes are being tallied.

And this is by far, the only purpose of Rule 49-o of the Conduct of Elections in India.

Thanks folks for the good work. There have been proposals for reforms of this rule, but things have not moved and there is a petition that is being planned to get things moving. Head over to the site and do your bit if you feel about it.


Multi Seat Constituencies

From this Wikipedia Page on Indian Election System -

The first general elections were conducted in India in 1951, for 489 constituencies representing 26 Indian states. At that time, there were a few two-seat and even a three-seat constituency. The multi-seat constituencies were discontinued in the 1960s.

Very well!

Compulsory Voting

Voting is not compulsory in India and in my opinion, it should be. That way, I would have gotten my Voter ID sooner.

In countries where voting is compulsory, here are the steps taken to ensure that everyone votes.

• Belgian voters who repeatedly fail to vote in elections may be subject to disenfranchisement.

• Goods and services provided by public offices may be denied to those failing to vote in Peru and Greece.
  

• If a Bolivian voter fails to participate in an election, the citizen may be denied withdrawal of his or her salary from the bank for three months.

• In Turkey, according to a law passed by the parliament in 1986, if an eligible elector does not cast a vote in the elections, he or she has to pay a fee of about 5 YTL (3 US dollars).

(Source)

From Banners To Ballots

Our generation of young Indians, consisting of those between the ages of 21 to 28, is very lucky to around in India at this time. When the country, in fact, the whole world, is going through really interesting times. And more than just being witnesses, we have the chance to be a part of the the events that will shape our future, for the good or for the bad. Only time will tell which way we go, but time will also tell whether we tried or not. Trying, is what I am doing, by being a part of the events leading up to and during the General Elections and chronicling my observations and views based on my experiences.

And that begins with my efforts to get the Voter ID Card. Voting is the best way to express our opinions about our elected representatives and unless one votes any criticism of our elected representatives, their work or the lack of it and any blame on the political system holds no moral value. I hope to get my Voter ID Card as soon as possible and vote for the first time. Feel terrible for not having gotten my ID and voting during elections for the last six years, even though I was eligible.

I also hope to capture various activities from the ground on how parties mobilize workers and voters, on how the rallies and other campaign activities are held, how various media - different forms, languages and affiliations are reacting to the the election events and what do those who matter the most - the people have to say, or not have to say about the elections. I will also be keen on observing how the urban youth respond to the election activities and see how much of an interest they have in contributing to the most important activity in our democratic process - the elections.