Vote "only" for an eligible candidate

Come elections, the media comes alive with recommendations for the citizens to exercise their highly acclaimed “right to vote”. Celebrities and politicians make the citizens understand that it is a sin to abstain from voting. This is the only way we can participate in democracy. The only way to ensure we have a say in what’s going on in our country. Through our representatives, we rule our country. “By the people, for the people, of the people”. This is nothing short of heaven.

Wake up from the dream! Recollect your experience at the last elections. This is a sample—my experience. We live in a residential layout. We didn’t have water supply. We had tankers supplying water. People in the layout approached the councillor for help. Nothing happened. Later, someone informed us that this person owned many tanker lorries supplying water. Providing regular water supply would of course affect his business.

Another politician promised water. There was an election, I don’t recollect which one (I am not so politics savvy), but he was elected. But no water again. He said, “You didn’t vote for me. I won because of votes by the other layout”. So water flowed in that direction. How did he know for whom we had voted? I thought voting was a confidential affair.

Then came the main elections. We want water! I looked at the list of candidates in our constituency. I thought no one was worth my vote. Then someone said, “The…candidate will give us water”. Of course I had to vote for someone. At the polling booth their representatives were scanning the people who turned up for voting. Can we demand that parties produce candidates who are worth our votes? Is there a way citizens can turn down unworthy candidates?

There needs to be an option where citizens can vote to disqualify a candidate. How about an option to bar the party from next elections if its candidate was disqualified? Wistful thinking! This might perhaps make parties choose a worthy representative. We should not be happy choosing A, B, C or D. If the answer is “None of the above”, that option should also be provided. WE have a duty towards our country. That’s not simply staining our finger.