And for a Friday as nominations close and Lok Sabha Elections get underway….. some thoughts…..
A day on campaign tour… exhausting… tough and great learning…
The 2019 elections is for 543 out of 545 Lok Sabha seats. 900 million registered voters makes this election the Biggest in WORLD History. First time voters in age group of 18-19 years itself is 15 million. The logistics and arrangements are to a scale for which every Indian can be proud of. The Election Commission (EC) does an outstanding job with absolute neutrality and mind boggling precision. One million polling stations, 2.33 Mn Ballot units, only Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) used and as an additional precaution and counter check, 1.74 Mn VVPATS (Voter verifiable paper AuditTrails ). Every conceivable transport is used – planes, trains, buses, boats, Camels, Horses, Mules and Elephants. Thousands of Polling parties will walk 2-3 days to reach polling stations which are otherwise inaccessible. The objective of EC is that every Indian Voter, even in the remotest Mountain or deepest Jungle, will have a polling booth within walking distance. What a challenge and how meticulously implemented. Hats off to these duty conscious and Nation building Men and Women seconded for Election duties.
Election Tourism is gaining grounds. People from all over the World are curious to know how this gigantic Democracy works. It’s not only adventurer seekers but also students, teachers, heritage historians and Art lovers visiting all over India, particularly Varanasi in UP where the PM – Narendra Modi is contesting or Wayanad in Kerala where Rahul Gandhi is taking his verdict.
Every Eligible Indian must vote. Its a fundamental right and Constitutional duty. Vote we must. May the best candidates win. May we get a Stable Govt. which helps build a Corruption Free Developed India the democratic way, the Ethical way, the SEEGOS way.