By Roviso Marza
As the state draws close for its assembly election, poll fever increasingly peaks around who is winning, and the like. The illustration here is but a citizen’s inescapable link with election, abstracting elements that may apply to all. Who else leisurely don’t visit poll booth, need actually pause and see it. Nagaland Election Commission website marks a line “If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain- more of a decree than appeal though. Certainly, it implies moral acumen. Nonetheless, those who would not vote –(1)‘Intra-Personal’- You simply don’t like it in mind-election is rowdy, boring; which truly disorders and often riotous. The tendency unconsciously stays in somewhat due to unpleasant monopoly of politicians and workers who don’t really show up after election, thus it hardly appeals you. (2)‘Inter-Personal’- You have commitment for someone/occupation else more valuable than to do one with election.(3)‘Personal’- You are actually caught up in real personal constraint not able to go for election. Similarly, those casting their votes are characterized against the same variations. ‘Intra Personal’- It’s taken as a citizen’s responsibility.‘Inter-Personal’-Voter is personally attracted by general conduct/election atmosphere. ‘Personal’-It’s the voter’s personal conviction to support a candidate/cause. Perhaps another category arises from those casting for money or otherwise intent or fun, excepting any of the reasons, if not all. The course of election is definitely fun, devoid of parties. Inviting value-notion, the voter drives a self-module advocating choice. This choice speaks value for oneself, even when avoided election plane on reasonable ground. Likewise, when one doesn’t support any of the candidates, option is provided with none of the above (NOTA). This is to appreciate all values of a voter, especially when supposed value of the voter is hampered by riveting reasons that might instead spoil the value completely. This merit of abstaining vote howsoever has to deny the broad purposes catering election’s good, hence signaling the candidate with majority votes to win even in exception when NOTA might be the most polled. Election questions are themselves in-exhaustive, and cannot cover one here. Conversely, due to absence of law, while one is invoked to cast on points of NOTA, a voter easily escapes apprehension of failing to cast still, unless the person has been so involved. It’s respectable in sense, that abstaining is treated a better choice to avoid necessary ‘election burden’. But again, the expense of law does not fall within all aspects to abstain it. This is primarily due to voter’s liability as bearer of the Card, and the ultimate respondent to its respects. Voter Card is issued by the election commission for purpose of election, which also serves other governmental requisites. The turbulence involved with election accompanied by its appalling form might have been contending reasons of veiling personal interests in the system. But exercising the right to not cast is ‘legally absurd’, because voting is required for a legally instituted government to function, in as much as citizens duly demands governmental output, so long also to the extent being state beneficiaries. Until a law would come for a compulsory voting to citizens, erstwhile personal liberty to not cast would have been missed the need to take it personally, whose realization tells without doubt, one altruistic mind showing political esteem. Quite so, the irreplaceable value of a voter resonates-with pride, dignified and informed.
India had debated for so long the need of voting to make compulsory. The election reforms are yet to finalize it. There are over 20 countries in the world that make voting compulsory for citizens. Many of these are in Latin America and generally records better standards of living than India is. In Australia, 20 dollars is penalized for failure to cast vote, amounting to approximate Rs. 1200/-.People regard vote dearly in places where voting behaviour essentially acts on values of the nation and society. Such striking remark of the electorate history was witnessed in the last US election for its President Office. Americans didn’t want humiliation over their vote values to be pictured on wrong lines, through regulated views and some Medias, hence there sent increased against the democrat party. Commentator in CNN notes- it went to reiterate that the force of democracy is with the ordinary people; they would only decide their own political fate. For India, voting hardly squares the desired values of society, let alone vote shares drawn on social divide and those recently garnering on ‘national interests’. Value for sure is relative, and the ability to wield election success holds value too. Sadly, the larger interests for whom elections are conducted were craftily channeled by those running the scene. In a democracy, voting percentage carries commendable participative value of the electorate, and essentially a responsible one, besides others. On national level, voter turnout was significantly increased by 32.71% in last Lok Sabha election sheld in 2014. Below are highlights of voter turnout of 3 ‘merited states’ secured in the last three elections.
From the tabulated figure, all categories of the Nagaland electorate were shown consistently on top, although in 2014 the female score was below first by a marginally thin, less than 1%.Hence, in respect to all states of the country holding polls during this time of parliamentary set up, a regular maintenance on top voter display by Nagaland is impressive.
2018 election records Tripura with over92% - NDTV, which put the state above 90% cut-off for consecutive three terms
Nagaland atmosphere is interesting, thinking how much the boycott hangover would impact the electorate, followed by the church’s obvious cautioning of its members from ‘injurious polemics’. The church at all is bound to sharpen required tool in the face of real battle with the ‘adversary RSS’ whose Hindutva goals through political exercise can’t be stopped, but its mission can. Perhaps the fear of BJP’s ‘unsecular plank’ have prompted itself to ride on sugary rhetoric praising Christians and flaunt vulgar ‘Jerusalem trips’, on the heels when the persecutions on minorities had exposed the government barely to apply such norm in the pre-dominantly Christian area of Nagaland. The overt remark brims when the leaders would let puffed in their governmental high visits by cornering their ‘minority-persecution-rating’ to be well below Congress rule –possibly therefore included the horrifying church attacks soon after BJP’s rise to power, and many goes unreported. As for Nagaland, despite all political upheavals running from booth-capturing crisis to upsetting occurrences today, which are usual national reports, people have demonstrated a strong electorate of supporting any government in the past. Indeed, the electorate was diligent to mandate the government function, amidst frequent boycott hues and disdain records of the state. The underlined aspects of an educated electorate listing the cited examples are not distant chances of voting Nagaland for a wanted government, hence society and values. It should be a clear warning for the vying contestants that concerned values aligning them are again ready to be cast. It is left for the elected ones then to represent these values into their proclaimed values to not go worthless. Truly, let value-conscious presence on government counts.
rovizomarza@gmail.com
