Skip to main content

Election Day: Need to encourage young people to be part of political process

By Fr. Cedric Prakash sj*
In the significant move, the Union Cabinet in 2011, under the stewardship of the then Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, decided to celebrate January 25th as ‘National Voters’ Day’, which is also the anniversary of the foundation of the Election Commission of India (ECI). The significance of the day is to encourage many more young voters to take part in the political process.
The hallmark of a healthy Democracy is the power and the ability of the people to exercise their franchise freely and fearlessly. Analysis of past elections do provide a healthy picture of people of the number of people who cast their votes; in most cases, it has been about 55% to 65 % (sometimes more sometimes less).
In many countries, the ‘right to vote’ is a fundamental right, but in India, it is just a legal right. All should also regard exercising one’s franchise as a sacred duty. In India, there is also an apathy among sections of the people: their names either do not figure in the electoral rolls and even if they do, they just do not cast their vote on Election Day.
On the other hand, there are others who are consistently disenfranchised; these include non-citizens, the poor, the homeless, the displaced/refugees, minorities, criminals, disabled.
One of the most subtle ways is for a registered voter to be denied exercising one’s franchise on the day of elections, simply because one’s name has mysteriously disappeared from the electoral rolls. The polling officers say that they can do absolutely nothing about it. Denying several legitimate voters their right to vote can easily change the result of a particular constituency.
That corruption is rampant pre-election and during elections in India is no big secret. The ‘demonetisation’ drive by the current Government is an effort to stymie the other political parties in the coming elections, after making it safe for themselves and for their corrupt friends. The buying of voters, the capturing of booths, the tampering of the EVMs, and the rigging of elections has certainly been part of the election process in India.
For the last several years, however, the ECI has been playing a stellar role in ensuring that the elections in India are generally free and fair; recently two former Election Commissioners of the country have gone on record to say that the ECI can do precious little to actually check corruption during election time.
Beginning February 4th, and spanning five states (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur), India enters a long and critical election season. These elections will target approximately 160 million voters and is once again expected to be a defining moment in Indian politics. The voters in these States certainly need to prepare themselves conscientiously for these elections; and others, for the ones in their States and the General elections due in 2019.
Whilst voting cannot and should never be made compulsory, here are some guidelines, which could be helpful for all:
  • Visit the website of the Election Commission of India: www.eci.nic.in
  • It is the RIGHT and DUTY of every citizen of India, above the age of 18 years to exercise his / her vote. 
I. THE ELECTORAL ROLL:
  • if you are above 18 years (on January 1st) and a citizen of India, you must have your
  • name on the Electoral Roll (ER)
  • it is a basic and important identity for every adult citizen of India
  • check immediately whether your name is on the ER (by visiting the ECI / your State CEO website / Taluka Office / Collector’s Office / the local branch Office of a national political party) for inclusion of one’s name on the ER, you will have to fill Form 6
  • ask the concerned Officer on what date you should return to check whether your name is in the ER or not
  • for any objection or inclusion of name/s, you will have to fill Form 7
  • for correction of entries in the Electoral Rolls, you will have to fill Form 8
  • write your complaints to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of your State and to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Delhi
  • always retain copies of your application / letters, signed by the receiving Officer, for further reference
  • ensure that you have the Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC)(remember having an EPIC does NOT mean that your name is on the ER)
  • check periodical advertisements in National/Regional newspapers regarding the updating of the Electoral Rolls of your State; adhere to their deadlines
  • help the poor, vulnerable, differently-abled etc.to have their names included on the ER.
II. POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT:
  • get involved in mainstream politics
  • encourage / support political parties which focus on governance and on issues related to transparency, human rights, justice and peace and the safeguarding of the Constitutional Rights of all
  • check out the candidates, the parties wish to nominate for a particular seat
  • even if a candidate is ‘good’ we must be cautious of the party s/he represents
  • organize public debates / dialogues with them and assess their views / opinions / promises / track-record
  • study their Election Manifesto of the previous elections and based on this manifesto,
  • see whether the ruling party / sitting candidate has fulfilled the promises made
  • assess their views on the poor and on discriminated/ vulnerable communities like the tribals, dalits,women, children, minorities, differently abled and oriented persons; and also on critical subjects like water, education, food security, ecology, employment, agriculture, health, displacement, nuclearization, military warfare and globalization.
III. ON VOTING DAY:
  • cast your vote FEARLESSLY
  • encourage all others to FREELY cast their votes too
  • vote for a party / individual that is NOT corrupt, criminal, communal and / or casteist
  • if you notice any bogus voting, rigging or booth capturing, bring it to the notice of the police / Election Officers immediately and preferably in writing
  • make sure that the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) you use – works correctly
  • you have the right to exercise your franchise as “None of the Above” (NOTA) under Rule 49 – O.
IV. AFTER ELECTIONS:
  • find out the details of your elected representative (name, address, telephone / fax nos., email id, website/blog, facebook page, twitter account etc.)
  • arrange that organizations, villages / groups invite the representative to share his / her views about the area for the next five years
  • ensure that you keep in touch with him / her constantly
  • remember that they have budgetary allocations for their constituency; find out for what programmes this money is being utilized 
  • insist that your views / concerns are voiced in the assembly / parliament
  • ensure that they do NOT endorse any draconian or anti-people legislation
  • remind the representative that as a voter you have a right to ask for his / her resignation for non-performance (we do not have the power ‘to recall’ in India).
V. REGARDING CONCERNS / COMPLAINTS:
  • any concern / complaint in the context of the Electoral Rolls must be sent in writing (registered post / courier) immediately to your State CEO/the CEC
  • serious concerns like the disenfranchisement of a whole community / village must be brought to the notice of: The Chief Election Commissioner of India, Nirvachan Sadan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi-110 001 [ECI control room: Tel.: (011) 23710000 / 23718888 & 23717391 to 98 / 23717141to 43 Fax: (011) 23713412 email: feedback@eci.gov.in]
  • the above may also be informed about any irregularities regarding the elections.
VI. OTHER INFORMATION:
  • visit/read the section on “Systematic Voter’s Education & Electoral Participation(SVEEP)” posted on the ECI website for detailed information
  • use “The Right to Information” – to obtain essential information of a political
  • party / candidate / elected representative
  • Celebrate January 25th : ‘NATIONAL VOTERS’ DAY’
  • It is said that, “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”; exercising one's right to vote is the first step towards this! 
---
*Human rights activist, currently based in Lebanon, engaged with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in the Middle East on advocacy and communications

Comments

Gabriel Tirkey said…
Thanks Fr Cedric for the detailed information on the election/voting preparation and execution. Hope someone reaches these guidelines to the people in remote India.
January 25, 2017
Post a Comment

TRENDING

Plastic burning in homes threatens food, water and air across Global South: Study

By Jag Jivan  In a groundbreaking  study  spanning 26 countries across the Global South , researchers have uncovered the widespread and concerning practice of households burning plastic waste as a fuel for cooking, heating, and other domestic needs. The research, published in Nature Communications , reveals that this hazardous method of managing both waste and energy poverty is driven by systemic failures in municipal services and the unaffordability of clean alternatives, posing severe risks to human health and the environment.
Post a Comment
»

From protest to proof: Why civil society must rethink environmental resistance

By Shankar Sharma*  As concerned environmentalists and informed citizens, many of us share deep unease about the way environmental governance in our country is being managed—or mismanaged. Our complaints range across sectors and regions, and most of them are legitimate. Yet a hard question confronts us: are complaints, by themselves, effective? Experience suggests they are not.
Post a Comment
»

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah  Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.
Post a Comment
»

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...
Post a Comment
»

Economic superpower’s social failure? Inequality, malnutrition and crisis of India's democracy

By Vikas Meshram  India may be celebrated as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but a closer look at who benefits from that growth tells a starkly different story. The recently released World Inequality Report 2026 lays bare a country sharply divided by wealth, privilege and power. According to the report, nearly 65 percent of India’s total wealth is owned by the richest 10 percent of its population, while the bottom half of the country controls barely 6.4 percent. The top one percent—around 14 million people—holds more than 40 percent, the highest concentration since 1961. Meanwhile, the female labour force participation rate is a dismal 15.7 percent.
Post a Comment
»

Kolkata event marks 100 years since first Communist conference in India

By Harsh Thakor*   A public assembly was held in Kolkata on December 24, 2025, to mark the centenary of the First Communist Conference in India , originally convened in Kanpur from December 26 to 28, 1925. The programme was organised by CPI (ML) New Democracy at Subodh Mallik Square on Lenin Sarani. According to the organisers, around 2,000 people attended the assembly.
Post a Comment
»

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...
Post a Comment
»

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...
Post a Comment
»

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...
Post a Comment
»