Voter’s belief in Multiparty Democratic System is weakening with MPs/MLAs frequently shifting loyalties

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐲 ‘𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐈 𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐞’

DAYA SAGAR

25th January 2023 has been India’s 13th National Voters’ Day. The National Voters’ Day (NVD) was first celebrated by the Smt. Pratibha Devi Patil, the then President of India on 25th January 2011 (63rd foundation day of Election Commission of India) with the objective of increasing voter enrolment focusing specially on new voters. On the 1st National Voters’ Day the newly enrolled electors were given a badge with the slogan “Proud to be a Voter-Ready to Vote” and were administered a pledge that goes : “We, the citizens of India, having abiding faith in democracy, hereby pledge to uphold the democratic traditions of our country and the dignity of free, fair and peaceful elections, and to vote in every election fearlessly and without being influenced by considerations of religion, race, caste, community, language or any inducement”. So in a way it was particularly to give a sense of citizenship, empowerment, pride, inspired initiative for exercising the franchise when the occasion comes. Theme for the National Voters Day 2023 NVD, has been ‘Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure’.
Surely work has been done for increasing voter registration and participation but for upholding the democratic traditions and voting without being influenced by considerations of religion, race, caste, community, language or any inducement what has been the achievement needs serious introspection particularly w.r.t to theme NVD 2023 (‘Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure’); while celebrating Theme 2021 NVD (“Making Our Voters Vigilant”) and Theme2014 NVD (“Ethical Voting”)
There is must need for making both the voter citizen to introspect how far the franchise is being cast in terms of the Pledge taken on 1st NVD and also for making the ‘Vote Seekers” too to introspect how far they have been able to provide to the Voter Citizen environment worth voting in election fearlessly and without being influenced by considerations of religion, race, caste, community, language, any emotional inducement or material allurements ? And ofcourse the law makers and the Election Commission of India too to also seriously deliberate on the procedures , rules and the checks installed for achieving the objectives the elders had kept in view for the people of sovereign democratic republic of India..
How far the political environment of the day is truthfully ready to receive the hopefully hoping ‘new voter’ has to be kept in focus while setting the Themes instead of drafting the same simply for making more numbers to come to booths (more under pressures of ‘personal’ needs) the themes must focus on the duty of citizen towards the needs of the country since on the voting day one writes the fate of his/ her country for next five years for which one’s belief in the democratic system must be truthfully firm and in this regard the ground status of the day is not encouraging.
Focus has to be on creating awareness for participation by more old and ‘young’ voter for exercising the franchise but more is the need for strengthening the belief of voter citizen in quality/style of democracy that our elders had conceived which was more based on ethics than the ‘political’ ‘morals’ of the day that appear only focusing more on how to carry a voter to one’s symbol.
Imagine in case we do not choose the right person to represent us in the Legislature then what would be quality & extent of socio-economic development of the country, and we must assess the status on this 13th NVD.( 2023).
Political culture of the day where among other things the elected legislators & politicians frequently are seen shifting loyalties and at many occasions very less number is seen present in the legislative assembly / parliament while general proceedings are going on is surely more responsible for lesser participation/ lesser interest shown by common man ( even middle class ) in the elections / debates in the legislature.
In the multiparty democratic system that India has this day (as enshrined in constitution of India) it is believed that those who would be hoping to hold and those who hold the reins must be focussing their energies on the subjects & projects irrespective of particular sect/caste/religion/region / minority/ majority/ economic allurements and in case they divert from the ethics then there would be exiting simultaneously social / community institutions who would remind those in power / those seeking vote for power of the basics of a democratic system of governance. But looking at the environment that we are presently living in , such median / middling institutions are nearly missing and where ever some of the ‘type’ exist they are weak enough to correct the faulting politicians or cultivate awareness in the voter citizens about the rights and value of the indirect ‘legislative’ authority one carries. So need is also to strengthen the social / community institutions worth motivating for / forcing for ethics of democratic principles enshrined.The need is more for making the people sensitive about the value of vote and the affect of their vote on the future of the nation.
No doubt surely there are many in political arena who have intentions and desires for holding to the truthful democratic principles but the majority culture makes them too ineffective. The provisions like anti defection law and NOTA ( None of the Above) have not yielded any meaningful results so far and we are already in the 74th year of a republic so there is immediate need for even some more intimate administrative and constitutional reforms for which pressures need be build on those who seek vote since only those in legislature and executive (cabinets) can initiate and order such reforms.
In our country elections for all State Legislatures and Lok Sabha are not held at the same time (every year there may be elections to 3 to 4 state legislatures or Lok Sabha) compelling senior political leadership to remain involved more in party politics / political gamesmanship/ voter luring than working on ground in truthful & rational manner. Such practices in present day system have atleast two negative inputs i.e time of government is lost in election campaigning and even government resources are indirectly more used for ‘election’ modes .Hence those in power instead of leaving the assessment of their work to common man are often found Self- Auditing their projects/schemes’ and spending time, money& energies for advertising work done only in terms of ‘financial inputs’/ numbers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has expressed opinion in favour one Nation one Election but that may not be possible immediately since for that lot need be done at organisational ,administrative and constitutional levels keeping in view that in the recent past Election Commission has not been able to hold elections in just three states at the same time. But the present government could atleast start with some changes in the rules / system focusing on other areas atleast starting with 2024 Lok Sabha Elections so that the route is set for making ‘Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure’real belief of the Voter Citizen. So, for strengthening the belief of a voter citizen in the democratic system (i) there should be ban on sanctioning of any type of new freebees for the poor&BPL / new monetary benefits for the government servants/ pensioners by the government atleast 9 months before elections to a legislature / Lok Sabha are due (ii) ban on laying of foundation stones of new state projects / midway inauguration of projects not likely to be completed atleast 6 months before the elections (iii) no new high value projects should be announced for a State by the Union Government 6 months before elections (iv) no community / region related specials should be announced 6 months before elections (v) no IAS/IPS/IRS who resigns from government service should be allowed to contest elections on a political party ticket before one year after retirement (vi) anti defection law need be amended like (a) MP/MLA elected on a party ticket if resigns should stay independent (b) any Legislator/ MP who leaves his party after announcement of elections should be allowed to contest as only independent (c) independent MP/MLA may support a party but should be allowed only to join a party whose candidate had contested against him/ her as second highest (d) party whip system should be only to the extent of asking members to remain present during voting and not whipping an opinion (vii) candidate’s brief past history on party associations, criminal record should be printed on posters (viii) NOTA ( None of The Above ) should be replaced by NTC ( Not This Candidate) since NOTA wastes a vote where as NTC will introduce a provision of negative voting which would be a better use of voting right where under a voter can still contribute by reducing one vote of a candidate who one may think to be worst of all . NOTA is wastage of vote but NTC would do some service(ix) and like

(The author is Sr Journalist & analyst of J&K affairs [email protected]).