Column

All right Mumbaikars, did you let your heads droop in shame? That was punishment recommended by your fellow citizens who were part of the conscientious 43% that voted on April 30.

Those of you who did not vote, even though no misfortune or emergency came between you and the polling booths, must be either feeling sheepish, or burning in rage which only activist sanctimony can ignite.

The sanctimonious lot is hissing with greater scorn because it reckoned that at least the Kasab factor would strafe the apathy of hoi polloi. Yet, turnout figures showed no appreciable spike since the last polls.

But if terror had indeed made more people thrust their black-lined middle fingers at TV cameras, as some stars smugly did, would it have made any difference? I think not.

As I submitted in a recent column, even if all eligible voters from the middle class cast their votes, their influence on the outcome would have been minimal. As we all know, more than 60% of Mumbai is made up of slums, and slumvote does not follow any intricate governance policy.

The slumvote is a desperation reflex, triggered by stimuli such as survival and instant, even if measly, gratification. Little wonder, our blessed politicos ensure slums sprout again after demolition, as their vote bank thrives therein.

Once again, I hasten to disclaim any insensitivity. The slumvote’s poverty is ruthlessly enchased by all political parties, and most leaders would exert to keep the slumvote from ascending to even the plebeian-vote level.

I am, instead, trying to stress that Mumbaikars who deliberately chose not to vote are neither apathetic morons nor amoral cynics. They are practical people who did not wish to go through the exertions even if Aamir Khan and his fellow six-packs pitched voting rights as the coolest act of the season. I am not inclined to deride the slumvote, because it is too weak and helpless to stave off manipulations.

And I would have to be insufferably self-righteous to mock the middle-class pragmatism; although I did vote, I am not going to prescribe a strong dose of self-correcting shame to the abstainers.

But we must find a way to end the impasse. The current electoral system offers no hope to any of us. Maybe in time, well-meaning and capable people such as Meera Sanyal may become lawmakers and push for the radical retooling of the system.

Perhaps, people will be allowed to vote not just for the candidates in their constituencies but also in places where they spend most of their productive time, that is, the constituencies where their workplaces lie. Or maybe, elections sometime in the future will not be about candidates at all, they will be a referendum on proposals.

For example, people will vote to decide whether slums near the airport should be cleared. On such an issue, slums anywhere in the city will be ineligible to vote. Polling for other proposals could have similar restrictions on chosen electorates to blunt vested interest. Fanciful? Probably.

But Mumbai, made up of gargantuan, ever-moving and ever-changing demographic tectonic plates, needs an electoral system that can deal with infinite complexities. Perhaps the activist types have a smarter solution.