Pick parties that want to govern, not rob us

It is a relatively simple fact that democracy is still the best form of governance in India. We have to vote decisively to demonstrate the rulers whether we approve of what they had been doing when in power.

Using the power of the ballot, we can tell those who were in power earlier whether they delivered on issues of importance. It helps make them accountable for what they had promised during their election campaigns.

It is often disheartening when despite our voting responsibly, the wrong candidates win in the elections. But that alone shouldn’t stop us from casting our votes in the next elections. This will only help strengthen the bad elements, who can misuse your votes.

Being 18 or 20 doesn’t make a difference, but voting responsibly does. Even in the classrooms we see students who are well-behaved and well-read. They often act more matured and are better-informed than adults, as far as decision-making is concerned.

By casting our votes we often satisfy our consciousness with the thought that we have done our best. However, that satisfaction might have a hollow ring to it. Criminal elements participating in elections have only increased. Those who use money power and blatant about their misdoings are still many in number.

If I have to touch my heart and tell whether I’ve seen good candidates win over the years, the answer is ‘no,’ but we have to work by the premise that things will improve.

This is an extraordinarily difficult time for our country. With unemployment looming large, one must vote for a government which is willing to take bold steps to address such issues. Past governments had been allowed to do reckless spending, but that has to change. Though political parties have started to use different technologies like blogs and networking sites to reach out to voters, they don’t have anything new to tell us.

Reporting the elections has lost its seriousness. There is a flippancy shown even by the print media, which in the past had employed people with extensive knowledge on the subject.

Vote for a stable government and be clear which party you want to support. Preferably opt for a single political party, rather than a coalition. But if it is a righteous coalition, I’m all for it. What we have today in the coalition politics is, in the morning they (coalition partners) announce, “We are together” and by evening they will say, “We are not supporting the other party anymore.”