Essays

Abrahim Lincoln, in his famous statement years ago, defined democracy as "government for the people, of the people and by the people." Democracy is a system of governance where people are free to choose their own representatives to rule over them. In simpler terms, the people of a country elect persons of their own choice who in turn make laws and frame policies for them. Thus, elections are the part and parcel of any democratic country. They are the backbone of a democracy. The nature of elections reflect upon the success of a democracy and the political maturity of a nation. Elections should be free, fair and impartial. The people should be free to choose leaders of their own choice without any fear, pressure or hesitation. All adults who have attained the age of 18 are eligible to vote in India.

India is a democratic nation and hence elections are a recurrent feature here. Elections are held to elect the President of India, the representatives for Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Vidhan Sabhas (Vidhan Parishads too in many states), Municipalities and Panchayats. Under normal circumstances, elections are held every five years but bye-elections too can be held due to dissolution or death of the person representing a seat. The Constitution provides for an Election Commission responsible for all matters related to elections.

Recently, elections were held in my city to elect representatives to the Municipality. The entire city got caught up in the political fever. The whole city is divided into a number of wards. Candidates from various parties took part in the election from every ward. Some of the candidates did not affiliate themselves to any party but stood for the post as independent candidates. Newspapers and TV Channels were talking of elections all over. It seemed there was no other news worth reporting. People too suddenly had nothing else to talk about except elections.

Weeks before elections, all the parties got busy in canvassing for their candidates. There were banners, posters and hoardings all over the city. Handbills were distributed. Lavish advertisements in the newspapers and on the local channels of the cable TV and FM Radios could be seen or heard. Not only this, meetings and processions were held at various places- The candidates themselves dressed in Khadi went from door to door along with their supporters asking, pleading, requesting, charming and befriending the voters so that they could be persuaded to vote in favour of their party. Slogans could be heard all around.

A day before the election, as per law, all canvassing came to a stop. Elaborate preparations were going on at places which were taken up as polling booths. Different segments were grouped in a single station so that people could vote conveniently and in complete secrecy. Chairs for the election officers were placed at right places and tables neatly arranged for the EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) to be kept on them. There was strict vigilance and total security. The polling was to begin at 7 o’ clock next day. There was d lull all over the city after days of canvassing.

The next day all the polling officers and presiding officers reached early morning to prepare for the long and important day ahead. The EVMs were sealed under the supervision of Returning Officer before the representatives of different candidates and placed at the respective places. As the time drew nearer, voters began to arrive in large numbers to exercise their political rights, Long queues began to be formed as the day progressed. People of all classes, sections, communities and places came to the booth along with their Voters' Identity Cards to cast their votes. Even women and elderly people turned out in large numbers. One by one the voters went inside to cast their votes in secrecy and came out with the ink mark on their finger as   sign that they have cast their votes. Some people had their names missing from the voters' list despite their Identity Cards- Yet everything was calmly sorted out and it was found that their names appeared in another ward's list because they had recently shifted to a new place. Besides these little incidents of misplaced names, the voting went on smoothly and peacefully till five in the evening. The EVMs were then sealed again before the representatives of different political parties and dispatched to the counting centre amidst tight security. Thus ended the elections in my city.