On Monday, I did my civic duty to vote in the current Loksabha general elections. The process was not just efficient and smooth; it was a testament to our democracy in action. There was a little queue in my particular room, but I remember when the line stretched around the block, filled with eager citizens ready to make their voices heard. There was a queue for a couple of other rooms. But even in those rooms, the situation was calm and orderly, a true reflection of the respect and civility of our fellow voters. I observed voters from all walks of life entering with unwavering confidence, fully assured that their votes would be counted, their voices would be heard, and their significance duly recognized.
I felt proud to vote, but more than that, I felt proud that our country gives all of us this privilege. Having this opportunity available to more than 90 crore people takes work. Lakhs of people from various walks of life work tirelessly to execute the voting framework across all the constituencies. These individuals, our poll workers, are generally paid little and do not work in comfortable situations. They are in a safe environment at best, but it's typically scorching hot with the bare minimum comfort provided. At worst, they are in a dangerous situation where violence is just around the corner to go with the bare minimum comfort provided. Yet these poll workers show up to work under intense pressure and scrutiny. I am deeply grateful for their dedication and service.
The political parties, especially the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi, have continuously treated the Election Commission and the entire Voting process as their political punching bag. It's unfortunate to see the Election Commission being unfairly criticized without any valid reason. I question the political returns of this strategy. The violence commonplace during voting a few decades ago has all but vanished. The process of voting and counting takes far less time. And EVMs generate more confidence among the populace than the old system of counting votes by hand. Does Rahul or the Congress party take voters for fools? Do they think voters are clamoring to return to the pre-technology era? Perhaps.
Or is there something more sinister lurking here?
It's not just Rahul Gandhi and his sycophantic party baying for the Election Commission's 'blood.' NGOs and 'activists' like Prashant Bhushan also want to impede the work and defame the process. This cohort has probably yet to do a penny's worth of hard work in their entire life, yet they question the working framework of the electoral process. Prashant Bhushan and his NGO are not accountable to the people, the people's mandate, or the legislative authorities. They make their bread and butter by leveraging their contacts in the judiciary system to get petty petitions heard on a priority in the Supreme Court. Going to Supreme Court with a petition costs money and most importantly, a lot of time. Yet, the Supreme Court is ever eager to entertain petitions and then pontificate based on that. I obviously cannot 'question' the judgments and choices of the honorable Supreme Court. It can land me in trouble. It is their prerogative to keep some cases pending for decades while giving preference to Yakub Memon or Teesta Setalvad. Or to Prashant Bhushan and his inane petitions. The reality is these petitions and honorable justices commenting on them while the elections are still underway sow the seeds of distrust among the voters. It also creates a narrative that the functioning of Indian democracy is flawed. That is, democracy is in danger in India!
One has to wonder why Prashant Bhushan and his comrades are so eager to file a petition now when the workings of the Election Commission have been transparently available to the masses for a long time. Do they want to create chaos? Do they want to overturn the results? There are hidden motives behind Prashant Bhushan's filing scores of petitions. But why is the honorable court prompt in giving an audience to Prashant Bhushan? Why does the honorable Court see these petitions as constitutional crises and decide to entertain them? Today, the honorable Court asked the Election Commission to explain why the EC took longer than usual to provide voting percentage figures. The Court requested EC to submit the answer within a week! Why is the honorable Court not questioning the timing of the petition? Can this petition or the answers to the questions raised in the petition be answered after the election? Is the petition filed because there is any evidence of fraud? Does the honorable Court believe that the officers of the Election Commission are so jobless that their time is better spent answering the frivolous petitions filed by a dubious lawyer?
We may never know.
As the curtains close on another general election in India, it is time to applaud the Election Commission and its execution prowess. It is time to thank the hundreds of thousands of volunteers, mostly government employees, primary school teachers, etc., for toiling and doing a thankless job so that we all can vote freely and securely.
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