Appeal to voters to vote
Praveen Dixit
DGP(Rtd),
Maharashtra Police
After a long struggle to get rid off the British yoke, India was successful in becoming a free country in 1947 and now we are celebrating the Amrut period of the same. Why did we want freedom? Freedom is necessary to select our representatives who would consider our aspirations and provide opportunity to everyone of us to realise our dreams and assert ourselves with self-confidence in the world.
There were many countries then, which provided right to vote only to males. There were many others who thought it appropriate to provide right to vote to only tax- payers. Discarding all such ephemeral discriminations, the founding fathers of Indian Constitution led by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar vehemently implemented universal franchise right from the introduction of the Constitution. Even today, if we look around to our neighbouring countries, many sections in these places continue to be deprived of the right to vote to select their rulers. All these countries look towards India and draw inspiration from Indian elections. For centuries, India had the practice of “Janpad” where people elected their rulers. Thus, democratic governance is part and parcel of Indian ethos.
The founding fathers were confident about this understanding among masses to elect their representatives correctly. Last seventy-five years have repeatedly demonstrated that the people know whom to elect. In fact, the voters in rural and remote areas are much more assertive in exercising their right to vote. I recall, I was posted in Leh, Ladakh in 1989 and there was parliamentary election then. Villagers from far off places queued up before booths in their traditional attire at the break of the dawn. There were ladies as well as elderly persons in the same. The percentage of voting surpassed 96%. On the other hand, in the so called developed and urban places, there is so much apathy even among educated persons, that the voting percentage is around 50%
My sincere appeal to everyone in urban as well as rural areas is to ensure their right to vote. This alone would enable them to realise their dreams in coming days. The cost of not voting or apathy to vote is disastrous and we cannot afford to lose our freedom, once again.
As far as residents in Mumbai are concerned, everyone hopes, the mass transportation projects pertaining to Metro, Mono, expansion of local train network get completed expeditiously, so that life becomes easy. Persons staying in slums should be enabled to have decent residence so that they are not required to fight about basic facilities. It is imperative peoples’ representatives who pay attention to these basics are elected and not those who make living out of extortion, or create fear-psychosis against imaginary fears. Friends, this is possible only when you exercise your right to vote and vote for those who would realise your dreams. I am sure, you would not disappoint us.
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