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Voters' apathy? Rubbish!!!
Written By murali772 - 27 April, 2009
Bangalore Corruption Democracy Elections Citizen Reports SEC
There is much talk about the urban middle class’s apathy and how they intentionally stayed away from the polling booths despite initiatives like Lead India and Jaago Re. But, actually, problem isn’t voters’ apathy - it's the flawed electoral system.
Since I was out of town during the previous elections, I wanted to get my name included and cast my vote this time. So, I registered with Jaago Re, filled up the form for myself and my family, personally went to the BBMP office (which is about 15 km away from my home) and submitted the Form 6. As advised by the official who received the forms, I went back to the same office to check the status after 18 days. I could not get an update even after standing in queue for a long time, since there was no power. I checked online multiple times, and finally found it just a day ahead of elections. I went to the polling booth with my passport (for identity) only to realize that the officials didn’t have the updated supplementary voters’ list and, hence, my name was missing again. So, I had to return home without voting.
Mine isn’t an isolated case. Many people went back home because their names weren’t on the voters’ list. And they say urban, educated people don’t bother to vote. How much more trouble should I take to work through our system, to exercise my fundamental right? There’s no point in getting people to vote when the actual problem is our system. Someone should find an alternative than calling us apathetic.
For the full text of the letter by Alex J Joseph, click on:
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIBG/2009/04/27&PageLabel=4&EntityId=Ar00403&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T
Similar was the experience of my daughter's friend - check: http://bangalore.praja.in/discuss/forums/2009/04/my-voter-id-pain-madivala#comment-13204 , and there are any number of such examples posted on the blog.
Even by Election Commission's own admissions in the past, the voters' list accuracy was supposedly less than 50%, on an average across the country. From the kind of reports we are getting, it appears no better even today, even in the technology capital of the country. The entire set up is most unprofessional and a disgrace to this country that prides itself of its IT prowess.
And, it is not as if this state of affairs has not been known so far - check: http://praja.in/bangalore/blog/murali772/2008/05/04/subversion-democratic-process . But, what is shocking is the near total indifference to the issue, by both the government agencies involved as well as the civil society, even as they have been making a song and dance over matters of much less import.
Very plainly the problem is the incapacity of the agencies involved - namely Election Commission (both centre and state), NIC, and BBMP (local bodies). And, the only way out appears to be through the out-sourcing of the entire job of preparation and maintenance of the Electoral Roles across the country to a reputed company (like TCS has been engaged for Passport work) as brought out at http://praja.in/blog/murali772/2008/01/23/bangaloreing-voters-list-review
Muralidhar Rao
COMMENTS
Street Committees is the answer to solve the voters list pangs
Vasanthkumar Mysoremath - 28 April, 2009 - 12:40
Also read post:
http://mysore.praja.in/discuss/forums/2009/04/success-story-a-street-committee-mysore
http://mysorenext.com/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=1050&SECTION=7
http://mysorenext.com/MNextForum/threadView.aspx?id=20
http://mysorenext.com/MNextForum/threadView.aspx?id=24
Hi Mukund, Murali Sir, NL Srinivas, Ravi,
All of us have suffered the pains of obtaining EPIC and stating the obvious; agreed, but let us discuss solutions. In the above post I have explained how we, as responsible citizens, can ensure inclusion of our names by being proactive and taking the problem to its logical conclusion i.e., EPIC with our name in the part, sl.No. and constituency.
We know EC of India is a skeletal office with no permanent staff, except for permanent members for a tenure; that office has to depend upon unwilling horses - staff deputed viz., revenue officials, government servants etc., who will not be really interested to rendering service - instead, they would prefer to work in their office where ACTION is of real benefit.
Add to this the most harassed community of teachers who, while conducting census or voters list correction, look at the 10 storeyed building and sweat at the thought of going up the stair case and sit near the gate, inquire with the security guard, fill up forms and vamooze. This is a reality check conducted through my Smt. who was a non-teaching staff in a school. I was floored with this finding; then how can we expect a correct voters list or census figures?
I still remember my association with Vote Bengaluru effort 2004 along with Dr.Meenakshi and enthusiastic college guys and girls, to correct the voters list when we brought the Election Commissioner to the voters door step at Rajajinagara I block, who conceded the 50% mistakes existing in the voters list.
Let us get to the root of the problem, EC has inherent problems, its system is on the verge of being called as 'failure'. So, let us create Street Committees, create correct details of voters problems, get the concerned Revenue Officer to your street with a digital camera and a printer in a mobile van and get EPICs.
Above success story link will show you how I went about and ensured impact about the service providers coming to our street for cleaning the drains, removing muck from footpath etc. DC Mysore is likely to call for a meeting shortly for implementing this kind of citizens initiative for the welfare of all without depending upon entirely on his own unwilling horses.
Let us make them serve us. There is system failure to ensure democratic voting.
-Vasanthkumar Mysoremath
trimurthi - 7 May, 2009 - 16:54
I'm not surprised with the blame game, thats become an integral part of our culture.
Meeting with Mr.Manivannan, DC, Mysore is pending...
Vasanthkumar Mysoremath - 25 May, 2009 - 15:47
There is a likelihood of taking up this success story of a street committee by concerned authorities at Mysore and l am sure that with such proactive officers at the helm of affairs, nothing is impossible.
nl.srinivas - 27 April, 2009 - 08:59
I do agree with what ever you said. But still more than half of the people on the electoral rolls did not vote. Is it not a cause of concern?
System Failure - Strengthen Election Commission
Vasanthkumar Mysoremath - 27 April, 2009 - 08:54
Murali Sir,
My heartfelt sympathies to you and your daughters friend and to tens of thousands of voters who were enthusiastic in exercising their franchise but the system failed to live up to its existence.
I had anticipated this kind of scenario during this election also due to my previous experience of fangs clawing at me and the pain of the people when turned back, when I was Presiding Officer in a number of LS/Assembly/Local Body elections and kept up the pressure through posts as below. Based on my photo exposure investigative posting in the first link below, authorities kept an eye and it is learnt that two persons have been arrested for indulging in such nefarious activities:
http://mysorenext.com/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=1050&SECTION=7
http://mysorenext.com/MNextForum/threadView.aspx?id=20
http://mysorenext.com/MNextForum/threadView.aspx?id=24
In order to come to the rescue of such concerned citizens who, despite their best efforts, could not find their names in the voters list, I gave the success story of my pilot project with our street committee through power point presentation to the Deputy Commissioner, Mysore the citizens module C I V I L with G I S - (CIVIL - Citizens Initiative for Voters Innovative List) with GIS - this novel initiative and its modus operandi are scheduled to come up for discussion with concerned citizens, and officials called by the DC, as to how to replicate it - posted on Praja.Mysore with following link:
http://mysore.praja.in/discuss/forums/2009/04/success-story-a-street-committee-mysore
With this initiative, plan of action is to nail the Election Commission with transparency and accountability because EC's electoral lists have been successively dubbed by the media as 'Mother of All Frauds' and citizens like Mr.Murali are pained to the core and naturally we feel like rubbishing the entire voting system itself.
With regard to outsourcing, public money will be spent and as usual a hapazard list will be prepared with no transparency and accountability. Just by listing 21 ID proofs by EC was only an eye wash because, their own officials had not risen up to the level of expectation in delivering their part of responsibility by updating the additional list with eligible voters - the officials involved were unwilling horses who were not satisfied with the incentive for the work involved, no action can be taken against them because they are all permanent staff of other departments deputed for this work. EC did not expect such a rush. Direction was missing, infrastructure for speedy computerisation of uptodate data, software capability, ID card issue work, power supply problems, etc., etc. were totally responsible.
There was a clear system failure.
Rest is history... Let us not loose heart...'EC is a snake without fangs'-media.
-Vasanthkumar Mysoremath
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