Voting in India
In India, voting is regarded as a fundamental right of every citizen over the age of 18 years by the Constitution. Along with being a fundamental right, it is also our responsibility. However, during elections, it is seen that voters, especially those living in the urban areas tend to ignore this responsibility and take the voting day as a holiday. While it seems that your vote may not make a difference, there are times when elections are won in the margin of 10-20 votes. And the long-term results of the elections can end up being disastrous for the constituency.
Why should you vote?
Remember that all the major reforms of the government are in the hands of the winning party. They can increase the inflation rate by controlling the economy, or increase the amount of exports by encouraging trade. They can bring International events in India or make news headlines for various scams. Whatever be the case, you will be the one who will be affected in the end. So, if you think that the current ruling government is not governing well, you should show it by voting against them.
Who controls the Elections in India?
In order to not be influenced by any party, even if it is the ruling party, the Constitution of India has set up a separate Election Commission that takes care of all the elections in India. This authority ensures that there are free and fair elections conducted in India.
Voting Process
For a common man to cast his vote, it is necessary for him tosatisfy the following conditions:
- He must be at least 18 years of age and have an Indian citizenship.
- He must have with him a Voter ID.
- His name must be enrolled in the Voters List of his constituency.
Previously, ballot boxes used to be used to count the number of votes. However, many cases of election frauds started coming up in various parts of the country. So, today this method has been replaced by Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). This method is efficient in both taking a vote and counting for results.
The day of election is usually gruelling for us voters. Most of the times, we have to stand in long queues for hours before being able to cast a vote. However, after casting a vote, we feel a sense of relief that our duty is complete. After casting a vote, we are applied an indelible ink on the left hand’s index finger as an indicator that we have voted. This method prevents a person from voting multiple times.
Useful Post on Voter ID: EPIC Aadhaar SeedingDemocracy is supposed to be “by the people, of the people and for the people”. However, self-governance will slowly lose its meaning if people do not vote. If the attitude of ignoring to vote remains, one day the republic system will lose its meaning, while those in power will change the system according to their will. Hence, it is immensely important for every one of us to cast our vote and not make an ignorance attitude towards it.