Encourage People to vote, Don't force them.

There was no reason for the voting turnout to be low this time around. Amidst super publicity and the media blitzkrieg the election bugle was blowing loud and clear.
“Jaago Re” was the war cry of the city along with mood building anthems like “Dot hai toh Hot hai” and “Ungli utha vote kar”.
It was proved time and again that the poor always vote, it is only the rich and the young that stay away, thus voting was being built up like a brand and the social responsibility was garnished and served as a “cool” and “in” thing to do this summer. The ink stain on your finger was almost equivalent to a tattoo and fighting the heat and queues at the election booth was like making a statement.
Add to that the reaction after the terror attacks on 26/11 and it seemed this election was going to see the city truly wake up and make its presence felt but alas…
This Election Day saw the lowest voting turnout the city has ever seen!!! Can you believe it?
Now the popular reaction is to make voting compulsory!! This is difficult for me to fathom!
How can all the advocates of democracy –the process of making a choice- insist on making something mandatory?
What irks me here is the involvement of certain forces with vested interests that mislead the youth’s energy and enthusiasm and sadly the youth too drifting along their directed paths.
Let us not lose focus here…it is true that people should have voted and it is unfortunate that they did not however forcing them to vote is not going to be the right step instead the approach can be more patient and judicious. Like-
Curbing their right to complain- If you have not voted you cannot crib or complain against any facility or service.
Perks for those who voted- Since you have voted you get free parking for ‘x’ days or ‘x’ places! (Please note- I have voted and my car number is…)
None of the above on ECM’s- Urge the government to provide the “None of the above” option on ECM’s. A lot of centers were unaware of the form 49-o which provides the voter an option to abstain from voting.
All in all my intention is to let all those who have felt hurt by the low turnout know that all is not lost yet and since we have initiated a process of change let us not get disheartened or angry so quickly, rather it is important to stay patient and persistent till the change occurs.