Govind Tekale
It is said that the voice of the people is the voice of God. So the voice of the people was recorded in the first phase of the general election held yesterday, that is April 19, 2024. The people voted for 102 seats of the 18th Lok Sabha (House of the People). There are six more phases in this election. The last phase will be held on June 1. The results of 543 seats are expected to be announced on June 4. The number of registered voters is 969 million. They will vote in 1.05 million polling booths. There are 2,400 small and big political parties in the fray. Fifteen million government employees are involved in conducting this election. Thus, this is a big Herculean task spread over six weeks.
Narendra Modi, the present Prime Minister, is seeking reelection for the third time on Modi’s guarantee. It has become like a referendum. The whole election process is termed as a political festival. It is sweltering summer. But the people are ready to vote. As we are going through this democratic procedure, a chief minister is conducting official work from jail. Such is the dance of democracy.
This week the UNFPA announced the population of India as 1.44 billion, making India the largest populated country. So the result of this gigantic exercise will be watched with a lot of interest by the whole world. The richest democracy, that is the USA, will have such an election in November.
Corruption, Vikasit Bharat (developed India), and dynastic politics are some of the topics for debate during the present electoral process. Already, electoral bonds have been declared as invalid in law by the Supreme Court of India. The second phase of this election will occur on April 26, involving 89 seats spread across 13 states/UTs (Union Territories).
The beauty of voting in our country is that every voter, whether young or old, male or female, rich or poor, has only one vote. The senior citizens above the age of 85 years have got a special facility for voting. For example, the former President of India, Pratibha Patil, will vote from her home in Pune as she is above 90.
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At the time of the election, the candidates promise that they would do everything possible for their constituency. But generally, this promise is forgotten soon after the polls. Even after 17 general elections, the problem of drinking water continues to haunt many, especially during summer. Most of the electoral pundits are predicting that Modi may become the Prime Minister again. The moot question is: After Modi who? That question will be answered only by time, which is boundless.
Meanwhile, let us enjoy the game of Ayarams and Gayarams, that is, defectors from one political party to another, and wait for the results, especially from the south. This time Naveen Patnaik is trying his luck for the fifth time to become Chief Minister of Odisha, as elections to four State Assemblies of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh along with Odisha are being held simultaneously. The results of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will be declared on June 2, while the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha verdict will be made public on June 4.
The people of Arunachal and Sikkim have already voted for their Assemblies on April 19. Andhra will vote for its Assembly on May 13, while Odia voters will exercise their franchise in four phases – May 13, 20, 25, and June 1.
Let us hope to have free and fair elections so that the dream of a common man to have a life free from hunger, thirst, and fear will be realized!
