Time to help voters defy election evils
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: March 02, 2022 -
HEALTHY turn-out of voters in the phase of election to the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly suggests that in-spite of the perennial suspicion over role of money in drawing the electors to the polling centres, public have diluted the feared muscle power to a great extent at-least in the valley constituencies.
As per the update of the state's election machinery, Konthoujam AC recorded highest polling percentage at 90.10 per cent followed by Patsoi AC at 90 per cent in and Wangoi AC 88.06 per cent.
However, the turn-out of 63 per cent in Tipaimukh and 68.5 per cent in Saikot ACs in the hills is not compatible with the voting trend from the state's context.
Few of the reasons for such below average turn-out in the underdeveloped hill areas might be due to the voters' comprehension that once elected their representatives wouldn't bring any significant changes to their pitiable lifestyle or owing to logistics issues.
While it needs no reminding that the main protagonists of electoral politics in Manipur are the wealthier individuals there is no guarantee that the biggest spenders would automatically emerge victorious for it has become quite common for all the candidates to display generosity during elections.
Moreover, there has been a trend of the voters weighing their representatives both on their investment capability as well as commitment to continue rendering public service after he/she gets elected, as could be comprehended from proactive sitting MLAs and social-minded debutant politicians having the edge over their rivals who tend to spring to life when elections are round the corner.
Accepted that the lure of money is irresistible and one would readily skip the normal livelihood chores if any offer made is commensurate with or more than one's daily earning.
However, it would be presumptuous to claim that all the voters are purchasable for there are many whose intent of taking part in the democratic exercise is to do their bits for collectively loading the people's burden on the able shoulders of benevolent and dependable candidates.
To a lot of people across the state, all politicians are crooks; at least, that is what many think.
Though such a disparaging notion could not be documentarily substantiated, the fact remains that majority of the population are struggling every day to earn two square meals a day and many parts of the state are bereft of basic infrastructure even after over fifty years of conducting the first assembly election.
Despite such despicable situation, an outstanding feature of the first phase election to the 12th legislative assembly held on Monday was that state and central forces exhibited encouraging courage to facilitate conduct of the polls under an amiable environment.
Compared to the past elections, when security forces preferred to, literally, play blind as rogue elements laid siege on polling booths, viral clippings on the social media of non-state security personnel opening fire to rein in trouble makers and detaining a candidate on the charge of causing destruction to election equipment demonstrate that the ECI and CEO wouldn't be onlookers anymore in case any attempt is made to deconsecrate the democratic institutions.
The election-conducting authorities must persist with the same no-nonsense stand in the second phase as well so as to help the voters defy at-least muscle power even if they are hapless against the lure of money, for now.
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