It was the last night before the Parliamentary elections in Delhi. The coming morning was about to seal the future of many. Not only of those who are running for the seats, but also for those who are going to elect them. I have been receiving SMS and mails from various known and unknown sources, asking to use the right to vote. Well, not a new thing for a country where SMSs are free and mails are sent in bulk. This time this practice was pretty frustrating for me. I was angry not because they were coming, but as every time their arrival was forcing me to realize a fact again and again, that this time also I can’t vote. First there was a long wait for being an adult and to be eligible for the same. This year I was among those 2 lakh 40 thousand special unprocessed applications of Delhi, who had to wait more and more. I wanted the campaign to be “after 2 lakh 40 thousand, everyone must use his/her right to vote”.

Instead of having any idea to participate in the elections, I was thinking about the working of this largest democracy. I was wondering that if I would have voted, then to whom and why would have I given him my vote! This was a big question for me to answer in such a short time. Suddenly one more arrived, “Is it the real democracy”? Then what, my mind triggered one after another question and I was helplessly facing this attack. I reminded that once Plato said that democracy is “by the people, for the people and of the people”. In reality there is just a slight change in it, now we see it like “buy the people, far from the people and off the people”. I think that it’s not that big a change.

In this democracy we do have the right to elect a person, but why don’t we have the right to select that person? Why should we vote to a person, just because a certain party has selected him? Why our representatives are not the ones whom we want; rather they are those people whom we don’t even know? A big question that troubles me is that to whom do we vote? A party which has associated itself to your religious or caste group, or to a person who belongs to your caste, religion or place, or it may be the person who provokes your communal feelings. As to get an idea I asked a few of my friends who were eager to vote, if they knew the candidate’s name to whom, they were going to vote. Not a big surprise, even half of them were not aware about just the name. Candidate’s profile, his achievements, his plans, his vision, his promises etc. are a big deal. Here, I think one’s family ideology or the party matters.

I asked myself that why are we so much excited to get a black mark on our finger, just to follow the superstars who are asking for it, or does it really matters for us? What is the worth of pressing that special button, associated with a special person/party? It is obvious that often we will elect an unknown, hoping that all will be well, as we don’t have any other option. But if it doesn’t happen, then why should we bear this burden for 5 complete years, or why we should wait for disintegration of the alliance.We (the people) are so called central of this democracy then why we have the right only to elect from the selected, not to reselect among the elected. Why can’t we challenge them when they say “no comments”, why are we giving someone power to exploit ourselves? Why is this called democracy, shouldn’t it be called as “People Elected Periodic Dictatorship”.

Ah! Big questions for a mind, as no answers are really available. Once again let’s repeat the same process with the coming elections in the morning. I know that I can’t vote, but those who can, must have at least an idea whom they are electing; as selecting is not in their hands, I felt…