India has the largest democratic setup in the world and we elect our representatives who govern us. A democratic government is the one of the people, by the people and for the people. The common man is all powerful because he/she has the right to vote and choose the best suited electoral representatives. When we have been endowed with so much power, that is the right to vote, we must exercise it conscientiously and vote for a candidate with the best attributes of a progressive leader. There are several factors which we must consider, ten of which are listed below. Have a read!

#10- Voting for Criminals=Voting for Crime

Criminalisation of Politics in India has had a long and notorious history. Parties hire musclemen for votes, splurge money to keep their voters happy and liquor flows freely- all part of pre-election freebies. These activities are directly supervised by tainted candidates themselves, who have serious criminal charges pending against them in various courts. A criminal in a state legislature or the parliament is akin to harbouring a snake in the temple of democracy. That is because, such MPs and MLAs are a detriment to the law and order scenario as well as they block critical legislations seeking judicial or police reforms.

Consequently, anarchy prevails and criminals are not reined in. Such tainted MPs and MLAs themselves shield criminal elements and in the end, we, the common people are victimised due to their nefarious and anti-social activities. The Jungle Raj in Uttar Pradesh is a burning example.

An astounding 34% of our newly elected MPs have criminal charges including serious ones like murder, rape, etc. That shows the extent of the rot. Parties field criminal candidates due to their higher chances of winning. So, its a message to all voters out there- shun the practice of voting for criminals. Staying in a jail is better suited to them than entering the hallowed portals of our democratic institutions. Mind it!

#9- Vote for Communal Harmony

India is a diverse country with many religions, co-existing in mutual respect and harmony since time immemorial. Certain candidates tend to cash in on communal sentiments and polarise the electorate, to add to their vote bank. India has a  long tradition of ‘Unity in Diversity’. When this socio-cultural fabric is shredded for cheap electoral gains, it is portentous of grave consequences for the society.

Therefore, do not vote for candidates who indulge in appeasement of a certain community or division of votes on religious lines. India is one and will forever be one. Weed out the divisive elements. The power is in your hands. The chance is yours!

#8- Caste Politics=Past Politics

The Brahmins voted en masse for the Party X, the Dalits have come out in support of Party Y, the Adivasis prefer the Party Z- This has been a common feature of Indian Electoral Politics ever since independence. Political leaders have never shied away from demanding votes based on narrow denominations of caste and creed. India’s wretched and all pervasive caste system has allowed these leaders to make such outrageous demands basing on caste affiliations. If a party promises reservations for a certain caste, other parties go a step further to include more castes under the ambit of reservations and woo the voters in this way. When they are voted to power, they promote such sentiments aggressively without any tangible concern for inclusive development and in the end, the common man suffers.

Such a mindset reeks of a feudal attitude and must be put to a stop. Candidates who demand votes on the basis of caste, should be cast away contemptuously by the voters. In fact, the 2014 general elections have shown that caste based politics, are in fact, a thing of the past!

#7- No Substitute for Efficiency & Good Governance

Since independence, India has mostly seen state as well as parliamentary elections being fought on the basis of ‘sympathy waves’, ‘communal sentiments’, and other such insignificant issues. But, for India to reclaim its position as one of the most prosperous countries in the world, good governance must be the only issue, particularly for a large democracy like ours. A government which is responsive to the needs of the citizens, follows equitable and judicious policies, introduces an element of efficiency in delivery of public services, etc is the one which is ideally suited to carry us to the top.

Political leaders have often taken recourse in rhetoric and no tangible ground work, in order to hoodwink the electorate, time and again. But, the time has come to stem the rot and vote for the candidates of the party whose manifesto has all the aforementioned components, in order to deliver a responsible and accountable government. Only the Candidates with a proven track record for good governance must be voted to power. Only then can India change, for the better!

#6- Shun Attraction for Freebies

Political parties in India have had a long and chequered history of wooing the electorate with freebies like free rice, pulses, laptops, television sets, etc. Most of India’s voters belong to the lower economic stratum of the society. When they are offered such doles, which could even be as outrageous as cash and liquor, they naturally develop an inclination for the political party concerned and vote for it. They do not keep in mind, the hollowness of these offers and the repercussions of voting such regressive parties to power.

Such doles do not reflect the genuine concern of the parties for the voters. Rather, it is a naked display of profligacy and needless spending of taxpayers’ hard earned money for garnering maximum votes. This impacts the government’s finances severely and the voters, satisfied with such doles do not feel the need to work hard and progress economically. ‘There is nothing called a free lunch’- Similarly, when freebies are offered, somebody else must be paying for it, while ideally his/her money should have been spent on developmental projects.

Political leaders must rather understand the need for inclusive economic development and the provision of permanent livelihood, rather than providing such stopgap solutions in the form of poll freebies. Vote for the candidate or party which has solid economic policies to offer. No other allurements must suffice!

#5- Only Agenda: Development

67 Years have passed since Independence and India is still languishing as one of the under-developed and backward countries of the world. Our competitors have surged forward in economic development while we hopelessly stagnate. Opponents of singular focus on economic development might argue on the contrary, but the fact remains that economic development is the sole driver of a country’s holistic growth. A high growth rate is undoubtedly indicative of the citizens’ economic progress and empowerment. Employment opportunities are created and incomes rise. No two ways about that.

Political parties have always veered away from this agenda and focused on whipping up traditional sentiments and non issues to garner votes. The fact remains that such leaders, when elected, do not lay adequate emphasis on development and fritter away the mandate they are given by the people.

Thus, its the need of the hour to vote for the candidates who represent the political parties with the sole motto of aggressive development. That is the only anti-dote for the widespread poverty which India is cursed with. Don’t you agree?

#4- Public Law and Order

The ‘Rule of Law Index 2012′ report drawn up by the World Justice Project gave India a dismal rank of  79 for its regulatory environment and 78 for its civil justice systems from among 97 countries! It is no surprise, given the lax system of law and order as well as shambolic legal system. An aggrieved person, who is a victim of a crime is further victimised in the courts due to our protracted legal procedures as well as chronic delays. The policing standards have gone down and crime rates have gone up, across all States and Union Territories.

The prime reason for this is the absence of a strong judicial system as well as the non-existence of proper policing standards. Political parties, across the board have shown reluctance to change the prevalent system and as a result, criminals have had a free run. The fear of law and punishment is non-existent.

It is high time to vote for the candidate who promises to work exhaustively to repair our Godforsaken system and bring the violators of law to justice. A person having a track record of substantial work in this direction must be the natural choice.

#3- India Against Corruption

When was the last time when you had to pay a bribe to get a job done? The natural answer would be ‘all the time’ in India. In the report highlighted in the previous paragraph has ranked India at a lowly 83 for rampant corruption. The menace of corruption in the country is pegged at Rs 1,555 thousand crore in the last decade and majority of it has been laundered out of India using illicit gateways, a recent study has claimed.

Despite such endemic practices which plague our country, we send corrupt and maligned leaders to the parliament and state legislatures every now and then. After they are voted to power, they let their corrupt instincts loose and as a result, scams tumble out of the government’s cupboard with alarming regularity.

It is thus, the need of the hour to stop being foolish enough and rejecting clean candidates for the corrupt. It is time to vote for clean candidates. Propriety and honesty must be restored to public life and the only way to do it is to cast our vote for a man/woman of proven integrity.

#2-Visionaries are the Need of the Hour

The upliftment of India’s suffering masses and poor delivery of public services does not necessarily need highly qualified individuals to steer the country out of rough waters. Rather, it needs visionaries who have long term plans for their country and their experience in public life has taught them to execute tasks to perfection.

The tragedy with our country is that voters do not vote for the most suitable candidate with vision. Rather, they take extraneous considerations like caste and other factors into account while voting. This trend must be put to a stop. For the country to progress, we need visionaries who have the foresight to take the right decisions.

#1- Mass Leadership

A successful and vibrant democracy is all about the evolution of a healthy consensus through debate and discussion and inclusive development. Democratic institutions need mass leaders at the helm to function properly- Those who can take everybody on board and generate trust among all while taking decisions. Fascism and intolerance for opposition has been seen to be a utter failure in world democracies.

Therefore, the need of the hour is to vote for mass leaders who have the leadership abilities and required traits in them to be the representatives of millions of voters.

The points which are mentioned above need to be factored in while voting. Expecting an amalgamation of all these qualities in a single person is to some extent utopian. When one votes for a party’s candidate, one must carefully weigh the pros and cons in light of the aforementioned ideals. Striking a right balance is the key to voting for the right person. Voting for the right person is the key to choosing the right leaders to lead us. This, again, is the key to deciding the country’s, that is, our fate.