Issues remain the same but change in voting procedures very welcome

Nagpur: They may not be flaunting their inked fingers after casting the vote, yet it is the elderly voters who remain the mainstay of any aspirant hoping to get a repeat vote from his constituents. And though it is the first time voter who is more visible in the campaigns, but in all actuality it is those who are in their twilight years who still understand the importance of their vote and make it a point to cast it.
“In fifties and sixties, the campaigning was done very differently,” says 89-year-old Sheila Vaidya, a resident of Laxmi Nagar who first voted during the 1951-52 general elections. “Today, the campaigning is not by political leaders alone. Election Commission also holds campaigns to encourage people to go out and vote,” she says.

“In those days, representatives of the candidate would come to our house and ask us to vote, they would even arrange conveyance,” says Vaidya who is all set to cast her vote this time too. “But now, we have to make our own arrangements to reach the booth,” she says.

Being a government officer, 88-year-old Arvind Godbole had to vote through postal ballot during the elections in the fifties. “It was only after 1969 when I had left the services that I began going to the booth to vote,” he says.

Terming the changes that have come about since as extremely positive, Godbole says, “There were a lot of malpractices in olden times. It was rumoured that duplicate ballot papers would be printed and votes would be cast in favour of the candidate of their choice,” he says and adds, “But since the time TN Seshan became the election commissioner, a lot many positive reforms have been made in the election process. Now, things are very transparent.”

The eagerness of the youth to vote gets neutralized by the condescending attitude of the middle-aged ones, feels 86-year-old Sheshrao Wankhede, a retired government official. “What is also a cause for concern is that youth today, without understanding the issues, decide that no candidate deserves their vote and are eager to press the NOTA option. This destroys the very purpose of elections,” he says.

Noting with satisfaction the entire shift in issues, 85-year-old VR Patil, former vice-principal of LAD College, says, “Till two decades back, the elections were mostly on caste basis, but today fortunately national issues dominate. The awareness is much higher and people are conscious of the fact that if they want to be part of the country’s development process then they will have to cast their vote judiciously.”

Not getting disheartened by the slow pace of development, 86-year-old Diwakarrao Tole, a retired engineer from NMC, says, “The population of this country is so huge that issues do not get resolved. But today there is so much of hammering in the name of campaign. The truth for me is that I have voted for one party and will continue to do so now too.”

Gajanan Sardesai, 88, a retired auditor, has voted in every election that the country has been through since the fifties. “Then and now the problems have been of population, poverty and unemployment and they will continue to be there as it is not in the interest of politicians to solve these issues,” he says.

“But surely the process of voting has seen some very positive changes now and the chances of bogus voting have been eliminated,” he says.

Too much money has changed the complexion of elections in India, feels 91-year-old advocate KH Deshpande. “Political parties and even the government have contributed to this malaise,” he says. “The way in which these elections are riding on intense propaganda and money power I doubt if the country will ever have elections again. When elected again, this government will amend the Constitution to ensure that only indirect elections take place,” he fears.