- The entire Indian countrymen are aware that the mother of all elections – the Lok Sabha polls – is just a couple of more months away. All the major players have already started gearing up for the polls by sharpening electoral rhetoric to impress upon the electorate. The poll bugle has been sounded by the two main national parties viz. the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Grand Old Party, respectively. The saffron brigade may deny it, but the recently concluded Lord Ram consecration ceremony must be considered as the poll launching pad to not only consolidate the Hindu majority but also impress upon the fringe groups to align with the party. On the other hand, the Congress scion has undertaken yet another yatra to garner support.
PC: The Wire
- The election shrill will only become more shriller in the coming weeks on expected lines. As you are aware, the Election Commission of India is at the forefront of ensuring a free and fair election across the country during various polls. Enrolling new voters is also one of the most basic responsibilities of the poll panel which it does so admirably. The EC is also making efforts to get migrants to vote which must be backed by all parties. Remember, millions of migrants crisscross the country looking for livelihood and this component is extremely crucial for the nation’s growth. However, migrants tend to lose out on exercising their franchise since as registered voters they are mostly away from home. This lacuna must be addressed to allow the migrants to vote.
- This large undefined floating population, those who peopled Covid’s lockdown exodus, those who labor in construction and brick kilns, in factories, restaurants, and transport sectors, in mines and quarries – they are invisible as voters. Their numbers too are grossly underestimated. Mostly from marginalized sections, their loss of political rights is not a simpler matter. The vote is tied to a geographical area. Circular migrants live in mostly difficult conditions, can never belong to cities where they work or whose infra they build, leave families behind in places of origin, and move from place to place for work. They find it too costly to head home on poll day. Thus, political apathy to migrants’ voting rights in host cities is well known.
PC: Pursuit
- Moreover, barring national parties with multi-state outreach, regional parties in migrants’ home states find it unfeasible to fund outreach to migrant voters. Smaller parties’ difficulty in canvassing away migrants was cited by several parties as a reason for refusing pilot tests of EC’s remote voting machine. Apart from unsubstantiated distrust in these machines, their fear was remote voting would give bigger parties an advantage. However, a more realistic challenge is how to identify seasonal migrants and make them vote, which can be a defining factor in the final electoral outcome. Also, migrants who can vote make them matter. It makes their living conditions a political issue. That outcome is much required.
