POWER OF ONE VOTE- VOTE FOR CHANGE

http://aadeshgoyal.blogspot.in/2014/03/the-power-of-1-vote.html Saturday, March 29, 2014 The Power of 1 Vote The General Elections in India are around the corner, and this time there is an increased participation by the intelligentsia, i.e., people like you and me, and certainly all those who are reading thisJ. Very often, it is used as a word to denote those are educated. However, the dictionary meaning is ‘intellectuals or highly educated people as a group, especially when regarded as possessing culture and political influence’. Much more of this is happening today in India than ever before. But, for many, the question remains – does my single vote has any leverage? As with any investment or effort, you can maximize the impact with one vote. It is up to YOU. The First Leverage A Lok Sabha constituency has an average of 16 lakh voters. On an average, about 50% people vote, i.e. 8 lakh. The Winner usually gets 1/3rd of the votes, i.e., 2.7 lakh votes. In the last elections, the number of seats on which the winner got more than 50% votes was only 110, approximately 20% of the seats. The 1st runner up usually loses by up to 50,000 votes. Most people who do not vote are from the middle class (including you and me) – the intelligentsia. If only 3.1% of the people who don’t vote decide to vote for the 1st runners up, he/she would emerge as the winner! Look at this the other way – If 1/3rd of the people who do not vote decide to vote, they can choose anyone they want as the MP! This is the power we have. The Second Leverage What should be the criterion for selecting who to vote for? Every action we take needs to serve an ultimate goal? What’s the goal in general elections? I would say it is to install a stable and strong government. And hence, when casting your vote in the Parliamentary Elections, it is best to choose a party or a well formed alliance. Why? Because we need to have a strong government at the Centre. If we vote based on local considerations, then we could get a khichdi sarkar, and we have all seen that this would not be good for the country. They simply keep fighting amongst themselves. Don’t get swayed by local issues – the MPs do not really have a say in these. This must be a consideration when voting for the Municipal Councilors or MLAs. Don’t waste your vote. Cast it for the party that you believe could form a strong and stable government. It could be the one that you want wins. Or even the party that is likely to win. Don’t sit at home thinking there is no one good enough to be selected. Whether you vote or not, someone is being selected anyway. When the choice is between devil and the deep sea, choose the one who is less evil. If we can get this person to win, then he/she knows we have the power, and will listen to us. Next time, we can negotiate with this party for better results and performance and less corruption. Of course, do not vote for the criminals – simply reject them. Gradually, the system can get cleaned. The Third Leverage IPL 7 is about to start. Here is an analogy. In a T20 match, if a team has to make 15 runs in the last over, it is not easy, but good teams know that they can do it. So imagine that you are on the crease in the last over, and a six, a couple of fours combined with a single would take you home, as a winner. The ‘last over’ of the elections is about to start. We spend 4 hours watching a match. And many of us watch many matches. Can we take out 4 hours in the next few days, You can also aim to hit 15 to win! The Single: Make sure that you cast your vote. Treat it like a family wedding – you go there even if you have fever. The 1st Four: Call 10 brothers/sisters/cousins and get a promise from them that they will vote. Each family will have 3 voters on an average, this means 30 people cast their votes. The 2nd Four: Call 10 of your friends and neighbors, and make sure they cast their vote. Each family will have 3 voters on an average, this means 30 people cast their votes. With the above, you have got 61 people to cast their vote. The Sixer: Inspire 5 people to do the above – this means another 305 people will cast their votes. Including 61 by you, this is a whopping 366!! Tell people not to worry about the bouncers (like hot weather) or the wide deliveries (we are going for a movie), or a no ball (going for a long weekend) etc. If only 1000 people do this in every constituency, it would mean 3.66 lakh votes – enough to decide the result in all 543 constituencies! So, let us all get ready, only one more over left, this is the time to give our best. Let’s vote for change. Volunteer for a Better India. Vote for a Better India