Heat and dust can’t be excuses not to cast your vote!

Dr Kiran Kulkarni talks about action polling stations at the Cuffe Parade meet. Pics/Ashish Raje

A slice of south Mumbai congregated at a Cuffe Parade Garden recently, to listen to the Additional Chief Electoral Officer Maharashtra and Joint Secretary K Kulkarni, tell them about rights, voting procedure and the importance of voting.

That meet, reported in this paper, did not turn out to be a speech and preach but an interaction with a clutch of locals. The top officer was pushing hard to up numbers of voter participation in the State Assembly elections on November 20.

Upscale areas of Mumbai have historically recorded lower voter participation. While the turnout from slums has been fair, people in high-rises and swish housing complexes have not been as robust as their education and exposure merits when it comes to participation in what is a festival of democracy.

Statistics have shown candidates assiduously woo the underprivileged or consider them a vote bank compared to the more affluent section.

Some of the reasons trotted out at the meet, though they may not apply to every single person, is that people find the polling booths distant and find it difficult to walk even short distances. They find there is a car parking crunch and so cannot access their vehicles. They give up after not finding their names on the voters' list. They find it very hot. Some are simply not bothered enough to vote and others are disenchanted. Some people think, let anybody come to power we will handle them later. Except for the name not being on voting lists, non-voters need to change mindsets. Participation is the only way to change the system, even if there is despair, cynicism and bitterness at the functioning. One can surely bear the heat for a few minutes and those who are healthy and mobile can make the trek to the polling station. Let us change the narrative this time around and the elite legion put the excuses aside and ink that finger.