#Lessons_From_Past_Elections

Lesson 2: Our vote is actually to the political party; not just for the candidate!

An intriguing question for all voters is, "Who should we vote for?" The usual answer is "Irrespective of political party, just pick a good candidate". But in reality, do these good candidates have the freedom to do good?

Perhaps electing independent candidates in elections is no more a choice for voter in our country! The scene of an independent MLA jumping on a table tearing his shirt and shouting obscene abuses in the assembly can never be erased from the voter's memory! The only remaining choices are the candidates from political parties.

Despite being good and competent, candidates of a political party should always follow the commands of their supreme leaders. They have no independent choice of "right or wrong"! Let's say there is some bill in the Legislative Assembly to be passed. That good candidate personally knows that the bill is very good and it will benefit the citizens. However, the political party he represents is against this bill. A dictum arrives from the "High Command" of the party that "the bill must be opposed"; Whip is issues on this regard. There is no seeking of suggestion from the members. Whatever his personal opinion might be, the good candidate is bound to support the party's stand. The individual good nature of such a candidate will not work here.

What options do the voters have when the overall situation is like above? Although the local candidate is extremely capable, he is after all a puppet in the hands of “High Command”. Eventually, the candidate is just as good as the "High Command" of his party! We are actually voting the “High Command” of a political party and the candidate is just a proxy for the same! In reality, each of our votes strengthens the supreme leaders of the political party rather than just letting a candidate win the election. This is true even in municipal elections. As the geographic scope of election increases this fact gets stronger. The truth of this fact is highest in the Lok Sabha elections.

Fielding a "good candidate" is as much a sacred responsibility of a political party as voters choosing a "good candidate". It is the utmost duty of voters to defeat a candidate involved in social misconduct or from criminal background. In such cases the defeat is not only of such malicious candidate, but also a strong lesson for the political party not to take the voters for granted. Actually, if any candidate is so bad, then the choice of voter is very simple!

Let us presume that all the candidates are from reasonably respectable backgrounds, then our choice should not be the individual merit of the candidate alone. Voters should never forget that their vote is actually choosing Rahul / Sonia, Deve Gowda, Mulayam Yadav or Narendra Modi along with the fielded candidate.

If any candidate is too hopeless in this election, then don’t hesitate to refuse him without any ado. But do not give the full score of your decision to the candidate's personal merit alone! Before pressing the button on the voting machine, ask yourself "Whom do you want to see as the Prime Minister at the Center for next 5 years?" The answer to this question should form the basis for your vote. Finally, for common citizens like us, our country is the most important of all. Let your vote be for the candidate of a political party which you believe is best to safeguard the interests of our nation. Whatever might your final decisions be - please vote.