The Election Commission of India (ECI) is most concerned about enrolling every individual who has turned 18 as a voter. Towards this endeavour the ECI has been having active consultations with civil society groups from across the states to involve then as active stakeholders in the process. It has also been the trend that rural India votes more vigorously than the urban denizens. This is not surprising. The urban voter is critical of the political dispensation, cynical about the whole electoral process and the delivery system. The urban voter is also fastidious and does not believe in waiting at queues for voting. He/she fails to recognise that whatever development is taking place is only visible in the urban centres and that the rural landscape remains as dismal as ever. Yet the rural voters have not lost hope in the system. They continue to hope against hope that the next election will throw up better MLAs than the previous one. One of the objectives of the ECI apart from increasing voter turnout is also to help throw up better candidates. They are pulling all the stops to involve youth icons, sports personalities and other role models to conscientise voters on their duties and responsibilities from enrolling as voters to actually casting their votes.
Meghalaya is going to the polls by February-March next year. The State Election Department is taking all steps to ensure that genuine voters are not left out of the electoral rolls. Constant revision of the voters list is important since there are many young people who are to be enrolled as they reach their 18th birthday. But this section is also impressionable and needs to be educated on why and who they vote for. Often the youth are misled and vote for the wrong reasons. Many are lured by money and other inducements. If the youth take on a more responsible role of educating their peers and also elders in changing their voting behaviour it could create a revolution in Meghalaya. The ECI should involve all the youth bodies in colleges and higher secondary schools to become their disciples in a free and fair election process.
