INDIAN ELECTIONS-2009---EVERY VOTE COUNT

A striking paradox looms large in India's public life after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, which created a sense of cynicism about democracy and elections. People all over the country have the same motto- they want to do something and take matters in their own hands. Enough is Enough- a message, loud and clear, expressing a resolve that'll be hard to shake.The anger is at ineffective governance, at the political class for being insensitive and callous and at the bureaucracy for being laggard.But mere anger cannot be productive. To ensure that this rage gives rise to a civil society movement that ensures better governance and an answerable class, the right choices have to be made. Choices that have the power to change. Change in the way we fight our war against terror; change in the way corruption is addressed; change in the way caste and communal equations are dealt with; change in the way we attempt to obliterate intolerance; change in the way our polity foresees the future of the country's youth; change in the way we arm our security agencies. But most important, the change we seek from our leadership.The voting percentages in the recent Assembly polls leave no room for doubt that for all its flaws, democracy remains a vibrant reality in India. Amidst the political cacophony and rising through the complexities of Indian politics, is a voice that of people's power- YOU. And every election has a message from the real kingmaker- the voter himself.Each time we queue up to cast our vote, we do so in the belief that elections are more than a process of voting someone to power. It is a nation's search for representatives who govern, not on the basis of their self-serving platitudes, but on the basis of ground realities such as issues of security and livelihood in a transparent, no-nonsense and efficient manner. And most importantly, it ensures the importance of the individual in a democracy.Yes, we only need 'a few' to represent a mass of 'two billion'. But, we need the 'right few' to deal with the complexities and contradictions of a nation as diverse as ours. So for once, let's go beyond the everyday cynicism of inconsistencies and look at India through a prism not so bleak and void of hope. Let us resolve to change the face of Indian polity. Let's begin our search for true leaders, right here, right now. Much before you cast your ballot, instead of going to the electoral booth and complaining of the choices that lie before you, YOU decide the attributes of a true leader, someone against whose name you want to put the stamp of support. Not because he was the best of a poor lot. Your introspection may compel every political party to look within and provide answers. Your vision for the nation may help provide clarity in the minds of all those who are our elected representatives.And, sifting through your idealism, our nation may just find the leaders that embody YOUR dreams of an India, that could have been, but is not and may be.

I SWEAR.....I WILL VOTE