Free election of masters does not abolish the masters or the slaves", said Herbert Marcuse. And today Thursday, in Kerala 27,196,936 voters are heading to 30,495 booths to decide who the leaders of the people in the state are. Each vote is a declaration of a stance regarding the next government, made by evaluating the current administration. It is the day when citizens hold the most power in a democracy. In short, the vote determines not just the fate of the country, but also the fate of those who cast it. Social thinkers evaluate the core weakness of parliamentary democracy as the fact that 'people are absent when vital decisions related to them are made'. The remedy for this is for the people to stand vigilant as politically conscious citizens before and after the polling. Therefore, the casting of a vote must be well-thought-out and wise. History is witness to the fact that a people lacking this will be led by the unwise and the aggressors. The election is a peaceful way to remove those who forget civil rights from power and to seat those considered better than the others. Therefore, it is dangerous to approach the vote with indifference through arguments such as "what is the value of my vote," "what does it matter whether I exercise my vote or not," or "whoever rules, we can live if we work". Not voting might pave the way for the undeserving to become rulers. The imprudence that is shown in electing a government can lead the land toward total destruction. Sometimes, even future generations may have to endure its calamities. The daily destructive actions of American President Donald Trump are a prime example of this.
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Our election season has transformed into a grand festival. Campaigns are colorful with musical ensembles, dance moves, and extravagant roadshows. Cost-cutting directives remain confined to paper. These commotions even make us forget to ask whether they act as a veil over the fundamental issues the public needs to know. This exuberance must not render us powerless to ask at whose expense these extravaganza are held. Casting a vote should not be reduced to a mere act of making "reels" for social media, or raising ink-stained fingers to say, "We are the citizens of democratic India."
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Democracy is not merely the act of casting a vote into a ballot box. The discussions and debates that take place among the people prior to voting, along with the freedom of the media, are the lifeblood of democracy. When these are lost, the sharpest weapon in the democratic arsenal becomes ineffective. Its loss is of the people, while the benefit goes to the rulers. Therefore, let the ink applied to the finger be a symbol of the vigilance intended to determine real life.
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Modern democracy is also a data democracy. This is an era where algorithms and big data construct the emotions and stances of voters. It is a time when regimes can penetrate deep into human minds, alter the pulse of their thoughts, and provide them with an exclusive virtual world — all while making them believe they are thinking independently. Those standing in line at the booths are humans whose private information has been leaked and whose emotions and stances have been hacked. The messages that arrived on our mobiles during this election season make it clear just how much of our data has been compromised. Studies analysing the victories of Trump and Modi suggest that fake news on social media and targeted advertisements aiming at individuals and specific caste, religious, or community groups can mislead voters. Only by overcoming the political strategy of this technological age — where stealing the voter’s brain is seen as the easiest route to power — can governments be formed that are compelled to be accountable to the people. Let the exercise of our franchise be proof of having attained the political competence for that.
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It is regrettable that there has been no emphasis in this election on questions regarding the trajectory of the state's social and economic growth. The attempts to consolidate votes for the sake of caste equations and religious polarisations by establishing the "others" as enemies have created deep schisms in our social atmosphere. The beauty of democracy is that we can correct the mistakes of political leaders not only by using the vote constructively but also by using it negatively. Rather than refraining from going to the booth, even registering that there is no vote for anyone by going to the booth will renew and strengthen democracy. Apathy is not the answer to the abuses of power by the rulers. Remember that the country and future generations will have to pay a heavy price for the mistakes of the voters as well.
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