9 April 2014

The Burden of NOTA



Last year the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of a None of the Above (NOTA) option for voters. When the verdict came out, I was filled with joy. It meant the country had started a journey towards electoral reforms. General Elections in India begin in April-May this year and I am due to vote tomorrow. NOTA does not seem like my preferred choice now.

In essence I agree with NOTA - there should be an option to reject all the candidates. However, it must be coupled with an understanding of "what else?". Take for example the current election, you might reject Congress because of its corruption, BJP for its Hindutva, AAP for its lack of experience and everyone else for not being big enough; but at the end you must ask yourself - if not them then what else? What is my ideology and what is my preferred electoral candidate?

You might say its a combination of Congress's secularism, BJP's administration, Left's compassion and AAP's honesty. That's not too much to ask. You just want a clean candidate that will work for the people. I hate saying this - but it will never happen. And I am afraid, this is not a problem linked with politics. Look at the people around you - in business, in religious bodies, on Tinder and even in NGOs - you never find the perfect. It is always a lack of choice.

Our life is plagued by a lack of choice. I am in no way advocating that you resign to that idea. But the blame for a lack of choice should not shift to the world. The world does not exist to provide you choices. If you don't get your choice, too bad - (wo)man up and create that alternative. In its present form, NOTA is no better than the old example of sitting at home and drinking tea and saying the world sucks.

One must consider the practical implications of NOTA. Unfortunately, it is of little consequence in this election. Any number of NOTA votes would not translate to the candidates being rejected. A candidate will still be a winner. By implication, the NOTA vote translates into a vote of indifference. A NOTA vote implies that you are as okay with a corrupt Congress, as you are with a communal BJP, an inexperienced AAP or even a broken Third Front. While the motivation for the NOTA is a rejection of all, the implication is an acceptance of any. It is as good as not voting (actually not, it takes care of fake votes).

That I am not okay with. Among the three alternatives I do have a preference and I would like that to be recorded. You might argue that the NOTA will never get weight unless we show large numbers. That could be true. But I would not risk that - I think one can pursue that via the judiciary. I also think it might not be as important as issues of national importance (which this election seems to answer). But we can disagree.

This election is by no means an easy one for the voter. There is guilt in voting for anyone. I would urge you to work with the hand you have been dealt with. At the end of the day, this is India and this is what it is. You might hate it or be pissed of, but these are the alternatives that exist. Until the time you create an alternative that works for you, you have to deal with this.

May the best (wo)man win. May India get what it truly deserves.

Godspeed.

Image : http://www.ndtv.com/news/images/story_page/NOTA_295x200.jpg