For a Disillusioned Voter, Governance Should Be Made Compulsory

More than making voting compulsory, steps would have to be taken to engage disillusioned voters, writes Mayank Mishra

She was not one of the most articulate workers one would have come across in Bihar. But that did not stop her from giving, what she claimed, “her heart and soul” to the party she wanted to win in the assembly elections. A resident of Baisi in Bihar’s Purnea district, Nargis did her bit to contribute to the cause of democracy without much help from the party she was campaigning for and despite indifference from her family. She toiled for nearly six months, as her fellow workers told me, to ensure that women in her area voted in large numbers. Her only hope: Bihar gets good governance.

So when the results of the assembly elections came out, on November 8, giving a third term to Nitish Kumar, hopes and aspirations of Nargis came to occupy my mind. What if she does not get the kind of Bihar she wanted? Will she still go out and vote next time and inspire many others to do so?

Her aspirations are not overly ambitious. She does not expect her Bihar to be like the US. She wants a Bihar that is functional, is safe for its citizens, offers basic education, takes care of basic health issues and provides job opportunities. She wants an administration that is non-threatening and does not come in the way of people’s enterprise. Is that too much to ask for?

Delivery Of Poll Promises

• Voting might be compulsory in 22 countries, it isn’t enough to assuage the fact that most of the pre-poll promises in India are never fulfilled.
  Unenthusiastic response of Indian voters illustrates the alienation of people towards the political process.
• In a participative democracy, good governance should also be mandatory for political parties aspiring to come to power.
  
• Parties should be asked to give a road map of how they are going to achieve what they have promised in their poll manifesto.
  

Analyse The Alienation Before Making Voting Compulsory

When the Parliament debated the bill to make voting compulsory last week, I was reminded of Nargis and scores of others like her throughout the country yet again. She probably does not know whether voting is optional or compulsory. She is perhaps not aware of the fact that voting is compulsory in 22 countries of the world including Australia, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.

It is immaterial to her that voting is compulsory, but not enforced, in 13 other countries. Would it have made any difference to her if she knew that 9 countries had experimented with the principle of compulsory voting at some point of time?

All she knows is that her vote counts and she will be extremely happy if the party or coalition she had helped to be voted to power delivers. But think of her disappointment if she finds out that all the pre-poll promises made to the people are not meant to be fulfilled. No amount of persuasion will make her enthusiastic about exercising her democratic rights yet again. It is unlikely that some element of compulsion will work in this case too.

Compulsory Voting Will Achieve Nothing

My response to all those who want voting to be made compulsory is to first find out why people do not feel enthusiastic enough to vote. The alienation of people towards the political process that has so far been practised in the country is very high. The predominant thinking among the upper middle class is that whatever they have achieved is despite the government. And for the poor and the depressed, the government simply does not exist. For them, everything is, as they say, bhagwan bharose.

If the idea is to have a participative democracy and make electoral victory more legitimate, make ‘good governance’ a compulsion for political parties that aspire to get power.

Fixing Accountability For Pre-Poll Promises

How do we do that? Just by making political parties legally accountable for what they promise before elections. Parties should be asked not just to make promises in their manifestos. They should also be asked to give a road map of how they are going to achieve what they have promised. Just make it tougher for parties to make empty promises like abolition of poverty or ending corruption. We have had enough of it.

The Election Commission’s model code of conduct includes the guidelines for political parties on manifestos. It says “in the interest of transparency, level playing field and credibility of promises, it is expected that manifestos also reflect the rationale for the promises and broadly indicate the ways and means to meet the financial requirements for it. Trust of voters should be sought only on those promises which are possible to be fulfilled.”

If these guidelines are followed in true letter and spirit, we will be able to hold parties responsible for what they promise. Once that is done, the participation of voters in elections will automatically go up.

(Mayank Mishra writes regularly for the Business Standard.)