Every other day I see in the newspapers polls being boycotted for some reason or the other, all of them based on unkept promises of the electorate in their previous terms. People living high on the mountains in areas inaccessible by conventional means have not had their wishes fulfilled, their simple desire of being able to be connected to the world. Every time there is an election, the election commission has to charter helicopters operated by the Indian army to transport materials back and forth from this 'island'. The daily supplies necessary for the survival of the inhabitants have to be brought by air as the land is not developed to allow road transportation. Even the air hauling facility is not a viable option for the private airlines to setup their operations which leaves only the IAF helicopters that can operate in and out of the region. In these times of seamles mobility, this community is still trapped in an era that is unable to prosper forward. No wonder there is't a single candidate who took the pain to campaign in this region and a single voter who is willing to vote.
In yet another region, the MM hills, is a group of villages that have been kept away from development for a long time. Their one demand that should share an interest with the candidates is to setup a polling booth in their region which would help them avoid a 14 km trek to excercise their basic right. But sadly, even that has been overlooked. There is no electricity or healthcare in the region and the youth have been forced to move out in search of livelihood. Even the state of primary education is dismal, let aside higher education or vocational studies. No wonder they've boycotted the elections.
For them, and for numerous other people who have decided to let go of the polls simply because they've 'lost faith' in the system I wonder why not have an 'Anti' vote instead of a vote. Yes its a hypothetical (and, for the time being, implausible) idea that might see more opposition than support but how would that change the way we are governed, the promises that the political parties make and the effort they put after the elections to fulfill them? It would be an incentive big enough for them to think about the promises they make and work hard to keep them. Think about it, all that parties do before the elections is draft their manifestos elaborating what their priorities would be after the elections. Yes, a few of them engage in exposing their counterparts, questioning them, demurring their decisions and defacing them in public, which serves as a good eye opener for the masses, but what can we do that could teach them a lesson? Is there a provision in the constitution that enables the citizens to take a punitive action against a government without giving advantage to another party who, we know, would not have been any different? What option do I have if I need to express my discontentment over the state of affairs in my constituency that should have been addressed per the earlier manifesto? Do I just stay neutral and boycott the polls? No. I anti vote against the incumbent!
