India is a democratic country and it has always been that; and for a democracy to thrive and grow, it needs to have elections. For a while now, India has been fighting to save it democratic structure and the fight was not over when another one started; a pandemic which attacked us and exposed our already-broken system.
But first we will know what a democracy is and what are elections. So for all of us who don’t know and for all of us who do, let’s brush up our mind because these two words will form the content and of course, pandemic.
What Is A Democracy?
Abraham Lincoln said that “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”; this was his idea of democracy. Many famous personalities and philosophers have their own understanding of a democracy and coming to home, B.R. Ambedkar, a staunch supporter of a democracy said, “Democracy is not a form of government, but a form of social organisation.” He believed that, if without bloodshed, revolutionary change can be brought in the social and economic life of the people, then that idea is his idea of democracy.
People can have their own definitions of the democracy, but we all should keep in mind to keep the foundation same. The foundation on which our country stands today; the foundation that is under threat today; In a democracy, people get the power to select who they know can lead them rightly to a developed and peaceful nation and that power can only be excised through elections.
What Are Elections?
According to Wikipedia, it is a process through which the masses choose an individual to hold a public office, a place of power. It exists in various forms and on various stages. It happens in India at different times, and in the end, the results are collected and the person with the maximum votes takes over the seat. In and all, it is the power of the common man to choose the right person who can give them development and peace and not just jhumlas or mann ki baat.
Elections During A Pandemic?
Unexpected times require unexpected conversations. We talk about things that we never thought about. So this time our discussion will be if it is good for India, a democratic country, to hold elections during this pandemic, or not?
For a second, your mind rang the ‘No’ button; yes, mine did too. But now think, as elections are necessary for a democracy to thrive, to prosper. Democracy would cease to exist as the very basic idea around which it revolves is, the power of people, and if we don’t have elections, we are snatching that power away. On which foundation will our democracy stand on? We are telling the people that this is the party which will rule for the next few years because this pandemic is not ending soon and you have to obey, even if you don’t like it. That’s not a democracy; that’s dictatorship. And India is not that.
Now we come to the government that is ruling us, the group of people and their supporters who keep on telling us that it is not possible to hold elections, and the government is here to stay and we must accept it. We must understand this pattern; they don’t want to hold elections because they don’t want good people to come up. I think they don’t believe in the idea of democracy; all they seem to believe in is spreading communal hatred and jhumlas.
How can we hold elections when India is the third-worst hit country by pandemic? I think we can, by ensuring that people who come to vote maintain proper distance and sanitise themselves completely. They should be tested beforehand. People with common sense and a sense of responsibility should be designated with the responsibility of maintaining the rules.
Proper safety kits and hand sanitisers should be provided and it should be done slowly with less people turning up every day so as to not crowd, and of course, no political rallies can happen because our politicians often forget that they are the servants and not the rulers of the people. So let’s make them remember this election, and turn out to vote, with all the precautions because democracy needs vote to thrive, and India needs to thrive and grow.