Elections? Really?

Posted by SMM on 14:43

The elections in Gurgaon are scheduled on 7th of May 2009. Today is the 4th of May 2009. Visit my part of Gurgaon - you'd never know that the national elections are underway. No party has come to our area for campaigning, no officer has visited the area for the purpose of including names in the electoral role, a visit to the Mini Secratariat to submit the application was futile.

It seems that new Gurgaon (as opposed to old Gurgaon) does not figure anywhere on any party's list - maybe because this area mainly comprises of urbane professionals who have come to Gurgaon from other parts of India. We pay taxes but we shall have no say in our candidate or our Government. Being a conscientious citizen I would like to exercise my right and my duty to vote, but I very much doubt that my name is included in the electoral role. Since I am not a dalit or an OBC, and neither do I belong to any minority sect or economically backward class and also pay my taxes religiously since I have started working, the parties and their candidates obviously feel that our votes don't count. I don't even know where my voting centre is though the elections are hardly 3 days away.

The part of Gurgaon where I stay has minimal infrastructure - little or none public transport which I can use, no taxis or autos also in place, unreliable electricity supply, safety of women after dark is questionable. If one does not have a car in Gurgaon, one has little option but to travel by the public transport which is notorious and unadvisable for women or hire expensive private taxis. The roads are bad. The famous Kachra Chowk and Anaath Road say it all.

So elections really? Definitely not happening in my part of India.

25 Comments

Rià says:

4 May 2009 at 15:18

Well said babe!!ditto mumbai, this is how the elections went here too! Do lemme know abt the turn out there. Coz the turn out in Mumbai was pretty dismal this time.

SMM says:

4 May 2009 at 15:54

Hey Ria...I did hear about the dismal turnout in Mumbai. Guess it was because of the long weekend and heat.Let em first find out where my voting centre is though I very mch doubt that my name would be in the electoral roll

Tanuj Lakhina says:

4 May 2009 at 16:37

You know that the election commission of India's website isn't function in these times of polls.Cool,eh?

Anonymous says:

4 May 2009 at 20:11

Wow, that really is a shame. But not surprised either.

Preeti Shenoy says:

5 May 2009 at 14:12

I didnt know that Gurgaon was so bad. I have been there only twice and have seen only thr glamour and glitter part of it.
Cheers
preeti

♪♪Happy Go Lucky♪♪ says:

5 May 2009 at 15:11

well im 17 so i cant be blamed for not wanting to vote.

Adi says:

5 May 2009 at 18:05

get someone to cover it as a special interest item on TV. would be cool. maybe even MTV wassap. voice of youngistan and all.

SMM says:

5 May 2009 at 18:16

This comment has been removed by the author.

SMM says:

5 May 2009 at 18:18

Tanuj...I did try to see if my name figures in the elctoral roll but the site rarely opens and when it does, it generally hangs

SMM says:

5 May 2009 at 18:19

J...isisn't it sad that we don't get surprised by this considering that we are one of the the biggest democracies in the world?

SMM says:

5 May 2009 at 18:20

Hey Preeti...even I sued to think the same when I had first come - that Gurgaon is all dazzle, bu its only now after living here that we see the emptiness beneath the dazzle

SMM says:

5 May 2009 at 18:21

Harini...tell me what's your take after your 18 :)

Anyway, even at 17, you can still have an opinion. I was pretty opinionated about the Indian political system at 17 - guess that's cuz I'm a Bong and a Political Science student too :P

SMM says:

5 May 2009 at 18:22

Hey Aditya...that's not a bad idea. However the issue of lack of infrastructure in Gurgaon has already been covered by alot of mainstream media

Anonymous says:

5 May 2009 at 18:50

OMG ! And I thought all of Gurgaon was well developed as many IT companies have hubs there!

Just call me 'A' says:

5 May 2009 at 22:27

Gurgoan is pretty sad from the commute perspective. There is so much scope to make is a model township. It's like a blank convas for a politician, yet no one seems to care. I would not want to live in gurgoan.

Raven says:

5 May 2009 at 22:36

Hope you find your polling place and get to cast your vote. It really is shocking how in this day and age nations like India and the US continue to fail to make voting easy. It's disillusioning and comforting both to know that my country isn't the only one that's really screwed up.

Anu says:

6 May 2009 at 22:28

hmm.. is'nt disillusionment a part of the electoral process.. even if we vote, will it make a difference. But living 1000's of miles away in a foreign land, I say go and vote. It may not make life better, but atleast you know you did the right thing

Sharmistha Guha says:

7 May 2009 at 02:14

The Bong in me had to come and visit this lover of rice-mashed potato-with mustard oil! You cant NOT be a Bong too!!! ;)))

Coming to your blog post, I too have heard that gurgaon is all glitter and no depth....
btw, like your template!

Tanu Anand says:

8 May 2009 at 15:02

Heyyy... so i am visitng after gazillion years..sawrrriiis... been crazy at work! :( and i soooo agree with the bad roads and the weird names! lol.. PS: i am from the NEw Gurgaon too! ;)

but i caught up on all the posts u wrote since i visited last and I likey Likey all! :)

SMM says:

8 May 2009 at 16:20

Hey Pallavi...quite a few multinationals do have their hub here in Gurgaon but many are allegedly planning to shift out because of the lack of infrastructure

SMM says:

8 May 2009 at 16:41

Hey A...I agree. There is much potential in Gurgaon and the residents are also willing to arrange for funds but the politicians are just not interested only. One entire area goes unacknowledged because of the great urban rural divide which is so visible in Gurgaon

SMM says:

8 May 2009 at 16:42

Raven...this happens in the US too? Wow, that's comforting to know. I thought it was confined to India only

Arjun says:

8 May 2009 at 16:46

agar tum election ke din vote nahin kar rahe ho to tum so rahe ho....

SMM & I - we slept well!!!

Magical Homes says:

12 May 2009 at 12:09

kachra chowk, anaath road...goodness, things are rather dismal. My parents stay at Aardee City. Till some time back there were no street lights on that entire road going towards sector
56. I still remember a time, I think about 4 years back, we all collected on that main road in front of the two malls in protest against the electricity situation.

SMM says:

13 May 2009 at 15:09

hey Mumbai Diva...your parents stay in Aardee City? That's pretty close o where I stay.

In fact even now, the road is dug up that side and on a certain stretch just after Aardee City, there is a local bazar which sits so we have to tackle people, their mud pots which for some reason are placed right at the edge of the curb, kids, dogs, cows, broken down road, blocked entrances etc.