by Puja Jain (B-498 NFC) 9810627927: NFC RWA (Ashoka Park)
Needless to say that ‘Municipal Elections’ are the most important elections for civic governance, and, all of us want the daily civic issues (be it sewage, water pipes, roads-cleaning and relaying,
garbage, dhallaos, tree pruning, cleaning of drains, primary education in corporation schools, maintenance of markets, and collection of property tax, etc.) attended to by the MCD staff as soon as we raise them assuming that it is their bounden duty. BUT THEN, at the same time, it is we ourselves who conveniently choose to neglect our bounden duty to cast our valuable VOTE in choosing our representative to form this very MCD!! that being so, do we really have the right to crib? Please ask yourselves this question and you will get the answer, and then have the courage to not raise a big hue and cry each time that you need help from MCD and tackle the issue yourself.
I agree that at times, or rather, most of the times, it is challenge for voters like us to choose the best from amongst the candidates. At times, we feel that all the available ones are one worse than the other and hence we choose to not cast our vote at all. BUT hey, wait, this should not be. In fact, irrespective of whether you feel anyone is worth voting for, the thumb rule is ‘we must exercise our VOTE’….. even it is ‘NOTA’. We must remember that after all the candidate who wins is our elected representative (irrespective of whether we voted for that person or not). In the event we are unhappy with the performance, services etc., we then definitely have the unfettered right to raise objections, make a hue and cry and crib. BUT sadly, if we don’t vote, we actually have given up that right to crib!!! Thus, to be able to be in a strong position/footing to raise questions….We must cast our respective VOTE. Also, if there are far too many NOTA’s, the political parties may be forced to think better before allotting party tickets to candidates who attract the vote going to NOTA. We may then begin to have better candidates. Isn’t it?
For the ‘municipal elections’ held on 4 Dec, residents as well as the NFC RWA (Ashoka Park) urged residents to vote. The RWA arranged meetings with candidates to enable the residents to get to know them raise questions and make a choice. The RWA repeatedly sent out messages requesting residents to vote so that the colony is recognized as a ‘colony’ by the elected candidate and due weightage is granted for all civic services etc. on priority.
Sadly, our neighbourhood saw the lowest voter turnout in the municipal polls, while the neighbouring urban villages, viz., Zakir Nagar and Khizrabad, saw the highest polling percentages. The data collected by the RWA showed that out of a total electoral of 5397 votes from A, B and C Blocks of NFC, only 1747 votes were polled. Is that not a shame! Do we still have the right to want and want our municipal issues serviced immediately?
