I just realised that it's been a month since I blogged last. I have been erratic in following my blog pals' posts as well.
I have been trying to do too many things, and as I prioritized, the blogosphere went down the to-do list.
However, I mustn't let one month go without a post!
Politics is one topic I have kept away from my blog for many years. That might not be so in the near future.
All the talk everywhere here now is about elections.
As many as nine states in India go to the polls to elect their Assemblies this year. Of them, three are over - Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland.
Karnataka will have the elections on May 10, and the counting of votes is on May 13. It's an election that a lot of politics-friendly people are keenly watching.
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| An electronic voting machine and VVPAT (Voter-verifiable paper audit trail) machine. They are used for all elections in India. (Source: Election Commission website) |
After that, in November-December, people in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Telangana cast their ballots.
Next year, around April-May, we will have the Lok Sabha (national) elections. This and the US Presidential polls at the end of the next year will attract interest around the world.
India may have many problems. But, one thing that the nation and its people can be proud of is democracy. It's not perfect by any means. But it has truly stood the test of time, over the past 76 years.
The political discourse in India also has its flaws. But it has been proved many times that politicians can't take their electorate people for granted.
Politics in no democratic country is clean. The gloves are off at some time or the other. It can get very personal and dirty at times. That's probably the price we pay for the freedom to choose our governments.
Already it's hotting up in the run-up to the polls.
Elections in India are like a festival or sports tournaments. However disinterested, you are bound to know about it. There is nothing to indicate that it won't be so this time around.