Violence in election: Will it sustain ?

Konsam Marina *

Since India got its independence in the year 1947, people choose their own leaders through a democratic process known as election. It takes place in every five years interval and still adopting the democratic processes. This process is indeed a beautiful and peaceful way of choosing our own leaders. However, it is important to question whether these processes is still beautiful and peaceful for the people like past.

In the process of election, various candidates appears in all the constituencies having its believe to get elected and to serve their people.

Likewise it could also be seen that the active workers of every candidate or maybe the follower or believer of the candidate works their butt off for the sake of their leaders which often leads to conflict between the opposite parties or conflict within the community and their family members.

For example, conflict within the family (among siblings) as due to ideological differences in supporting the intending candidates which results in violent clash. Such conflict escalates from neighbour to village, to the localities, to the constituencies and continues thereafter. We could understand positively that their love and concern for their own leaders made them strong.

However, we don’t think burning houses, looting valuable goods and killing others in the name of election or election campaigns are the positive way of approach of supporting ones candidate. Such approach of adopting violence and inhumane act is a crime and an act towards to darken the democracy.

Are we still aware of it that violence is not a form of democracy or being free and fair.

We ourself have already become a monster and its good to wonder on why the intending candidates aren’t restraining his or her supporter from harming others.

If he or she is able to seat calmly watching the unfolding scenes then we have chosen a leader with no dignity and one should accept the fact on their intention to fight for the election and realise on which path to be chosen for better tomorrow. This questions must be asked within ourselves before we decide.

Adopting violence as a heroic way of showing power to each other or a another means of suppressing the weak and innocent ones is more like falling back into Barbaric Age from this 21st century. Herein it is very important to question on who gave them such rights to exploit others in order to win their election.

Are we instigated by someone to do so? If yes, then our leader is of not sound mind and we aren’t either. In this state of mind being a human and unable to think like a human is shameful and need ourselves to be reengineered.

The constitution gave us the right to choose our own leaders in a free and fair way. It is observed that we have misinterpreted the term “free and fair” and taken it for granted. In these term it very interesting to observe where the term violence or conflict is pronounced or hooked into.

Adopting the violence or conflict to fight for the election means that the person appearing for the election is insecure and not confident enough to gain the support and trust of the peoples. It is the right time to remind the intending candidates to improve himself or herself to do a very good homework to avoid violence in election.

Dear candidates who are adopting violence as a means to win the election, we would like to inform you that side lining the humane approach is not the best path but a step to be overthrown one day by the peoples power which come from within.

It is to remind you a quote once said by Adolf Hitler of Germany “All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity by the ruthless Goddess of Distress or by the torch of the spoken word cast into the midst of the people.”