I am a responsible voter.

My responsibility as a voter ends on the ballot day.

My constitutional duty actually takes the shape of a sort of innate excitement that begins a few weeks before the elections. With much amusement, I observe the days of frenzied activity, where prospective candidates and political supporters, diligently and respectfully make the rounds of individual houses, parks, or other public places, extolling their virtues and the opponent’s vices.

 I enjoy watching these wanna- be leaders literally bend backwards to impress voters of their sincerity, integrity, purity, and efficiency.   Like the vast majority of the names in the voters list, I too entertain their personal requests of a vote with a smile and nod, and listen patiently as they assure me of non interrupted water supply or tarred roads in my residential colony or tackling the mosquito menace effectively if they are voted into power.

As an educated voter, I don’t bother to find out if the candidate is qualified enough to meet my expectations. I never find out about his educational or professional qualifications. I don’t speak to him about the reason why he has entered politics. I don’t talk to him about his dreams for the constituency.  I never bother to discuss the various strategies he may (should) have devised to redress the grave issues faced by the current society. I merely accept the printed election manifesto and pamphlets handed out to me and once I shut the door after the group leaves, I nonchalantly dump it on the side table without a second glance, where it gets buried under a load of other similar unwanted stuff which soon ends up in the rubbish bin.

The day of the election, I accompany my family to the nearby school which has been allotted to us as per the election commissioner’s directives, and take pride in the dark mark on the nail of my forefinger which is proof of the fact that I have discharged my constitutional duty as a responsible, adult citizen of this great democratic nation.

Till the next ballot which could be a good many years away, I take full opportunity of my constitutional right to freedom of speech to grumble, whine, complain, criticize, mock, and voice out my concerns to others, the majority of who fall in my same category.  At the end of it all, I resign myself to a condemned life at the hands of corrupt leaders, be one with the echo of voices who are eloquent to proclaim that ‘our country would soon go to the dogs’!

And the self same comfortable cycle continues every five years.

I guess I am a responsible voter...