We are silent witnesses to the everyday horrors that surround us: Indeed we have become indifferent to the suffering of our fellow humans. Is there no solution I ask myself. Is there nothing I can do? Am I a voiceless, helpless person ? Or is the power in my hands and I have chosen not to use it? Yes, that is what I have done by not voting. We are a country rich in resources, the richest resource being the talent and brilliance of our people. Yet how many of us have the opportunity of reaching our potential? Survival, from day to day, leaves little time for education and the opportunity to nurture talent. Who will care for us? Netas are busy lining their pockets. The crores allocated for primary education, essentials meant for the PDS are all diverted. The lure of lucre is irresistible. Are there no leaders who will work for the people? Yes there are. But we are too busy in our own busy lives in our own busy world to go and exercise our franchise.
There is no escape from the fact that we must engage with the political world to improve the world around us which is the only way to improve the quality of our own life. Each one of us is responsible for what India is today, we made this happen; we are the cause of what we complain of. By not voting we chose. We allowed politicians to be elected for the wrong reasons, voted into power without any merit.
We only get the leaders we deserve. We, the people have the power to create a revolution in the quality of elected leaders, let us use that power.
We must learn about every candidate who has chosen to stand from our constituency and vote only for competence. By doing so, we will trigger a change in elected candidates and therefore in the government. Let politicians realise that there are many thousands of us in every constituency who will vote every time only for integrity, ability, performance and service of the candidate.
This is a process that can only start with us, we must choose the best among the available candidates and inspire, by our actions, those waiting on the sidelines-- the good, capable and incorruptible, that they too have a chance to win.
That is why, we, through this campaign called SMARTVOTE seek to provide a common platform for all candidates in a constituency, irrespective of party affiliation, monetary backing and religious/caste association. We wish to enable an informed choice, involving ourselves constructively in understanding the people we will vote for, assessing their capabilities, and giving them a chance to explain their vision to us. We invite you to take up the most important office in our democracy—that of the citizen. An office you will enter through the act of marking the ballot. “We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business: we say he has no business here at all”—Pericles
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