Thursday, April 16, 2009

No ink for my finger :(

I don't know whose story is more 'heartbreaking'. Mine or Manish's.

In Feb 'Jaago Re' had organized a camp with Employee Club of my company to help employees submit forms for getting themselves enrolled in voter lists and getting voter ID cards. Everyone downloaded forms, filled them and put them in drop boxes which were then collected by 'Jaago Re' volunteers.

Manish is my colleague and like many others in my company he too had applied for a voter ID card and getting his name included in the electoral rolls in his constituency.

I already have a voter ID card made in Lucknow and I wanted to just get my name removed from Lucknow East constituency and get it added here.

Well, nobody heard anymore on this issue from Employee Club (they already had their ass covered from the beginning!) or from Jaago Re. Everyone just kept on asking each other about what is happening and hoping that even if they don't get their cards, their names are included in the final voter list.

Neither happened.

PRP (Chiranjeevi's newly launched Praja Rajyam Party) members did a door-to-door campaign and got voter ID cards made for everyone and their names included in voter list. They visited Manish's apartment too and he proudly told them that he has applied through Jaago Re in his office.

Everyone in his apartment got a card and name in voter list, except Manish. My name was removed from Lucknow East and not added here :(

So after being part of a vote awareness campaign, cajoling complete strangers to go and vote 'sensibly', creating Once-In-5-Years offer posters all I did was to enjoy a free holiday watching news channels talking to two people in the line at polling booth and grandly declaring this is what voters want.

Now tell me who is unluckier.

(PS: I am not blaming Jaago Re for anything, they are doing wonderful job and I can understand the challenges they face.)

3 comments:

Smita said...

It is the conutry's loss...

Smita said...

shit!!!

I mean country...

Kanupriya said...

Oh really? I agree with Smita, it is country's loss...at the end of it a young representative of today's India was not able to cast his vote in this election! Jaago Re as well all other campaigns are creating enough buzz in the market & from my personal experience I think awareness towards voting has definitely increased but then the problem lies in execution. I know of another guy who had all the intent to vote but despite trying a lot could not register himself in the voter list.

BTW loved this new look of ur blog. Looks great!