Get aware of ground realities
Many popular candidates in the fray for the upcoming General Elections 2019 have opted to contest from more than one seat. The candidate’s cautious move to legally contest from two seats as approved by the party may owe to serve either of both the constituencies if elected successfully. The dubious move perhaps may be seen as a ‘safe bet’ to at least retain one seat while conceding the other seat, if lost.
However, it should be noted that the voters, on the other hand, will remain bewildered yet to choose an ideal or ‘Adarsh’ candidate contesting from both the seats. A party should field its candidates with a primary focus on winning the voters hearts and thus strive for development under a single constituency. It is also known from the historical records that many popular candidates contesting from two seats choose to maintain sanctity in both the constituencies but retain only one seat post announcement of results.
However, if one of the seats is lost or conceded post results, the voters’ belief entrusted to a candidate will only be a loss. The promise of fulfilling the respective constituency’s basic needs of development will remain elusive and appear to be a mirage, only until the next elections. No doubt the move by candidates may be justified (to contest) in a right direction on winning as many voters statistically.
It is high time now that the yet to be elected representatives understand the harsh ground realities of their own voters, strive towards making the respective constituency progress on a better model and thus make a unanimous resolution to represent only from a single constituency. The Election Commission of India (ECI) too needs to formulate a smart strategy in the future to ensure only a single representation is made by a candidate for any constituency if an opportunity arises.
Varun SD
Remembering martyr-trio Rajguru, Sukhdev, and Bhagat Singh
There are several birthdays of prominent personalities like April 14, October 2, and November 14 which are known to each student right from school-age. However, earlier governments never tried to put in hearts of school-going children important martyrdom day of March 23 when three great martyrs of independence of the country namely Rajguru, Sukhdev, and Bhagat Singh were hanged to death by cruel British rulers way back in the year 1931 for their heroic deed of fighting Britishers. The base of freedom of country was laid down by these three martyrs followed by the same line adopted by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose which in fact made British rulers free India even though it was publicised that India got independence by virtue of non-violence movement.
The government of India should make birthdays or martyrdom days of real freedom-fighters by honouring them by portraying their photos on currency-notes coins of ordinary circulation. Even currency-notes can feature a short profile of freedom-fighter along with photos for different martyrs on the different denomination of notes.
Madhu Agrawal
A person shouldn’t contest from more than one constituency
The numbers of sitting members of Rajya Sabha and state legislatures are going to contest elections for Lok Sabha. Also, there is no bar on a person to contest from more than one constituency or for both Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. Such misused provisions cost heavily to the nation in conducting by-polls in case a sitting member of Rajya Sabha and state-legislature wins Lok Sabha elections, or a candidate wins from more than one Lok Sabha constituency.
Since successive governments have deferred much-needed poll-reforms for decades now, at least very simple poll-reforms can be made by the Election Commission of India that a sitting legislature may first have to resign from earlier seat before filing nomination for Lok Sabha elections. Also, a person may not be allowed to contest from more than one constituency.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
