The word ‘election’ comes from the Latin word ‘eligere’. ‘Eligere’ means ‘to choose, select or pick’. To elect, or vote, means to select or to make a choice.
The word voting is derived from Latin word ‘votum’ meaning ‘to wish for’. Voting refers to the process of choosing or electing a candidate to run the government’s affairs, usually through a ballot.
In democratic India, general elections take place every five years. All those who are eighteen years of age have a right to vote. A number of candidates seek the election. They move from door to door. They hold public meetings and explain the programmes of their parties. If they get majority of votes, they win; but if they do not, they lose. An election, therefore, is like a battle. But this battle is fought in a peaceful way. It is a battle of ballots, not a battle of bullets.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
