Expectations from political parties as world’s largest democracy goes to polls tomorrow

On the coming 7th of April, world’s largest democracy is going to polls with over 815 million registered voters are expected to make the use of their right to vote over a period of one month to choose their future leaders and hence the future of this country. As always, elections in India generate a lot of interest from all sections of the society as people ponder and debate over the main issues for the elections. This time around also there are certain issues which have risen and become central to the upcoming general election. I would be mentioning three most important ones out of them. 

1. Corruption – Corruption in India has been one such issue which has affected people from every sphere of life. The enormity and prevalence of corruption in Indian system have been atrociously high. This widespread presence of corruption in the system not only has hampered the growth as the funds assigned for the welfare activities have been swindled away by wicked, nefarious evils, but has also led to inefficiency in the bureaucracy. In the last 5 years or so, we have seen numerous corruption cases involving eminent political personalities whether it was the 2G scam, CWG scam or coalgate scam. People have become frustrated with corruption and averse to corrupt people. They are looking for transparent, corrupt-free governance. That’s the reason why movement like “India Against Corruption”  gained so much prominence in the last 2 years. Corruption has definitely become one of the significant issues for the upcoming election and the party which would show the inclination to tackle it will definitely gain some advantage over others. 

2. High inflation and lacklustre growth – High inflation, along with the lacklustre growth and development performance, is seen as the issue which has the potential to decide the winner in the upcoming election. India’s growth story which was seen with so much optimism around the world five years back has turned into a farce. Lacklustre growth with no concrete development plan from the govt. has tarnished the reputation of India as one of the fastest developing nation. This economic slowdown has also resulted in high levels of unemployment as the investments in the market have taken a hit. Moreover, the govt.’s inability to tackle the rise in inflation has worsened the situation even more for the people who have been let to suffer. The party with clearer vision and a more realistic plan to revive India’s growth story would surely be favoured in the upcoming elections. 

3. Women safety – Women safety has become a key issue in this election for a change and that change is surely welcome. After so many years of blatant ignorance of women issues, this time political parties are heading towards a positive advancement by mentioning women safety as one of the significant points in their manifestos. Since the 2012 “Nirbhaya” gang rape case, people have become more sensitive to women and their concerns, and therefore, this has compelled political parties to incorporate these matters in their election campaigning. Women safety is one thing which we all expect from the govt. irrespective who comes to power.