(Bihar Times) Election schedules are public. More than anyone else, the people of India will decide for themselves whom they wish to entrust with the responsibility of running the country for the next five years. Naturally, the people affiliated to different political parties will canvass for their own parties and will take all the fair and foul means to win the battle for it. However, a large number of people may not have any affiliation and they must do their best to see that the right candidate only should contest and win. Particularly those claiming themselves educated and country conscious must not remain indifferent and impertinent. They must participate voluntarily in educating the voters about the candidates. They must avoid some of the traditional trends:
· No criminals under any pretext or excuse should get into the race. Let the people understand that Look Shaba is not a place for a criminal even though some of his sycophants may buy people or present him to the people as Robinson Crusoe for the society. A criminal works only for selfish motive.
· No one trying to get vote on basis of caste and community does anything beneficial for it. Let the people be made immune to caste-biased voting. Even the minority must come above the fatwa that may go against the interest of India.
· People at large must be made aware about the political parties with proven record of the perpetuation for the family dominance. Why should the wife or son only be the heir apparent or the brother and brother-in-laws be the strong men of the state? Can the voters ask such leaders to make their relatives come up the ladder in the parties through rigorous apprenticeship? Even the princes have been doing that to become a good king when the opportunity came.
· People must make the candidates get into open debates on various issues, demand their plans for specific time bound projects of development (a manifesto for each constituency too), ask questions about their past performance and try to judge their integrity and capability to benefit the area they are to represent and serve.
· People must preferably vote for the good candidate of major national political parties, especially in the election of Look Shaba, instead of the regional ones if they understand the ill-effect of alliance at centre that make governance inefficient, reform impossible and growth slow.
· Media must do everything possible to educate the people about the candidate. EC must ask the candidates to have their websites giving all the details including the declaration they provide about their wealth, education, and criminal records for public. NGOs and IT companies may facilitate that as CSR.
After browsing through the national newspapers and watching various TV channels, it appears the government is doling out the extensive ads from its various departments as some sort of waivers against economic slowdown for the sector. Who will verify the figures of claims? Only a sole question remains: Why India is so poorly placed on all the human development parameters if the government and its departments have been working so efficiently? Many a times I feel like believing that all the data are cooked up ones. Should only independent authorities and institutions be believed? Who can ensure the integrity of these institutions?
People are the best judge. The nation expects the judgment of younger generation forming a considerable percentage of electorate this time for a real change. They didn’t go by ‘India Shining’ in 2004. Will they go by ‘Bharat Nirman’ so much visible these days on small screen? Many have high hopes in them. Will the election be the end of the role of politicians such as Bal Thakare, Ajit Singh, Lalu, Ramvilash, Mulayam or Mamata, Karunanidhi or Jay Lalita and many others of the same category?
People of India must elect those who really represent the aspirations of most of the countrymen and ready to do everything to improve the miserable conditions of millions of the people still at the bottom of the pyramid- almost destitute and deprived. Let them remember they get this opportunity only once in five years.

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