This is neither my first election as a rightful voter nor the first time that I am facing a dilemma about choosing a candidate to vote for. But this time, my alternatives are different: a) None of the above (NOTA) and b) Abstain from voting
The analysis in the following table explains why I am compelled to choose from above two choices only. The last weekend, a regional TV news channel aired a segment where all the candidates for my constituency were asked a few questions by both the programme host and the studio audience. I thought that this was an effective platform for the candidates to share their ideas and the manifesto with voters. I decided to size the candidates up on the basis of their performance in that programme and their past profile to draw up the following analysis.
Candidate-wise analysis
Going to press the ‘None of the above’ option at the voting booth will cost me Rs 1,200 in travel expenses for the return journey to the constituency where I’m registered. What should I do? Should I abstain from voting? It will save me money but at the same time I don’t want to miss the chance to participate in democracy.
PS: I believe in parliamentary democracy. So I would prefer to vote for a candidate instead of NOTA. I would have zeroed in on one had there been an exceptional PM candidate, but that is not the case this time.