Former President K. R. Narayanan made history when he, with wife Usha, went to a nearby polling booth to vote on February 16, 1998, the first day of the General Elections. After standing in queue for a while with many of the Rashtrapati Bhavan staff, he cast his vote, becoming the first Indian President to exercise his franchise while in office. Presidents till then refrained from voting, as a sign of their ‘neutralness’.

Narayanan reasoned the other way about, stating that it is most natural for the citizen of a democratic country to vote. So, he being the first citizen of the country should set an example to the rest of the citizens by voting, which he did in the simplest possible way.

Celestina Cruz, a well-known journalist from Philippines, wrote commenting on the Indian Elections (1996) in the South China Morning Post (Hongkong): “That a populous country like India can change its leadership without a major political or social upheaval is admirable. India has shown the rest of the world what it means to be truly and intelligently free.”

Beautiful words of praise, I think, and well-deserved, too! But frankly speaking, a large measure of the credit for this should go to our masses. In spite of everything that goes wrong in the country, we have had uninterrupted elections, all through, and almost always, good majority of the Indian masses do go to the polling booths and cast their votes with the determination to make democracy work. Not only that democracy is ingrained in the Indian masses, but they still continue to believe in the power of democracy.

Vote we must, as citizens of the largest democracy in the world, exercising our ‘sacred’ right to choose our representatives to govern the country/state, till the next elections. I believe that one of the major reasons for the country reaching the pitiable state it is in today is the fact that a good number of the ‘educated class’ refuse to vote, when required to, for the flimsiest of reasons. Or when they do, they do not do so in the best interests of the nation. And the result — too many thugs and criminals continue to find their way to the Parliament and State Assemblies turning these into ‘market places’!

“Do not let gundas step into the sacred precincts of the Parliament and state assemblies (he was referring to politicians with criminal records) and desecrate them with their presence,” was Anna Hazare’s advice to the people of India as he began the third phase of his battle for a strong Lokpal Bill to curb corruption in public life.

Vote we must; and only for those who are known for their honesty, integrity and proven love for the nation, in addition to being readily answerable to the people whom they represent and who have voted them to power. All other considerations come only next!

If you are not yet eligible to vote, you will soon be eligible. So it is important that you become aware of this serious responsibility as early as you can, and prepare yourselves to take it up by keeping a watchful eye on those who pose themselves as ‘leaders’, by keeping abreast of what is happening around the country, and above all, by training yourselves to be leaders of a better calibre than the present lot.

The Indian masses may be illiterate, but intelligent. They somehow believe in their power to change a government. More than once they have thrown out, exercising their power, irresponsible governments, both at the Centre and in the States, when they were dissatisfied with their performances.

I doubt whether the above can be said about the ‘educated’ people of the country. They do talk about democracy a lot, but do not show half that interest when it comes to exercising their voting power.

The price we have to pay for keeping democracy alive is eternal vigilance!

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I think casting one’s vote during elections should be made mandatory to ensure full participation in the democratic process. Every vote counts because of which the nation progresses. Therefore, if casting one’s vote is made compulsory, India will surely become a true democratic republic.
Sargun Saini (15)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

The word democracy means, ‘the government by the people, of the people and for the people’. Therefore, to maintain this definition, voting should be made mandatory for every eligible citizen. If a person doesn’t want to vote for any of the parties in the fray, the EVM Machine has the provision for choosing ‘none of the above’. There is no right for anyone to complain about the government if he/she has not voted in the election. Voting should be made compulsory if we want the right leaders for our country.
Arisha Ali (13)
Jeevan Marg Sophia Sec. School, Deoria

Everyone who is eligible to vote should be given an official holiday so that all can exercise his/her right to vote, and help transform the nation for the better rather than letting their opinions remain limited to dining table debates.
Adhishi Pokharna (21)
Mody University

Each adult person in the country has the right to vote, but the irony is that there’s no participation in this process by a large majority of people. Without the full participation of citizens it is impossible to choose the right leaders. Casting one’s votes should be made mandatory as every single vote counts. To ensure full participation and to make the process less time-consuming online methods of voting can be used, though there is an additional virus of corruption. The web portal owners can be easily bought with cash.
Joel Tomy (14)
St Francis De Sales School, New Delhi

Yes, I think that casting one’s vote during elections should be made mandatory as the idea of voting is founded on a goal to establish a responsible government and not only a representative government. Being a responsible citizen, one has the right to vote. All of us should vote to make a better future for our country.
Tamanna (14)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Voting is the sine qua non of democracy which permits citizens to assess a government on its performance and choose another, if needed, that will fulfil their aspirations. If you do not vote, you have no right to complain. India has seen rising voter turnout over the past few years. Mandatory voting is hardly a concrete solution. Rather than forcing someone, the right course of action should be to sensitise citizens politically, in addition to making polling booths disabled-friendly and safe for women voters.
Shailja Pandey
Nainital

In a democracy, voting is the most important form of political participation that a person has because it ensures that politicians are elected by the people, and not assigned to their offices by someone else.
Mahak Singh (12)
St Anthony’s Jr College, Agra

Democracy means that all the citizens actively participate in the decision-making process of the government. This is possible only when we choose the right leaders who talk less, work more and will LISTEN to our opinions. Some say: “I wish I were born in America or Germany.” Ironically, these are the people who do not vote. We are given the power and if we do not use it, we don’t have the right to complain.
Jyoti Jain (14)
Mary Immaculate Girls High School, Kalina

According to me, it should not be made compulsory to vote. If voting is made compulsory, it will become exactly the opposite of democracy. Merely making something mandatory doesn’t solve any problem.
Priyangasri K. (14)
St Joseph’s AI Hr Sec. School, Chennai

Voting is the most important duty of every citizen of the country above the age of 18. By exercising our voting right properly, we make sure that the government is formed by the people and for the people. Every vote of the citizens will show active and full participation of the people in the formation of governments. Mandatory voting will ensure that not a single vote goes waste or not included in the process of nation building.
Senjuti Saibal Bhattacharya (18)
A. C. Patil College of Engineering, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai

A democratic government is the ideal form of government, and casting one’s vote is the best way to bring in a democratic government. When people cast their votes, they express their opinions about the different parties, leaders, etc., in the fray. At the same time the party/people in power also will get to know their weak areas and failures, as well.
Supriya (16)
St Francis de Sales, Janakpuri, New Delhi

Yes, casting one’s vote during elections should be made mandatory. We have the right to vote, we should use it. It affects the future of our country. It affects our future generation and the economy of our country. We should all go to vote, making the best use of our right, and privilege.
Chahat (15)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Universal Adult Franchise is based on equality, which is the basic principle of democracy. However, it should not be made mandatory. Casting one’s vote in elections should be left to the discretion of citizens. It will have a negative impact if it is made mandatory.
Maria Alexander (16)
Choice School, Tripunithura, Eranakulam

Some think one vote is too small to matter, and so it is useless to vote. They fail to see that their votes contribute to the country’s development as it helps in choosing the right leaders. I think voting should be made mandatory as to ensure full participation in the governing of the country.
Khushi Litoria (14)
St Francis’ Convent Inter College, Jhansi

“Your vote, Your voice”. Voting gives one the chance to choose the right representatives; and so casting votes should be made mandatory. If we don’t exercise our right to vote, the country will head towards anarchy. Be sure, “The ballot is stronger than the bullet”.
Preethi S. (11)
St Joseph’s AI Higher Secondary School, Chennai

A country cannot be truly democratic until its citizens have the opportunity to choose their representatives through elections that are fair and free. All should exercise their voting right, and participate fully in this democratic process. Casting votes should be made mandatory to ensure this participation.
Priyanshi Maheshwari
Sophia Girls’ Sr. Sec. School, Bhilwara

Casting one’s vote during elections should be obligatory. It is rightly said, “My vote — My choice”. And being an Indian citizen, it shouldn’t be optional. As our country is based on the system of democracy which consists of equal rights for everyone, there should be full involvement in the democratic process.
Anamika Singh (14)
St Joseph’s Convent High School, Patna

Large participation of voters in the election process makes government formation truly representative. Unfortunately, many people do not vote, thinking their votes would not matter. While it is important to have high turnout of voters, making voting mandatory is contradictory to the democratic value of freedom. Instead, the government agencies should make people aware of the importance of voting. Further, election process should be made more comfortable like having booths closer to residences, making election booths cleaner with adequate ventilation, employing proper crowd control methods, etc.
Anuj Rikhye (12)
St Francis de Sales School, Janakpuri

Single drops constitute an ocean, and so also every vote contributes towards the formation of a country. In a democracy, government is constituted by the people through election process, and so casting one’s votes should be made mandatory for all.
Ishmeet Kaur (14)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Yes, it should be mandatory because India is a combination of people of diverse thinking and beliefs. Every single vote determines the quality of our governments. So, we should vote to ensure our full participation in the democratic process
Krishna Jain
B. J. M. Carmel Academy, Chandrapur

The democratic process is a wheel in motion. All the spokes need to be equally affirmed for that wheel to revolve efficiently. Making voting obligatory will produce governments with more stability, legitimacy and a genuine mandate to govern, and so is very necessary.
Smriti Minhas (14)
St Joseph’s Convent School, Jalandhar

Yes, casting one’s vote during election should be made mandatory to ensure full participation in democratic process. Taking part in the formation of the government of the country is a fundamental human right which can be exercised only by casting our votes, leading to the formation of a responsible government.
Sejal Sancheti
Sophia Girls’ Sr. Sec. School, Bhilwara

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