On Sat, Apr 25, 2009 at 2:51 PM, Venkat Mangudi <s...@venkatmangudi.com>wrote:
> Vinayak Hegde wrote: > Some people I know are of the opinion that there are corrupt officials > who work with the politicians and delete the names if they suspect that > the votes are going to their opponent. His argument seemed plausible, > but I do not buy it. Has anyone else heard such stuff? Is this true? > It is true. I have come across both studies as well as experiences from friends and family members contesting elections at different levels indicating that this is indeed does take place. Electoral rolls are a very powerful political tool. They have been systematically used during the anti-Sikh riots as well during the 1992-1993 riots in Bombay to mark Sikhs and minorities respectively and launch targeted attacks. It is also true that parties field candidates with names sounding similar to those of other candidates who are contesting from the same constituency but from different parties, in order to confound voters. Sometimes, voters in a particular constituency field candidates among themselves in order to eat into the vote shares of the popular candidates. These behaviours, among many others, are known as tactical voting. > > I have stopped reading mainstream newspapers as all they look for > nowadays > > is a good "story" - truth be damned. Sad but true. > I was also extremely sceptical when I read the first report in The Hindu, wondering whether this was an act of sensationalizing. I am trying to contact the reporters who have done these stories to verify as well as to get a more nuanced understanding. But I agree with Biju's comment that given the current political atmosphere and the polarizations that mark both our polity and our mindsets, it becomes difficult to ignore these reports as mere instances of sensationalism and victim-hood. It would help to investigate more and challenge our own beliefs and assumptions. -- Zainab Bawa Ph.D. Student and Independent Researcher Between Places ... http://zainab.freecrow.org
