Crying shame

Full disclosure - I have never voted in my life. Before I was eligible to vote I left India, and have never been in Bombay during any election cycle. Since India does not have proxy voting, I have never had the opportunity to exercise this fundamental right and obligation. This time around I was hoping I might have a chance but, in my defense, I would have had to skip work and fly down in the middle of the week to vote.

So who am I to throw stones? Nevertheless - I am still pissed. Less than a year ago the streets were overflowing with throngs of people demanding change and better governance. What a farce! Turn out was the lowest in 4 elections - a paltry 43%. One of the lowest turnouts across the nation!

I don't get the Bombay electorate. After one of the worst terrorist attacks in the history of the nation, people came out in force against the poor governance and the weak response. Bombay is no more secure today than it was in November. But when they actually had the chance to do something about it...wait for it...drum roll...THEY STAYED HOME! If a terror siege can't shake people out of complacency, what will?

The theories for voter apathy is the heat and people going away for the long weekend. What a crock. This after I saw some of the most intensive celebrity endorsed get out the vote campaigns. I am embarrassed for my city.

I really would like to see the voting stats. If anyone comes across a breakdown of the voting trends in Bombay, please post a link here. And if you know of any organizations that are lobbying the government to implement proxy voting, I want to know about them too.