[Reader-list] 55% - and ever onward!

[Sanjay Kak]

The news about the enthusiasm for voting in the J&K polls is getting
better every day: although voting for Phase 1 closed at 5pm on Dec 17,
the voter-turnout for Phase 1 has moved from 54% that day, to 64% the
next morning... Today's Times of India says it's 69%.
At this rate, who knows, those EVMs may throw up some real surprises
by close of polling in the state.

Meanwhile, I wonder if others have noticed the tremendous boost that
the presence of soldiers can give to democracy in remote areas. Gurez
in north Kashmir reported 73.59% in the first phase (admittedly down
from the 76% in the 2002 elections). It has a population of 30,000 and
a registered voter base of 15,000. It also has, for strategic reasons,
60,000 soldiers of the Indian Army permanently stationed there. That's
what - 4 soldiers per voter?

Could that be a solution to perk up the low voter turnout in Delhi
(40%) that Shashidhar had drawn our attention to?
I wonder if the Election Commission manuals have anything on that?

Best

Sanjay Kak