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

[Tara Prakash]

How about looking some coverage that you consider nonpartisan? Looks like 
the absence of vigilantees has ensured that people participated in large 
number in the process of electing a government for themselves. You can see 
the disgruntled anti-democracy activists complaining against those who 
voted, throughout the media, I mostly watch international media for such 
news . Just citing some newsppapers who have given descrepant data about 
polling does not prove any point. People have voted and they have voted in 
large numbers.

---- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sanjay Kak" <kaksanjay at gmail.com>
To: "Sarai Reader List" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 7:47 AM
Subject: [Reader-list] 55% - and ever onward!


> 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
> _________________________________________
> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> Critiques & Collaborations
> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with 
> subscribe in the subject header.
> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>