ELECTION – MIND GAMES ALL THE WAY!

Right now, in India its summer but this summer is very special. It is the election time, and it is now the time for the youth to step up and ink their fingers so that their passion, anger and rebellious feelings give way to change, by them and for them! Sounds like an ideal democratic setting right? But how much of this election fever, and Desh jag gaya hai is coming from the heart , and how much of it is actually a by-product of the million mind games being played all around the nation today? Come, lets explore it this week on Psyche-Aware!

First of all, its been said so many times by everybody right from the newspaper people to my own fellow writers on Eccentrix, but it cant be said enough! The number of new eligible voters this election is staggering, and all of them are the younger generation , the Gen-X and Y are all grown up and ready to participate in the democratic process to chose their Messiah, and the biggest question that stumped all the politicians this time was, what will they vote for? Government benefits or revolutionary new age models? And, I think they almost got it right!

The biggest decider in this time’s election is going to be the younger generation’s vote and you know what is their basis and motivation for voting? It’s a) They want to feel that they are making a difference and b) they are highly influenced by their social and peer group interactions. So, as I said these people have figured it out right. That is the reason we saw Modi having his own blog, Rahul Gandhi having one-on-one sessions with the youth of the country and the Election Commission telling the political parties to show their expenses related to their social media accounts. According to a survey by An American Political Research Agency, people (especially the younger population) vote because they want to fit in, and if they don’t have a particularly enthusiastic group like family, friends who are interested in the electoral process, chances are they too won’t vote.

Okay this is as far as the Gen-X and Y is concerned. What about the middle aged people? The working class, the one who watch these campaigns 24x7 on TV even while feigning indifference and distrust on the entire political system? What will make them go out there and cast their vote? Well, simply saying it is nothing else but “Drama”. Yes, my readers I get it you are shocked to think our voters can be so shallow but again, research shows that if there is a villain and a hero, people are more likely to vote to see the bad guy go down than to make the good guy win. Also, the mud-slinging that takes place daily also is a very crucial deciding factor. People tend to vote more for the person who lets the common man decide on their own about who the bad guy, than thrusting the conclusion on them. Again, I think our dear old politicians have figured it out.

But, there is one small thing that goes beyond all these theories. It is the individual’s power and desire to make an impact on nation’s fate. Even in peer groups, an individual always tries to retain their own opinion on who to vote for, despite the fact that he/she are voting just to basically fit in the group. 

So, lets hope that how much ever all the people are working on getting the people vote for them, by hook or crook , individuals will weigh in their own pros and cons for each candidate so that in the end, the spirit of democracy is retained. 

-         -Wanna-be-Savant