< Power Politics > Whom To Vote For In The 2018 Karnataka Assembly Elections
Much like the essay-type-answers to long answer category questions in exams in the conventional Indian education system, political manifestos seem to be manifested on a similar philosophy — vague, longer than required, and an evident attempt to score the most brownie points.
Fake News Is No News.
Media corporations in the country further endorse this. They choose to represent selective sections of these manifestos as the overall political standpoint, which is often not the case. I am not sure if this is a conscious attempt to skew the voter decision making or sheer a result of sheer laziness. Either way, people are fooled into believing that the news article is the overall picture.
I am writing this in an attempt to change that, by including actual excerpts from the official manifestos, which, by the way, weren’t the easiest documents to find on the web.
JD(S), Congress, and BJP are the three major political bodies contesting in the Karnataka Elections 2018.
I am going to focus here, on a very specific facet of the manifesto, because I understand it well and it is most certainly my forte. That I feel gives me the liberty to comment on the various points in relation to it.
The Key Focus.
Keywords such as power, electric, solar, clean, pollution, renewable, wind, and hydro are what I have chosen to highlight as you as a voter make a choice in the assembly elections.
#BJPVachana4Karnataka
Upon actually reading the entire manifesto, it comes to light that the BJP has a more numeric and scientific approach in an attempt to promote clean, affordable, and uninterrupted access to power. This is a progressive approach to solving the problem for the people of Karnataka.
Here are the rest of the highlights from BJP, related to electricity, power, pollution, and solar. Click on the keywords to know more.
#CongressForNavaKarnataka
On the other hand, Congress chose to largely focus on their achievements in their current term as the ruling party. This is certainly an upper hand, and at this point, I don’t even mind them using this as a political strategy. However, it is quite clear that their plans for the urban community’s energy needs are quite lacking.
Here are the rest of the highlights from Congress, related to electricity, power, pollution, solar, clean energy, and renewable energy. Click on the keywords to know more.
#JDS2018
The JD(S) have gone with a broader plan, which means that they are a little more unrealistic and mostly theoretical in nature. This is great for a science project in school but doesn’t convert well for a statewide political campaign.
Here are the rest of the highlights from JD(S), related to electricity, power, solar, renewable energy, hydroelectricity, and wind energy. Click on the keywords to know more.
The Complete Picture.
When it comes to access to affordable and clean power, the three major contesting parties in the 2018 Karnataka assembly elections, each have their own pitfalls.
Unclear agendas supplemented with generic statements seems to be the general approach, in an attempt to brand themselves as a pro-energy front that provides people from all walks of life with a clean and uninterrupted supply of electricity. They fail as a whole, however, to make a mark or provide any real accountability.
Despite all that, the BJP’s manifesto stands apart with its specificity and plans for resource allocation. Don’t get me wrong. This is not an endorsement for BJP or its allies, for we have no control over the execution of the points, energy or otherwise, covered in their respective manifestos.
It is important here to mention that there are certain specific political and social undertones that all three parties are each associated with. I am not an expert on this, so I choose not to dwell into that.
As common people of the state, it is key that you do not just keep yourself informed about the candidates in your area, and what they have to offer, both as a party representative and/or a person.
The Call To Action.
< Here are the complete and overall manifestos from BJP, Congress & JD(S). Click the party name to know more >
It is key that we exercise our right to vote in a democracy. In other words, go out there, thunderstorm or heat, and make an actual choice. I wrote this in an attempt to secure the future of your energy needs — power cuts during rains, poor customer service from entities like BESCOM, and ultimately how much you spend on your electricity bills.
That way, you are holding yourself and the ones who you choose to elect accountable for what you want and what they promised. This is not just in terms of a simple pre-election document, but situations that might crop us in the next 5 years.
So, instead of having to complain about those electricity outages and failed infrastructure, go vote.
Be the change that you want to see in your town/city/state.
#VoteForKarnataka
#VoteForYourself
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