As Uttarakhand is gearing up for the fourth assembly elections, it becomes important to caution the citizens of the state to exercise their voting rights judiciously. For good governance of a state it is important that the elected representatives should have good credentials and should be able to deliver. Otherwise we may get criminals (8% candidates have serious criminal charges), uneducated (49 candidates have education below class 5), and MLAs with poor record elected to the assembly.
To enable the voter to make an informed choice Uttarakhand Citizen Initiative (UCI) is releasing a “Voter’s Checklist”, a first of its kind in India.
For Existing/Ex- MLA: –
(a) What are the five major development activities taken in last 5 years in the Constituency?
(b) What is the utilization status of MLA LAD funds?
(c) Were you able to meet your representative easily? Did your representative visit constituency regularly?
(d) Whether your representative changed her/his party after election?
(e) What were her/his financial assets in 2012 and now in 2017? Available at http://adrindia.org/content/analysis-criminal-and-financial-background-details-contesting-candidates-uttarakhand-2017
(f) Whether participated in question hour/debates in assembly?
(g) Does the candidate have clean record i.e. police record, corruption case etc.? Available at http://adrindia.org/content/analysis-criminal-and-financial-background-details-contesting-candidates-uttarakhand-2017
For New candidate: –
(a) What is candidate’s background? Whether candidate is a relative of a politician?
(b) Has the candidate been involved in an activity for betterment of society? Is there any known contribution to society?
(c) What promises has candidate made for the Constituency and how does she/he plan to achieve it?
(d) Does the candidate have a clean record i.e. police record, corruption case etc.?
We appeal to all the voters to do their homework properly by following this checklist religiously before casting their votes.
The voters should not get carried away by the caste & religion of a candidate.
Only an informed voter can make the correct choice based on the ability of the candidates, her/his character, ability to deliver, past performance, commitment to constituency, criminal record, corruption cases, consistency in policies/views, sharp increase in personal finances/assets.
It is heartening to note that there has been a steady increase in polling percentage – 2002: 54.34%, 2007: 63% and 2012: 70%.
We appeal to all the voters to come out in large numbers to ensure 100 % polling. Tripura in 2013 polled 93%.
UCI is a purely Citizen Initiative. It offers a platform to the people of Uttarakhand to come together and bring change in the quality of life. It is an apolitical effort.
UCI aims to work towards bringing transparency in the governance of the state, making government accountable to citizens, larger interaction of the government and the people.