I am going to vote......!

On a lazy Sunday morning after having a cup of self made special tea I was going through the Sunday times when I saw in the corner of the front page that the collapse of decade old coalition between BJD and BJP.I switched on the laptop to check more and all the major online news channel has put of the whys and how the coalition broke.Never before Orissa had captured the headlines so prominently, thanks to the election fever the country is going through. Though I was not shocked by the news considering that in the recent civic polls both party fought on their own giving an indication on things to come. But I was hoping that the coalition should have continued simply because the only party who is going to benefit most out of all this is congress and that is pathetic for the state and I am not sure how good it will be for nation.
Now with the BJD proving the majority in the assembly and able to save the government going into polls in just over month’s time, things have been pretty much clear. While BJP is still trying to cope with the blow, BJD has made it clear that they are not in any front (UPA, NDA or the so called third front) hence making it clear that they are looking into post poll alliance rather than any major pre poll alliance. Few seat sharing with smaller parties is inevitable and it make sense as BJD on its own can't win every single seat be it assembly or LS.But by large BJD will have to fight this election on its own and hoping to get the majority in assembly and win more than 15 LS seats, i hope that this is not overconfidence.
Without going into the details on whether BJD betrayed BJP or BJP failed to realize the ground reality, the next question that comes to my mind is who to vote for. It’s needless to write whether I should vote for not, to me its at least the one thing as of now I can do to help myself to be part of a solution rather than just sit and complain. I have already plan my trip during the election week and eagerly waiting to vote probably for the first time in both assembly and lok sabha election without any family pressure. Though I don't have an in-depth knowledge of the ground reality based on which I can vote but I have kept myself updated on the things happening in Orissa through online news portal.
I have a little idea which party i am going to vote for and I will vote the same party for both my assembly and LS seats but what is important why I will vote for them. Lets first take the LS polls, it is pretty much clear that no party or alliance is going to get a clear cut majority to form a government at the centre so they will have to look for smaller regional parties to make up for the magic number so that's where parties like BJD will play a major role. It’s pretty much clear now why BJD has distanced itself from any alliance and I will not be surprised if BJD supports UPA (which is most likely to be the number 1 alliance) post polls. Why shouldn't it support the UPA, it's time for us to realize that we have to move away from traditional politics of untouchables to achieve whatever is required for the state and it's people. In today’s world there is no permanent enemy or friend, nothing is static and considering the fact that Orissa have been getting very raw deal from the centre simply because we are in the opposite side of the fence. Why there is a need of a bullet train from Patna when we are demanding for improving the infrastructure both in terms of rail and road so that it helps the industrialisation process. Why the polavaram project in AP has been given clearance when it shouldn't be as it affects people across the border.These are few things which clearly distinguish between Orissa and other states where congress or its partner are ruling. Therefore it is not a surprise why Orissa is a second poorest state when it is the number one destination for the investor, when the state GDP is more then the nation GDP etc etc....
When the party objective is clear on the goals then it become easier for a voter to decide to whom and why he should vote after all that’s the ultimate thing that matters. With BJD most likely putting candidates in at least 17/18 LS seat it will be next to impossible to win all the seats though I wish they make a 100% sweep but I think we should help and cast our votes in favor of BJD so that they can at least they win in more than 15 LS seats. This will have a major effect when the next government is formed at the centre not only we will have better say in the decision making process but we can hope for some good minister berth. But that’s quite a few distance now what we should concentrate is on casting our vote and what the party should concentrate is fielding the right candidate in the constituency, this is very much important because we don't want to repeat the mistake as in the past we have done, failed to speak and bargain what we deserve for and this has happened irrespective of which party is ruling.
Coming back to the assembly polls that the state is having simultaneously with the LS polls, here it is quite easy to decide. The ruling party has been there for last 10 years and has been making good progress and it's time for this government to implement the things that till now is only in paper. The government should take care of the people who will be displaced due to the industrialization and emphasis should be more on these people rather than the big industrialist interest. Another thing the government should take into consideration is the environment we shouldn't take the state into a situation where our next generation has to face unbearable situation. By having the best R&R policy and environment policy will not work, government should look into haw effectively it is implemented. This will become possible if we vote not only for the party but an accountable leader who is answerable. By all means BJD should win easily the assembly election on its own and hence it's become more important for the state government to make sure that there is no repeat of Kandhamal like situation. Also government has to handle the naxalite problem and remove it from its base this will not only help industralization but also help the tribal people who have been made scapegoat.
With the battle lines clearly drawn and state is going to see a 3 way contest rather than the traditional 2 way contest it's important for us to vote in a large number and not just vote but vote for the right person and party cause when we vote we don't vote a particular person or party but for the state and the nation also. It’s the one thing that all of us can do if we want our future to be safe and secure and in the right person hand. In Naveen Pattnaik we not only have a strong leadership but we can identify with him , here is a person who have hardly stayed in Orissa before he joins politics so when he is outside he might have gone through all those rubbish talk about his state that we all have face at some point of time.So when he has opportunity to change things i sincerely believe he is trying his best whether he will be successful or not only time will tell. So I am going to vote for him and I am sure all of you will try your best to go and cast your vote as it matters........!