Umi DanielThe elections are round the corner and another opportunity for the people of India to show their might through their votes. This is the time when poor and marginalized people of this country feel the real and equal sense of citizenship to choose their representative and parties who are going rule them for another five years.
The migrant from western Orissa or seasonal migrant from any of the poorest regions includes dalits, tribal and other marginalized communities of India will be again denied of their citizenship rights to cast their valuable votes for the new government who will be carrying out programme and policies for their development. In a country where distress migration is driving people out to alien destinations, will they be ever participating in any form of the democratic governance process? For instance, the two lakh migrant from western Orissa and more than four lakh Ganjam migrant will be completely away from the election in their state and ignored about the political situations unfolding in their native land. When the migrants come home during June, the election results will be out and they will be imposed a leader to whom they have never elected or preferred. Who is responsible for this, the poverty which drives them out or the policy which never empowered them to vote? Successive governments have never bothered about these people during important events such as Panchayat, assembly, union elections, census, BPL surveys or simply participating in gram Sabha. Moreover, the government have never even tried to make legislation as to how these lesser know citizens will participate in the democratic processes.
I fee, this is high time that the election commission, political parties, civil society and the policy makers think about this and facilitate a meaningful process for participation of migrants in the democratic governance process like elections and other important events.
