They say change is the only constant and that the sooner we adapt to the changes around us, the better are our chances of survival. However, it is true that not all changes are welcome changes and the current generation’s attitude towards Indian politics is surely not a welcome change. With the Lok Sabha elections going on, there is an obvious amount of din and bustle that engulfs the country and a fair amount of Generation Z will be or are expected to be casting their votes.
This year’s Lok Sabha elections will see 45 million first time voters, and while the politicians are now willing to walk ten extra miles to win the election in their favor and are going to any extent for that, there are a lot of youngsters who are not too willing to cast their votes. “I am apolitical” is a cool sentence you will hear many college goers repeat. We wonder if they are trying to tell us that they do not care enough about politics or do they not know enough that each vote counts.
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However, that is only one side of the coin. The other side has a different tale to tell. The youth of today are a lot more informed and are equipped with an in-depth idea of all the issues that are taking place each day. If they say they are apolitical and if that is a trend that is spreading like wildfire, then there must be some reason cause behind it. We will celebrate 72 years of independence this year and if we look back, what has really changed? A plethora of politicians have come with lofty promises and they have more often than not, not lived up to our expectations. India is still a developing country, with hardly any development that is worth the while. Gender equality is still a myth, and rape and violence have taken a new course altogether.
Amidst all the atrocities of daily life, Generation Z has now a passive stand and choose not to vote because what has really changed in the past five years? Only violence and name calling has increased in the name of politics and the promises have not been fulfilled. So, come to think of it, they are partially correct in their own way, by choosing not to vote.
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Generation Z seems to have come out of the delusion that proper voting will bring about a change in the system. They seem to think that no matter what, the deep-rooted vices of the system will never be uprooted and so strong is their belief that they have stripped themselves of any faith in the politicians. For them, politicians are synonymous to villains, who have made politics a game of money and power play.
Generation Z is losing all the interest in the current political system, because nothing seems to be changing and they are also confused about casting their votes for a particular party because they have a very vague idea about how far it will help.
Choosing not to vote is not a solution because it is only after repeated failures that a country achieves a decisive victory.
