You too, Amma “Cash for Votes”

Trichy, 12, April: ‘You too, Amma, Cash for Votes’Mrs.M.Kulanthai, a voter in Srirangam expressed her surprises about the alleged cash distribution by AIADMK, too in Srirangam Constituency. The voter Ms.M.Kulanthi said ‘I wish Amma(Ms.J.Jayalalitha) should win with a big margin of votes in Srirangam constituency, it is said to be the cash has been distributed for Amma’s favour by her party men in Srirangam constituency. The voter further added ‘You are known for your principles and neither you nor your party men should ever compromise in cash for votes practice. You started your campaign with simple and firm expressions against the cash for votes which was allegedly practiced by certain other parties. Tamilnadu people will definitely vote for your own stand and you need not have any compromises on any of good polling practices and you can show the way to the nation ensuring that you can win without any doles for votes, which will give confidence for poor to contest in General elections. You should demonstrate the good practices of winning the election against the alleged allegations made by certain persons that Amma also succumbed to the practices of ’Notes for votes’.

Several social activists’ view that “Notes for votes” become a phenomenon in Political parties Leaders constituencies also, earlier, the distribution of currency notes for votes used to happen after the election campaign ended. Now, it is said to be even four weeks ahead of the poll date. It is suspected that cash is given to party leaders by candidates seeking a nomination; it is given to cadres and competitors on the eve of the filing of nominations; and it is distributed to voters on poll-eve. It is alleged that in Srirangam and its neighbourhood constituencies the notes-for-votes phenomenon had spread across all sections irrespective of age group, income level and educational level, in urban and rural settings. ‘Social activists’ are to comprehend the influence and the effect of the notes-for-votes phenomenon. Influence relates to how voters are influenced in their voting. A preliminary enquiry indicates three types of influence. First, voters vote for the candidate on behalf of whom they are given money. Second, although they receive money, some voters vote as per their own plan — irrespective of whether they have received money from only one candidate or several candidates. Third, some voters abstain from voting because they are given money to restrain some otherwise loyal voters of a particular party or candidate. Although there is evidence of all three types of influence having been deployed, one is yet to quantify the extent of each because the system of notes-for-votes works in different ways from constituency to constituency and election to election. Indeed, notes-for-votes is the “mother of all corruption” because it is here that the vicious cycle starts.

The voter does not realise that for every Rs. 10 that comes from a candidate as a lure for votes, he or she ends up paying five to 10 times more annually as bribe to avail of basic services that a citizen is entitled to from government service-providers. Thus, notes-for-votes has a direct effect on governance. The effects of the cash-for-votes phenomenon include depriving the true representatives of the people of any chance to get themselves elected on the basis of a contest with a level playing field. The best bet is for voters themselves to reject the lure. They need to understand the linkage between notes-for-votes and the bribes citizens end up paying to get what they are entitled to get from the government and from their elected representatives. Civil society groups should step up their efforts at the local level against voters being lured. Here is an opportunity for Ms.J.Jayalalitha to see that she wins the elections without cash for votes, then she cash good governance or the promises given by her election manifesto by chasing away the corruption is far from reality.ETNS.