It is a well-known fact that the religious beliefs of voters are their personal choices. However, when it comes to voting in an election, the same plays a crucial role in the formation of opinion on the part of the voters and the political parties and leaders make a concerted attempt to influence them on the basis of their religious beliefs. Question is, how effective are the religious beliefs of voters with regard to their making election-related choices?
Number of cultural and political marketing research indicate that religious voters look for religious issues and attitudes in election campaigns. I think the same can be applied to non-religious voters - if a political candidate shows religious attitudes I dislike he might lose my vote although I am not religious. For example, if he supports ban on abortion and I strongly support women rights, he will not get my vote.
According to ancient texts, there are three types of fire: fire in the forest, fire in loins, and fire in the stomach. The whole world perpetually goes around all the time for only one kind of fire: the fire in the stomach.
Are Dalits Hindu? Do they vote for non-Dalit Hindus? They and many other sects of hinduism divide the Hindu vote with consequence.
There is a single policy adopted by all National and regional parties in India as a fail-safe measure: appeasement of the minorities, regardless of the religion, to quench the raging stomach-fire of opportunity for the minorities, including its creamy layers, through reservations.
Let me tell you how nations rot with reservations not in my words but the words of Nelson Mandela: "Destroying any nation does not require the use of atomic bombs or the use of long range missiles. It only requires lowering the quality of education and cheating in the examinations by the students"-displayed at the entrance of the University of South Africa.
Indians and Indian polity preach all over the world but never care to learn anything from the world, and like other peoples, never choose to be eclectic.
Modern India is in iron-grip of a tornado that is creating an unimaginably traumatising downward spiral. Nothing of this has anything to do with religion.
Regular electoral competition provides incentives to political parties and leaders. Political parties know that if they raise issues that people want to be raised, their popularity and chances of victory will increase in the next elections.
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