Millennials turning a political corner, hopefully!!

           A few years ago I had asked a very senior politician in India, "Why are people of my generation so disinterested in Politics"? and he said, "It's the same for every generation, there will always be people who are not interested".  For something that is so pertinent in your day to day life, it is undeniably surprising that such few people know about their politicians and governance.

           Globalisation and Technology have allowed people from different backgrounds and places to get in touch and know the changing landscape in every corner of the world. The previous generation did not have this opportunity, therefore as millennials, we are the first of our kind to this type of access. If you are paying tax, you should ask questions. The fact that individuals know so little about their MP's and MLA's in India is disheartening. Every 5 years, the system gives you an opportunity to vote for one person that you believe will serve you to the best of their ability. With technological advances, it is very easy to look up individuals, their background, their work, their history and their party. Every time there is a grave incident in an area, thousands of people gather around with candles in their hand and ask for justice. It is to their detriment that when the system asks them to chose lawmakers that should provide better security, they prefer to go on holiday instead of voting. Most of my colleagues don't know about a single candidate in their constituency, and if and when they do and go vote, it's more about what the party stands for, BJP or Congress. This leads to incompetent leaders who are out of their depth with the job and your back to where you began before the election. 

           We, as millennials have the opportunity to make a generational change and set precedent for the future about being more involved in politics. It doesn't matter which party you pick, but it is very important that you pick someone that you as an individual are well informed about and will hold him/her accountable for it. It is time we got more involved, not just on social media but on the ground. At the end of the day, what is a democracy without a vote and what is a vote without a well-informed opinion?