This is Manish from Udaipur

Happiness, and pain and despair are fleeting, but powerful feelings. In those short moments they are remarkably convincing of their permanence, their relevance and their significance. Momentary episodes as they are–they seem to aggregate up to what our lives are. The aggregate which is bigger than a mere sum of its parts, with all the complexity emerging as these simple moments come together.

Or, is it? Perhaps, these moments are significant only as individuals. These fleeting moments which assert their profoundness to the aggregate are perhaps like minions guarding the gates of their masters. The despair that so boldly convinces us of its reason and permanence can fade just as a tiny another moment happens.

Or, maybe, these moments are important and significant just by themselves–having little bearing on anything bigger, and anything else having little bearing on them. Then, wouldn’t pain and despair lose their sting, and happiness need no reason?

Yes, it has been five years. I wrote then about anti-incumbency being a powerful force, and so has been the case again in this assembly election in Rajasthan. BJP won unprecedentedly and so on. What did not find its justified mention in all the consequent hoopla was NOTA.

NOTA or ‘none-of-the-above’ option was exercised by more than half a million voters in Rajasthan. That these many people made the effort of walking to the polling booths, standing in a long queue, and having a finger nail shabbily painted, to not select anybody, does say a lot. Interestingly, in Delhi, the NOTA voters were much fewer, possibly because AAP did cover the NOTA sentiment.

However, AAP’s significant victory in terms of number of seats won betray a subtle fallacy. Fallacy, that elections are merely to elect a government. AAP signifies a body of belief, support to that was expressed by people. Just as a significant statement was made by people selecting NOTA. We vote to express our opinion. Even if does not lead to a win, it is relevant. The opinion so expressed would reverberate and strengthen many feedback loops within the system.

NOTA was the fourth largest voted option. In many instances the number of NOTA votes was more than the winning margin. That there is this large segment of voters ready to support a candidate or a party which addresses them properly, is a fact that polity cannot ignore.

Yes, good things ahead!