Elections in Arunachal Pradesh throw up surprises after surprises. A video which is going viral shows a BJP worker testing the loyalty of voters in Tawang district by asking them to swear before holy Buddhist scriptures and tell whether or not they voted for the BJP during the recent simultaneous assembly and parliament elections. This is not an isolated incident. The poor voters are treated like commodities by a majority of the politicians and political parties in the state. Instances of people swearing before voting and mortgaging properties during elections are rampant in certain districts of the state.
A democracy provides an opportunity to the voters to elect leaders of their choice without any fear. Therefore, why should the people of Arunachal Pradesh swear before and after elections to prove their political loyalty? This is against democratic norms and should be strongly protested. To a certain extent the voters are themselves to be blamed for this situation. They choose financial and personal rewards over the development of their area and the state. By accepting money to vote for candidates, the voters compromise with the future of the state. The politicians take them for granted after bribing them during election time. This is the root cause of the problems. If the voters decide to vote without accepting any allurement, the politicians will not have the courage to treat them like commodities.