Citizens must come out and exercise their voting rights to live in democracy and to live democracy.

Why Should We Vote: Voting in India is a Constitutional right if one is a citizen over 18 years of age. However, that also makes it optional (we dont have any law which makes voting compulsory by citizen). It has been a tendency among voters, especially in the urban areas, youth..etc., to treat the voting day as a day of rest and day of holiday. While skipping the vote may not seem to cause any harm, the long-term consequences are disastrous.(Quote the examples of bad governance under various governments Like corruption ,anti -people laws) Here's why every citizen of India must cast his or her vote: Agent of change: Voting is the agent of change. If the people of India think that the ruling government is not performing its duties satisfactorily, they can show it the door by voting against it. Refraining from doing so can result in the same party, or a worse one, being elected for the next five years. Every vote counts: In a country so populous, a voter might feel that a single vote does not make any difference. However, the balance tilts when this becomes a national attitude and lakhsperhaps croresof votes are not cast. By casting their vote, citizens may not necessarily be able to get the best candidate elected politics being what it isbut by avoiding casting their vote they improve the chances of the unsuitable ones winning the polls. At the end, it is only the voter who has to suffer through poor governance. Get heard: Voting offers every citizen a medium of expression. In a country as vast and diverse as ours, different regions have different concerns and priorities. The process of voting allows every citizen to have a say in what should constitute the matters of importance by voting for the candidate he or she deems fit for the purpose. While it is true that the outcome of elections is seldom predictable, by not casting one's vote, that citizen is giving up on the chance of getting heard. Voting as a responsibility: Voting is as much a responsibility as it is a right. The whole edifice of Indian democracy is built on the foundation of voting. If citizens are not careful about casting their voteor worse, skip their vote altogetherit will jeopardize the existence of our democratic Republic. By not voting, you are sacrificing your sacred right Voting is a sacred right of every individual and exercising his/her voting rights is the duty of the citizens of India. If you do not vote, you do not have any moral right to criticise the elected corporators or any other political leaders. If citizens do not vote, they are unnecessarily sacrificing their sacred right. The youth must especially understand how important and prized their vote is, which will help shape the future of the country. Voting as an honor: Finally, voting is an honor conferred on the citizens by the founding fathers. By exercising their right to vote, citizens demonstrate their respect for the history of the country. It can't be denied that the recent democratic experience in India has not been encouraging. For the past several years, India has been struggling with rampant corruption, unsure economy, and unclear foreign policy. Election after election has seen ineffective governments come to power that have done more harm than good. However, not casting

one's vote will only worsen the condition. It is our duty as responsible citizens of India to make informed decisions and choose the best candidate from those presented. At a point in time where corruption is rampant within our government, and the most of the youth of India are more apathetic towards voting, we understand the importance of educating the youth, our future leaders, to rise above and demand the accountability we deserve. In order to do this however, one must first stimulate the youth's political awareness there by empowering them to bring about the necessary change. Moreover, with reforms like Right to reject gaining wider support, it wouldn't be long before the system of elections is improved. (Can discuss the electoral reforms (recall, referendum, policy initiation by citizens itself) which may be useful to our democratic process) While we are in the process of electing 16 th Loksabha at the center and state assembly in the newly born state we need to be at most careful to caste our vote and making sure that we voted for a leader who works for the development of society and people there by state and country as whole.

Voting is an honor and duty, do vote and elect the Govt. of your Choice