One man, one vote

What a difference a vote made for Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee President C.P. Joshi. In the most dramatic reversal of these assembly elections, a man who was in the thick of the Congress’s campaign and savouring the possibility of chief-ministership, found himself beaten by one itty-bitty vote. Even as the Congress battered its way to victory, several of its big-name leaders lost by the slenderest, most frustrating of margins. Joshi was defeated by his arch-rival in the BJP, from Nathdwara in Rajsamand district.

The one-vote mythology has a venerable history — to rouse citizens and remind them of how much power rests in their single decision. It is claimed that in 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England. In 1923, one vote gave Adolf Hitler control of the Nazi party. In 1868, one vote saved US president Andrew Johnson from impeachment. Some of these are patent falsehoods, others have a core of truth. Either way, as the crestfallen Joshi now knows, never underestimate the power of one — he is probably casting around in it-might-have-beens, wondering who he could have enlisted to cast that fateful vote — woe upon the random Joshi in-law who took a pass on Election Day.

Unlike most of the world, voter turnouts have been generally rising in India, especially in the last couple of decades — almost all the states that went to polls this time had turnouts above the average. And for many among us, who have become inured to election exhortations, or the tremendous responsibility of renewing our democratic compact every chance we get, this is a cautionary tale. It is stark illustration of the fact that it is each of our tiny decisions that add up to the larger forces that compel our common destiny. Your single vote could, indeed, affect who your chief minister is. It is these rare moments that make us, as citizens, squarely and singularly responsible for the kind of governance we get.