Ayodhya Row and the Ballot Box: Why Voters May Think Beyond the Headlines
The biggest mistake political parties make is that they start believing the noise created around an issue is the same as the voice of the voter. It is not. Elections are not decided in television studios, they are decided in the minds of ordinary people. Today, there is a lot of discussion about the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. If there has been any wrongdoing, action should be taken. A temple built on people's faith cannot have any wrongdoing. Devotees have every right to ask questions. But the question is — will this issue decide the Uttar Pradesh election? My answer is no. And I will tell you why. The voter does not decide his vote only on the basis of what intellectuals discuss or what political parties put forward. The voter decides on his own experience. He sees what happened during a government's rule. He sees whether law and order improved, whether his family feels secure, whether administration works. People are not sitting with political bo...
