"In all my life, I have not voted so far." Can you imagine that these words were stated reportedly by none other than T. N. Seshan, India's 10th election commissioner with a trail-blazing six-year stint from 1990 to 1996? This straight-laced civil servant and performance-demanding bureaucrat was the 18th Cabinet Secretary of India and Magsaysay Award winner in 1996 for his electoral reforms by bringing "order, fairness and integrity to elections in India, the world's largest democracy." Seshan had reasons for exercising his freedom not to vote, or perhaps he knew that, even with his much-needed electoral reforms, things could have been better.

As a voter since 1967 for 14 out of 17 Lok Sabha elections and several state elections, I believe that our elections are like P. C. Sorcar's jumbo magic. Or, a jumbo circus. You see voters getting free lifts to booths, liquor flowing like Gangajal the previous night of voting, booth capturing by political goondas, looting or overnight replacement of ballot boxes, bribing voters with cash benefits, and more! And, in the recent election results in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, the EVM magic would put even Sorcar, an acclaimed world-class magician, to shame!

The naked parade of 'jumlas' such as hoodwinking promises intended to make prospective voters salivate for 15 lakhs per person from Swiss Banks, dhoti-lungi-idiot box distribution, tomfoolery of politicians with their nauseating verbal diarrhoea and masquerading as national saviours and then 'the cunningly prepared electoral bond system with its prospect of donations of crores of Rupees in the form of untraceable and unaccountable black money flowing into the bunkers and backyards of the ruling party. We have seen much with disgust; voters have been fooled galore, and the nation has lost the flavour of politicians with integrity, honesty and truthfulness.

The pre-election propaganda is meant to hoodwink voters as the candidates crawl on all fours with begging bowls and folded hands to balloon the imagination of the poor to reach for the sky. After winning, the performance index of the winning candidates hits rock bottom. Remember Prime Minister Modi's pre-election promise (2013) to bring back the hoard of black money deposited in the Swiss Bank to India and his reference to Rs. 15 lakhs each poor person would get! His close friend and Home Minister Amit Shah's description of Modi's words as election 'jumla' said all. A classic case of making people salivate at the prospect of getting a huge benefit!

Only when elections come are the economically and socially weaker sections remembered. They are promised the pie in the sky. You hear mountainous promises of 'poverty alleviation' programs from all parties. But no one ever dares to utter a word about 'poverty eradication' programs. If poverty is eradicated, many politicians are afraid that they will go unemployed or won't be able to curry favour with moneybags like Adanis and Ambanis or share loot from contractors and underworld dons. They need the poor to stay as floating vote banks.

The Indian election process is hijacked by the magical performance of electoral voting machines manipulated by backstage dons. The schemers have taken a leaf from the performing magicians, who have upgraded their glittering performance with the help of electronic systems supported by backstage manipulations.

Moreover, with the new system wherein the ruling party handpicks Election Commissioners, the right-thinking public, and the panicking opposition parties are worried that EVMs are here to stay—no wonder they are planning nationwide agitation against the hoodwinking magic EVM contrivance. EVMs have to go if elections have to be free and fair.

The plan for nationwide awareness building and peaceful agitation against the EVM menace is the right direction. If the EVMs are used in the 2024 election process, the minions of power will hoodwink the nation with a return to power. That will mean, critics point out, that our Constitution will be overhauled, a bulldozer autocracy will hold sway, and national disaster will set in. Choose your fate! The Magical EVM or the Ballot Paper!