Democracy

"Who will you vote for?", Granny asked Ashima
"Will you vote for that bureaucrat's party?"
"No, I won't. I thought I would give a NOTA, I checked the candidates. There are two women candidates I'm going to vote for them", said Ashima
"Which party is it", asked granny making a mental note of it.
"We all got five hundred rupees each yesterday. Me, my husband, son and daughter, so two thousand rupees in all", announced Lakshmi who worked as a domestic help at Ashima'a place.
"My daughter she took the money and was saying, I will vote for who ever I want, slowly under her breath", she laughed aloud.
"They also will give us some more money after we vote"
"Will you vote for them?", asked Granny inquisitively. "Who will you vote for?"
"I will see, will vote who ever I feel like", said Lakshmi almost saying I'm not supposed to tell you who I vote for.
Yaay!! I voted. I went early in the morning and voted. I feel so responsible, said a message from Ankita
Was it your first time?, asked Ashima
Yes, obviously why do you think I'm so excited. She sent a picture with the ink mark on the finger
"So did you vote?", asked another friend of Ashima on a group chat this time.
"who are you voting for?"
"What about you?"
"The party I was thinking of voting supposedly has a backward caste candidate for Chief Minister, I will not vote for him, he will bring in more reservations"
We didn't get any money. All the money we were supposed has been eaten away by the middlemen. We got nothing, lamented an old woman at the polling station
"So did you guys finally vote?", Ashima asked Lakshmi
"Yes we went in the afternoon and voted"
"Then we went and made tiffin boxes for all the voting officers. When they gave us money, they gave money for this also. So the food was cooked at the community hall and packed into boxes"
"I was like we have taken the money, so we should also do our bit, so I went in to pack the boxes. These people they were making us cook and were writing that they had got the food from a hotel and claining two hundred rupees per plate"
"But wouldn't government give this money, why are others doing it?", asked Ashima
"Government also gives but they also give. These people take money from both of them"
"The entire basti was bustling today. When they come to give money and ask for votes, the entire basti asks, what will you do and only then takes the money"
"And if they don't do we all go out in a procession to their house. What can they do..they have to oblige"
"There was so much activity around this elections, the old men and women were saying Why can't we have elections everyday"