His feet were half buried in the soil, he had a hoe in his hand with which he was digging the soil, when after telling me about the failures of the central government’s plans in Haryana, he asked me politely, “You have come from such a far distance to report but will your report change anything?” This was 61-year-old Raman Singh who retired from his teaching job a year ago and is now a farmer and I met him on my way from Hisar to Sirsa.
When you, as a journalist, covering a Lok Sabha election for the first time, such questions like Raman’s haunt you for a long time. I was traveling to Haryana and the Northern part of Rajasthan for the first time during this election and when people from remote rural areas told me about their daily challenges, my life in Delhi seemed much easier to me.
The best thing that can happen to a journalist is that he gets an opportunity to travel to the far-flung areas of the country in such a crucial election, I consider myself very lucky in that regard. In Haryana and Rajasthan, I've attended more rallies than I can count at this point, listening to the party leaders trade barbs and make grand promises about job creation, economic development, and tackling issues like inflation and corruption. The rhetoric has been fiery at times, appealing to nationalist and religious sentiments.
What has struck me most, however, is the palpable enthusiasm of the voters themselves, especially the youth. At rallies in cities like Hisar, Rohtak, and Sirsa, I've seen thousands of students and young professionals turn out, waving party flags and chanting slogans. There's a real sense that this next generation of voters could swing the election.
From my conversations, it seems many are drawn to Congress's message of inclusive development and social welfare policies. Others are inspired by the BJP's muscular vision of a rising India as an economic and military powerhouse. But there's also plenty of cynicism and disillusionment with the political establishment as a whole.
One encounter that stuck with me was meeting Sama, a 23-year-old factory worker in Sonipat who passionately supported Congress, expressing frustration with the broken promises of the BJP. "What have they really done for people like us?" she asked pointedly.
I'm honestly not sure which way Rajasthan and Haryana will end up going based on my reporting travels. Both states have been in such a battle with prime issues like unemployment and inflation potentially deciding factors. Not to mention their large populations of farmers whose distress has become a central political issue.
No matter what happens, this has been an amazing learning experience being fully immersed in the world's largest democracy in action. I've laughed with voters, gotten discouraged by toxic polarization, been awed by the dedication of poll workers, and basically experienced the entire emotional spectrum of a high-stakes election.
