At least on polling day, voters say they have
the power of change
By Monica Chadha, BBC News
(Punjab, May 10, 2004) "So many governments have come and gone, none of them did anything for poor people like me," says small-holding farmer Amar Singh.
"I've been voting for almost 30 years now-- only because it is my right to do so."
Mr. Singh lives in Azizpur village, about 22 miles (35km) outside Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab.
He owns about an acre of land but has now started a side business boring tube wells because he can barely sustain his family of six on farming.
Of his four children, three boys quit school and now work as mechanics and help with expenses at home.
"Small-time farmers like me should be taken care of," Mr. Singh says.
"I need basic amenities such as electricity, water and cheap fertiliser so I can take care of my family and provide them with a decent meal each day."
Living on credit
For a man who lives in the state that feeds the rest of the country, it is a bleak situation.
Punjab grows almost 80 percent of the wheat and 43 percent of the rice consumed by India.
Agriculture is the main source of income for most people and almost all own some amount of farmland.
However, in the past few years, farmers have been making big losses despite harvesting good crops.
They do not earn enough to recoup their costs as their wheat is bought at cheap rates by the government.
Most of them live on credit from the government and banks and barely have any savings.
Better life
On Monday, a hopeful Amar Singh voted.
"The previous governments have not done much so it's time to give somebody else a chance. If they don't do anything for us, then we remain the way we are but if they do, then the situation can only improve."
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At least on polling day, voters say they have
the power of change
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A better life was uppermost on most voters' minds when they came to vote.
Mr. Singh was among the first to use the electronic voting machine.
"Look at the conditions we live in," says housewife Kulwant Kaur.
"We don't have schools, our roads haven't been built properly, we don't even have a doctor in the area. We need a government that will look after us and not forget about us once elections are over."
Another farmer, Rajendra Singh, said he had voted for change.
"It can't get any worse than this. Instead of savings, I accumulate credit everyday and no government has done anything to make it better. I have no bright future to offer my children. We need new people for our leaders."
At least on polling day, voters believe they have the power to bring about a brighter future.
Punjab has 13 parliamentary seats, all of which voted on Monday.
In the last election, Congress won eight and the BJP with its regional ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal, won five.
Monica Chadha is a BBC correspondent in Punjab.
Link to BBC at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ .