Undecided parents look to kids for voting advice

Chennai: D-Day is just around the corner and heated discussions about who to vote for are being held in drawing rooms of houses across the city. And many parents who are still undecided about which way to vote are listening to the advice of their children.
Dhipthi Dona, 17, says she is tired of the freebie lists and pointless political debates and is telling her family and friends just what she thinks.Her recent post on Facebook read: 'Dear Adults, before you go to vote, please know the candidates contesting in your locality. Look into their profile. Decide on which individual can serve you the best. Ask him what plan he has for the next five years. For God's sake vote for the most deserving individual irrespective of the political party he belongs to, because tomorrow when you have a complaint, he is the one who is answerable to you, he is the one you can immediately question, he is the person who is a phone call away, not the chief minister.'
"Politicians never disclose their agenda or stick to their promises but I still encourage everyone to cast their vote," says the Class 12 student. Her advice is being seriously considered by her parents. "With the elections coming up, we have been discussing whom to vote for and I do feel she is correct," says her father Jesuraj Santiago, a businessman, adding that he will not vote for the ruling or opposition party. "Children these days are more clued into politics," he adds.
Homemaker Sudha S is so disillusioned by the hollow promises of political parties that she doesn't feel like voting this year. "But my son Naren told me I should go and vote even if I opt for NOTA," she says.
Naren, 14, is, in fact, encouraging both his parents to opt for NOTA. "Both AIADMK and DMK have pros and cons. Jayalalithaa lied about her assets and her government made the mistake of releasing water from Chembarambakkam reservoir, causing the floods last year," says the Class 10 student. "On the other hand, DMK and Karunanidhi don't want Hindi to come up as a language. I feel people should learn to speak it. DMK is also corrupt."
Sashank, 15, on the other hand, is against the ruling party as he feels Anna Centenary Library, which he used to frequent, has been neglected. "It is badly maintained and many books are missing," he says.
That's why he asks people to vote for DMK. "Though it may not be the perfect party, he feels voting for it will ensure AIADMK won't come to power," says his mother Anu Suresh, a homemaker, who is also toying with the idea of NOTA as she is unhappy with the performance of all parties. "I feel we need somebody like Kejriwal here," she says.