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Letter to BS: Law can't stop politicians from defecting but voters can

Voters in Karnataka and elsewhere have been taken for granted by the parties

Outgoing CM H D Kumaraswamy
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Outgoing CM H D Kumaraswamy

Business Standard
This refers to “The buck stops with the electorate” (July 25) by Yogendra Yadav. Yadav is absolutely correct when he says law can't stop Indian politicians from defecting but voters can. Voters, both literate or otherwise, in general do not think and vote for candidates. The 2019 general election has proven that clearly. People have followed only the PM’s appeal and nothing else.
Voters in Karnataka and elsewhere have been taken for granted by the parties. First they seek vote in the name of the party they represent and then they switch over and come back under a different party with a promise to serve them better. The new generation of young voters unlike the old ones will have to come forward to vote against defectors regardless of who makes the appeal. Unless the defectors are punished, the anti-defection law will not its ground.

N Nagarajan, Secunderabad

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