Cash-for-votes

I felt ashamed on reading the report on cash for votes (March 16). The cable sent to the U.S. State Department by Frederick J. Kaplan on the electoral offences brazenly indulged in by cash-rich political parties does not come as a surprise to many though.

Parties across the political spectrum, especially in south India, are known to distribute currency and liquor to voters in the weeks during the run-up to elections. In Andhra Pradesh, too, the tradition has been kept alive by the Congress and the TDP. I have decided not to vote for a party that follows this unacceptable practice.

By Viswanath V
Published: The Hindu