Transparency is a key factor for supporting a credible election. The election transparency process is one in which each step is open to scrutiny by members and staff. Providing election transparency establishes trust and confidence in the process, as voters have a means to verify the results are an accurate reflection of the will of the members.

Members want to fully participate in our democratic process with the comfort of knowing that the election is being managed in a transparent and secure manner. What are some ways that your organization can promote this aspect of ethical voting?

Whether you’re using paper, an online service or an app as your voting method, providing your members with election reminders can raise awareness of your upcoming election. Reminders are more effective when they’re also promoted across multiple social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. These allow you to increase your voter participation rate and back up your organization if members claim they weren’t provided the proper notifications for an election.

Without top-notch security practices in place, it’s easy for members to question whether the outcome of your election was credible when you can’t ensure that ballots are being tabulated correctly.

In a secular democracy all citizens are equal before the law and parliament. No religious or political affiliation gives advantages or disadvantages and religious believers are citizens with the same rights and obligations as anyone else.

Secularism champions universal human rights above religious demands. It upholds equality laws that protect women, LGBT people and minorities from religious discrimination. These equality laws ensure that non-believers have the same rights as those who identify with a religious or philosophical belief.

Religious people have the right to express their beliefs publicly but so do those who oppose or question those beliefs. Religious beliefs, ideas and organizations must not enjoy privileged protection from the right to freedom of expression. In a democracy, all ideas and beliefs must be open to discussion. Individuals have rights; ideas do not.

Secularism is the best chance we have to create a society in which people of all religions or none can live together fairly and peacefully.

Transparency & Accountability are two very important features of a Citizen Friendly Government. This model of governance has the potential to fundamentally transform the relationship between citizens and governments. A country where citizens are frustrated with lack of good governance and poor delivery of services, a proactive governance model is helping rebuild trust and improve services.

Proactive governance can’t possibly help tackle all of the challenges of service delivery. But early results show that it will help create a system of mutual trust and detect problems that will gradually improve the quality of services and the way those are delivered.

For a proactive governance to work well, it should be mandatory for service providers to use smartphones so citizens don’t have the burden of complaining if they didn’t receive the service they were entitled to.

Instead the responsibility is on the service providers, who both must prove that they went to the location of service provision and take before-and after pictures as proof that the service was delivered.

My inspiration, Chaudhary Charan Singhji gave a political voice and standing to the silent masses of the nation who toil in the fields and villages. The time I spent with him, and my understanding of his vision and life struggles has been instrumental in shaping my sense of wrong and right, and made me aware of my own social responsibilities. He was an honest man who handled varying responsibilities as farmer, lawyer, legislator, took charge of several portfolios in the state and at the national level, and always governed with an incorruptible moral strength.

My focus as a legislator will be to bring the country’s focus to the state of our rural agrarian economy. The important challenge before our society is how we are able to assimilate those who have forever been at the outer periphery of our economic mainstream. I am confident that given the right opportunities, the people in the far-flung parts of our diverse nation will provide leadership through both thought and action. It’s a question of encouraging innovation, individual enterprise, investment in rural infrastructure and education through our public policies.

I believe the resource question though is bound to come up as we look at the issues of equitable growth. Do we have the finances, the natural resources in land, water, and minerals; the political will and the requisite public awareness?

It is through strong political action that these questions can be answered. I hope Rashtriya Lokdal’s efforts and your support will create an enabling environment for the inclusive growth paths we must now embrace.