Those I have voted for have always lost. I am proud of them.

11 th April 2019 :  I was amongst the 39 percent of eligible voters living in Hyderabad who voted in India's parliamentary elections.

My polling station was a school in a residential area , not far from where I live. It was the same place where I had voted a few months ago, in the state assembly elections. It's been the same polling station for many years now. For parliamentary elections. For state assembly elections. For municipal elections. 

It's the place where every candidate for whom I have voted has two things in common- First, the candidate was not affiliated to any major party. Second, the candidate lost, mostly by a huge margin.

When I decided to cast my vote for these candidates , Did I know they would lose ? I knew this 100 percent. The probability of any of them winning was not even infinitesimally low; it was zero. And it was clear to me much before I got the indelible ink mark on my left index finger.

Friends and family would ask- who would you vote for ?

When I mentioned these names, I would get responses like : you are wasting your vote; What can these people do - they have no administrative experience; These people have no organisational backing or supporting infrastructure.

Why then would I vote for these candidates ?

Here are my reasons:

1)      They had something relevant for me in their manifesto. Something that directly impacted my day to day life and of the people around me.

For example, the person I voted for in the municipal elections spoke of addressing the issue of mosquitoes in the Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills area. He had a clear plan - a combination of scientific approaches and public awareness programs to address this.

2) They had the right priorities -

For example, the candidate I voted for in the state assembly elections promised to put disproportional investment in education and enhancing the quality of government schools in the constituency.

In another instance, the candidate I voted for had promised to start feeder buses to link metro stations so that the entire area could be covered by the metro.

3) They displayed courage -

Each of these candidates knew they were up against the organisational, political and financial might of the big parties, viz. TRS, TDP, BJP and the Congress. Yet, they chose to believe in themselves, and in the cause they were espousing. It is for this courage and belief that they stood out for me.

On another occasion, the candidate I voted for was a Muslim woman in her 30s. She came from a conservative background. Coming from a background like that, the conviction it takes to contest elections, and to be out there in the sun campaigning for a cause she believed in - it was remarkable. Her courage in just being there was the clincher for me in deciding my vote.

4) They were all local and had experience of working in the area - 

For example , the candidate I voted for had worked on shelters for caregivers of poor patients in two major hospitals in the area.

My vote for these remarkable individuals , each of whom had no chance of winning , is my way of acknowledging their contribution, their ideas and their courage.

I am proud to have voted for these 'losers' - their being out there is in itself a victory for the courage of their convictions .

It's also a message of hope to the well meaning millions out there, who have wanted to make a difference to the life of others.

These individuals might be losers on the election result sheet, they are inspirational winners for me.

I voted for them in 2019, I will vote for them again.