Mr. Pranab Mukherjee may well be on his way into Rashtrapati Bhavan with a thumping majority. But the run-up to the presidential election has been marred by ugliness. Added to this is the conduct of our elected representatives in this election. One of the fundamental duties of a citizen is to respect constitutional principles. In a democracy, exercising the right to franchise is a privilege. This privilege has been losing its credibility. In the presidential election on July 19, for instance, some political parties boycotted the election while others have been criticised for casting their vote (“MNS abstains from voting,” July 20). It is a means to electing a representative. In general, how can problems be solved by boycotting an election?
P. Ramakrishna Reddy,
Kurnool
