For most of India's citizens, voting is seen as the only manifestation of civic sense. The state is also only too happy to see voting as the only endorsement of democracy being in tiptop condition. The truth, however, is there's more to upholding the citizen-state contract (read: democracy) than going out to cast votes. It relies on continuous, informed citizen engagement that does away with the mai-baap governance model of over-dependence. It also means engaging in regular citizen audits and AGM-style dialogues with civic bodies.

Source: Economic Times January 01, 2026 00:14 UTC