Voting is one of the most cherished rights of a citizen within a democratic nation. Voting empowers citizens to exercise their right to choose a government that represents the voters’ and the nation’s best interests. Most political parties vow voters through campaign promises and strategies. These parties have a set demographic of voters that they appeal to and create campaign promises accordingly.

Every election year, there is a huge influx of young voters entering the voting pool as they turn eighteen years of age. However, there can be times where none of the contesting political parties are able to gauge the need of young voters. In such cases, an independent candidate may arise from the masses and choose to contest elections, keeping in mind the requirements of various voters.

Many top private universities in Nashik like Sandip University conduct election awareness campaigns to educate and motivate young voters to exercise their right to vote. Sandip University considers this to be its duty towards the nation and young voters to ensure the development of the nation in the right direction.

Let us take a look at what independent voters are and their impact on elections:

What is an Independent Voter?

An independent voter is someone who votes for an independent candidate who is not affiliated to an already established political party. This candidate will have initiated their own party with an independent manifesto to attract voters. Independent voters can be found across all ages. Even voters who may have cast a vote to an established political party earlier can turn into independent voters if they find the independent candidate to be more promising in terms of policy-making and vision.

How does an Independent Voter Influence an Election?

These are some ways in which an independent voter can influence not just an election, but can revolutionise an entire political system:

1. Independent voters take votes away from seasoned political parties, in turn diminishing their vote share. This can ensure that established political parties actually listen to voters’ demands and frame their manifesto accordingly.
2. Independent candidates with a better plan can lead to an increase in voter turnout as those voters who do not want to vote for established parties now have a promising candidate whom they can choose.
3. It can help shape future elections as more independent candidates may feel encouraged to contest elections once there is an increase in independent voters during an election year.
4. In case an independent candidate does win, they can revolutionise the political system in the area. They can totally revamp existing political gridlock and bring about strategic changes in existing policies, draft better policies, and address pressing issues that an established political candidate may not be able to do due to party restrictions.

Conclusion

These are some of the ways in which independent voters influence elections. Top engineering colleges in Nashik like Sandip University play a monumental role in educating and guiding voters to make a positive impact during an election season.