Freshers are all settled in, seniors are back in form. This is the time for the STUDENT ELECTION SEASON people!
1.The Realization:
Everybody likes power, so this time you too can put your head in the election scene. Believe me the grass is only green from the outside. So it all starts when you realize that “yes! I have done many things for this college” and have this sudden fire to do more.
So, after asking a dozen of your friends and seniors that if you are worth it, your name is nominated. This surely is the simplest part, after this things just become worse.
2. Popularity 101:
You start talking to people you have just smiled at before, because the agenda is to let people know you because you are awesome.
3. Taking it to another level:
In the beginning it’s all peace and quiet, you find out who your competitor is, you see them around smile like really really cutely and think “Don’t take that post away from me” but still smile. People then start telling you that it’s not that simple, you can’t just win because you did something, you need more wow factor. So you start talking to Freshers, start telling them about you and expect them to spread the word.
4. The Student Behavior:
College then divides into many kinds of people – The “over enthusiastic” who run for these elections, “the supporters” who support their friends who are standing and campaign for them and the “Jon snows” who know nothing about the elections. Though this is a college event except the supporters and the over enthusiastic people, hardly anyone even knows who is standing for what, except on the Election Day.
5. Contenders:
There are four type of contenders also-One who strategies everything, how many people? How many votes?
Second are the one who know that they will win for sure as they are the popular choice.
Third are the one who try to do small campaigning, and make plans to reach the masses.
And the last ones are the coolest who just do it so that they can put their faces on a poster.
6. The poster Influence:
In a small period of time, the poster scenes come up, poster-poster everywhere, the walls, the elevators, outside the elevators, inside washrooms. OMG there are people faces everywhere looking at you and asking for your help as you matter the most right now.
7. To Get Noticed:
Because people don’t bother reading that much, next step you move on to is, Verbal communication.
Talk That talk to all, everybody and anybody, just pop up tell your name and start yapping about I will do this and that. Catch people off guard, go to their tables in the mess, go to their rooms and waste their time, find them on the road talk, See them in the washroom talk. Everybody to anybody please talk.
When one to one conversations don’t do the charm, you need your voice, not the sweet polite one that you have been using all this time but strong and husky voice. So shouting starts
Shout in mess
Shout in classes
Shout in hostel,
Shout shout everywhere.
Once again if people know your name, you will win ok? That’s the mantra!
8. Presence of politics:
Even though these elections are so small, hypocrisy persists. Friends fight, Bitching happens, Supporters shift, and strategies are made. People try to find out dirt on you and try to undermine you. Because sometimes your work is not enough, you need to stoop lower to get what you want. Politics does bring forward ones evil side.
9. Putting on the Happy Face:
But the Mantra is to keep calm and move on, one will talk, two will talk but in the end everybody stops. So after all the keeping calm and concentrating on your campaign, the day finally comes, the election day.
10. Election day:
You don’t feel much anxiety because it is a small thing, Win or not win you will work for your college. But as soon as you reach college people start talking, Election today right are you scared? Then you do get scared but all you can do is keep the positive political face on.
Voting is done soon and finally it all over and done.
11. The result:
Word of mouth is the strongest and even before the world knows somebody tells you that you have won.
After the official notice putting up procedure, you win and alas! the birds start chirping again and the world is beautiful and tension free again.
12. Conclusion:
These stunts are performed under the supervision of college staff so don’t try them alone.
Beautiful experience though: P
P.S: The author has herself taken part in her college elections recently. Her college is NIFT Mumbai.
