India, July 7 -- In the late seventies, I was in Bhopal as a reporter with The Hitavada. I had the opportunity to cover two elections - in 1977, when the Congress was routed, and in 1980, when the Congress returned to power. I have subsequently covered several elections, but I never saw the same voter enthusiasm as in 1977.

The voter turnout was huge. However, one booth recorded the lowest percentage of voting. It was less than 30 per cent. The booth catered to a particular area in the BHEL Township, where all the top officials of the public sector company, including the Executive Director, stayed.

The point I wanted to highlight is that the more educated and affluent a person is, the less interest they have in voting. Why? Because they...