Dear Editor,
Apart from one or two unsavory incidents, the campaigning has been by and large peaceful. Voters would have made their choices and we are told that by Wednesday May 13, the final results would be declared.
GECOM is the only competent authority to pronounce on the results of polling. We have seen how in the past delays to the declaration of results have been exploited by various groups, resulting in unnecessary fears and tension.
This letter is an appeal to the major political parties and their supporters to be patient and await the official results from GECOM even if it takes longer than the estimated time given. The man at the head of GECOM, Dr. Steve Surujbally, needs our support and goodwill. We know that after Monday, all eyes will be on him and his staff.
We plead with all interested parties to accept the results, unconditionally. This means that there should be no demands for recounts and no legal challenges.
In the Mahabharata, Duryodhana the chief protagonist in the battle against the Pandavas, goes to his mother, Gandhari, on the eve of the war to ask for her blessings. She did not ask for her son to be victorious. She did not ask for her son’s enemies to be defeated.
She uttered a benediction that has been immortalized ever since, telling Duryodhana, “In this battle, my son, may dharma prevail.” The original Sanskrit reads: yato dharmas tato jayah – where there is dharma, there is victory.
Yours faithfully,
Swami Aksharananda
