Before every election, all the four hundred families residing in the Shastrinagar slum await the visit of the various political parties representatives of their area. Like other families living in other slums in India. To please the slum-dwellers, politicians offer them money and one meal. ” We are the cause for their victory : that is why politicians give us so much attention during elections” says a resident. His tone of self-importance shifts to one of helplessness when we ask about the moral responsibility in casting that crucial vote he is talking about. “We know it is not right…We do not worry whether the party once elected will give us the facilities we need.”

For many years now, the slum-dwellers have been offered money for campaigning for a political party and consequently to cast their votes for the same party. While few years ago, they were paid Rs 10 ( 0,1 euro, US$ 0,1)…