The Vailankanni Express, the weekly train carrying hundreds of Goans on a pilgrimage to Tamil Nadu has become a subject of debate on social media in view of the election season. The weekly departure of the train will take place on May 6, on the eve of May 7 elections for the two Lok Sabha seats. The pilgrims may have reserved the tickets 2-3 months in advance and the dates of the election schedule were announced only a couple of weeks ago. It is learnt that over 800 pilgrims have already booked the tickets to Vailankanni on May 6. Obviously these pilgrims will not be able to exercise their franchise. Be that as it may, those who embark on the pilgrimage need to take the opportunity to pray for the smooth conduct of the elections and that only deserving candidates will get elected. The pilgrims also need to pray for a good government at the centre which will guarantee full respect of human rights, the rule of law, effective participation, political pluralism, transparent and accountable governance. Citizens also need to pray for a citizen-centric government.
