Lok Sabha 2019: Are the elections affecting your dating life?

The summer of ’69 was an amazing time — full of love, longing and hope. The summer of 2019, however, shows no such promise.

Because the summer of 2019 will see the world’s largest democracy elect its Prime Minister for the next five-year tenure. Which means — the little mind space we will have left after debating over Avengers The Endgame or whether the present episode of Game of Thrones, The Last of the Starks was better than the previous The Long Night will be spent in debating who will actually win the Indian game of thrones.

But have you ever wondered if all this additional information about who is a better candidate, which constituency is going to put up a bigger fight and whether we should be rooting for the BJP or the Congress is affecting your dating life?

Well, statistically speaking, it is.

And data released by the dating app OkCupid proves it.

via GIPHY

Now, anyone who's been on the online dating scene in India knows that Tinder isn’t the only pond to fish from. There’s Hinge, there’s Happn, there’s Woo, and there’s OkCupid — all of which serve the same purpose and your success in all of them is directly proportional to your looks and your ability to indulge in small talk.

(No, they still don’t have a dating app for introverts, like yours truly, yet).

But let’s say you do belong to the section of smooth-talking, good-looking millennials, who also happen to be thinking and socially aware — well, hey, chunaav ka mahina is actually affecting your chances of scoring.

OkCupid boasts of being a dating app that matches millennials based on their shared values and belief systems. The app asks you questions on topics ranging from religion to whether you’d want to have kids someday and match you with others who’ve answered similarly. OkCupid has now added a new section of questions to test their political beliefs — and it’s a game changer, alright.

via GIPHY

Now, how important is voting for dating?  

Turns out 78% of men and 75% of women say that voting is very important to them — which means they want to match with other socially responsible millennials. A staggering sum of 92% of men and 91% of women believe it’s important to stay informed about the country’s politics, even as they might not enjoy bringing actual politics talk (64% of men and 62% of women) onto their candlelit dinner tables.

But things get really complicated from here.

Would you date someone who is a radical left or right?

About 43% of men and 37% of women do not have a problem with a strong political right-wing or left-wing inclination as long as it’s not violent.

Yes, there is still a very tolerant thread running through India. 

And what if their political views are exactly opposite to yours?

Here’s where the ‘men are from Mars and women are from Venus’ bit comes into play — 54% of women would like to match with those who share their political beliefs, whereas only 21% of men think it matters.

If you’re wondering why there’s a sudden rise in the number of single women in India, perhaps you now know why — grab every opportunity you can to avoid mansplainers. The last thing we'd want is for someone to blame Jawaharlal Nehru for a bad fight! 

Clearly, millennials have changed — people within the age groups of 18-35 are the ones who're making up the larger chunk of voters, and for them, politics has become a part of their everyday reality. 

via GIPHY

Does that mean a comrade can only date another comrade? Well, there's still hope for us millennials — for we still have our priorities right. 

What is more important for a good match — similar political beliefs, good sex or similar hobbies? 

Having good sex, hands down!

As many as 86% of men and 75% of women feel good sex is far more important than having similar political beliefs (14% of men and 25 of women) for a happy ending (pun intended).

All hail! Humankind survives!

Whatever the fate may be on 23 May, 2019! 

Also read: A Nice State of Affairs: When you find your ‘happily-married’ man friend on a hook-up app