Reality shows keep multiplying every year but what's common between most of them is that they often produce undeserving winners. This then leads to the speculation that reality shows are rigged. The channel and the producer are not perturbed with this allegation and shrug it off with 'it's the janta who decides the winner.'

It therefore appears that reality shows are not meant to be fair. The scales are now tilting heavily on the side of the unfair. And it's just not the common janta but contestants too are using loopholes in the regulations and garnering votes for themselves.

Some participants even go to the extent of distributing SIM cards to their family, friends and the public too. This first came to light when a star couple participating in a dance reality show distributed SIM cards to strangers on the street. Ekta Kapoor was allegedly instrumental in Prachi Desai winning Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 2 and now she's accused of throwing her weight behind Anita Hasnandani, who is a mentor in Dancing Queen.

Commenting on the voting system Nach Baliye 2 losing finalist Gauri Tonk says, "I was shocked when we lost. Our fans too were perplexed by the result. I'm not against pubic voting but it's important to establish more connection with the viewer than just SMS voting. If we get eliminated than our fans would like to know why were we eliminated. Post our loss, I've had so many people come up to us and express surprise over the result especially since they had voted in large numbers. I'm not against SMS voting, but the public should take it more seriously. Often what happens is that they pick a favourite jodi from the beginning and then keep voting for them irrespective of their performance. Another dubious thing is that how can it be that a pair gets the least number of votes in one episode but it all changes in the next episode. How can their votes multiply to such an extent in a week's time?"

When Harshdeep won music reality show Junoon, judge Anand Raj Anand termed Harshdeep's win as a good PR exercise.

"I don't deny that I asked my family and friends to vote for me. But isn't this a part of every reality show? However, I never went out of my way to garner votes at the expense of my singing. If that were the case then I wouldn't have won the show," Harshdeep defended herself then.

In another instance, a L'il Champs' contestant's father chided how his daughter could be eliminated when he'd spend over Rs.75, 000 in garnering SMS votes.

Amidst such clutter, won't it be fair to scrap public voting?

Abhijeet Bhattacharya disagrees, "Most of the contestants come from humble backgrounds. They don't have the money to issue SIM cards. These children hardly get a penny. As for Harshdeep, I hardly watched Junoon, but I think she was the rightful winner."

Enunciating why public voting shouldn't be scrapped, the singer says, "Public voting is a noble way to connect with the viewer. Such voting implies that you're being widely watched. What I condemn is sympathy votes. It overshadows one's talent. Voting often takes place at a later stage. Before that the judges pick the best 10-12 contestants, each of them capable are of winning the title. The best artist may get eliminated by virtue of just one bad performance. Once it comes down to the final few, it's anybody's game. However, I'd like to point out that Qazi Tauqeer winning Fame Gurukul was a farce."

However, veteran choreographer Saroj Khan disagrees with Abhijeet. "Ye sab bandal hai (It's all fake). Reveal the exact votes in front of the judges and it's only then that we can call it a reality show. Unfortunately, the judges too are as puzzled as the public. They are equipped to judge the best artist. Public voting should only be encouraged if there's a transparent process."

In fact it has been alleged now that some politicians are playing an active role in reality shows by lending regional support to a contestant who speaks their language. Mumbai's Vaishali Made triumphed in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009. The Shiv Sena and MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) were pretty vocal in supporting the Marathi girl.


Shouldn't art be devoid of politics?

"It's all part of a larger game. I consider it totally crass. Family and friends are fine but it's disgusting to see politicians appealing for votes. They come with large number of followers who vote for their contestant. I doubt whether they really back a contestant or they are trying to score political goals. Elections aren't too far away." said Saroj Khan.

The one who is most disappointed is the deserving candidate who misses out to the popular lot. One such talent is Meiyang Chang, who the janta didn't deem fit to be Indian Idol.

Responding to our query Chang explains, "I don't know whether you can eliminate public voting but we need to change our mentality while voting. Somehow, I think it's only in India that we find voting on basis of one's caste or creed. American Idol is always the one who sings the best. The only time when one witnessed such a thing was when an NRI (Sanjaya Malakar), despite being a poor singer, garnered lots of votes from the Indian community. Religion or caste bias is embedded in our system."

It doesn't matter what judges, contestants or critics say but it's all part of public opinion. It's important to know what importance does public voting, in particularly SMSes, hold for a channel. Is it a major source of revenue?

A channel insider says, "SMS voting has never been a great source of income. It is there because most formats demand it. I'd like to point out that over the years SMS voting has declined and it will continue to decline further. Viewership is fragmented and besides Rs.6 per SMS is too costly. In future, we'll have to come up with other cheaper means of technology."

Shouldn't one be allowed to send just one SMS? Often you find people sending multiple SMSes from one number. "Perhaps, this is something which can be done. We have auditors in our reality shows that monitor every SMS. I don't know the exact number but there is a limit to numbers of SMSes from one mobile phone. The moment it crosses that line, their votes are rejected," the insider adds.

If the public vote doesn't count for much revenue can't it be scrapped?

Our source explains, "Such a practice shows your viewership. Caste votes are not ideally right but it also enables to reach out to remote corners of the country. The success of Prashant Tamang and Amit Paul is a classic example. As I said earlier, it's the format which demands SMS voting. You can't have an Indian Idol without public voting."