The electoral campaigns are still hot in the sweltering summer days. Gone are the days of wall-writing slogans, pamphlets, the old model cars atop megaphones, canvassing cheers and personal rapport. Things have changed fast, however, in the millennium. Now, the road-shows streaming with people, the address-pulpit, the huge banners, fray of candidates and the strange feelings of 96.8 crore comprising of old and new voters are some of the visual abstracts of the democratic principles of India seen on the ongoing 18th Lok Sabha Election.The election carnival and campaigns are the great unifiers of country’s solidarity. The bold speeches of the politicians, putting the prosperity of people and standing for them is safest to trust, a close reasoning which they believe their political victory depends on winning votes. Interestingly, each party’s “Manifesto” with commitments without a based theory, in which nobody ever lived, virtually rest on human account.
Our democracy has survived many changes in electoral process from the first general election in 1951 to the present poll in 2024. The poll journey had many reforms from the coloured ballot boxes for each candidate to ballot papers and then to EVM (Electronic Voting Machines). Presently, the ECI introduced VVPAT (Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) in the upcoming election to make it freer and fair and to keep the integrity of electoral process. The campaigning is sanitized by adhering to the Moral Code of Conduct for maintaining certain rules of electorate which was introduced by T N Seshan, Chief Election Commissioner, popularly known as an unflinching man of neutrality.
The people of this country have seen the days of coalition government to absolute majority. The coalition government before 2014 lost its foothold on the grounds of illegitimacy, misgovernance and massive corruption. It is true, when analyzing the electoral politics; the lack-lustre perceptions of economic condition affect voters’ decisions in electoral campaign and run-up to voting. When people are in search of dignified economic life, the ruling party emerged not so well in economic progress according to CSDS-Lokniti pre-poll survey 2024.
There are concerns for limited employment opportunities, spiraling prices, rural distress and low household economic conditions. The oppositions have failed to address these issues effectively to convince the voters’ intellect. The present regime seeks reelection on the basis of “Guarantees” of future growth and achievements and sits pretty well on inclusive idea of “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and “Sabka Viswas, which strengthen the trust of the majority respondents.
“Corruption” says Edward Gibbon “the most infallible of constitutional liberty” which corrodes the national character. Corruption in India spoils the very fabric of economic stability. A startled recollection of warning words of doom: “If you do not put this thing down, it will put you down” and thus the ruling party worked on this theme very intensely, besides giving good governance.
The ruling party strengthened the Hindu identity through the construction and consecration of Ram Mandir, abrogation of Article 370 and Uniform Civil Code which are the possibilities of clearing the way to its electoral ascendance whereas oppositions have failed to exploit ambivalences. On the other hand, the oppositions’ adverse remark on “Sanatan Dharma” diluted the traditional voters’ sentiments, giving opportunity to the ruling party to consolidate Hindu votes in their favour.
It did not seem that the oppositions stand on same plank nor do they have one mind in electoral strategies. The oppositions electoral promise of wealth “redistribution” in form of “inheritance tax” to give it to poor minorities’ sparked fiery debates. The ruling party, however, set a narrative before the respondents that such tax do not fit in socially and hence worsen the economy quality of life, pulling the opposition to back-foot. The gap between the poor and the rich cannot be bridged which is a common phenomena across the world. It makes us believe that equality of wealth amass can be reached by making the rich poorer or poorer rich or both.
Abandonment of patriotic political idea is anti-democratic that increases selfishness attached to political affairs degrading people’s franchise and offences against free institutions in India. The issue of ethnic culture raised by the opposition during poll-going phases took a wrong turn of expressing racism not healthy for India’s sovereignty. The promises for caste census and reservation for minority landed the opposition into deep waters besides 30 lakh instant jobs to youth seems ridiculous in tech-era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) where there will be more wealth creators than job-seekers. The dictum turns out to be a paraphrase of the poet Dylan Thomas to “Rage, Rage against the dying of the light”.
Changes come when time believes in change. The elections have given emphasis to “women empowerment”, appreciating the nominations of women folk from various fields trying their political career to serve country in a better way. This resulted in Women’s Reservation Act, making provision for 1/3rd of women candidature for Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, expected to be implemented before 2029 election to prove “Nari Shakti” mission while taking advantage of voting age reduced from 21 to 18 years in 1989.
There is same fertile soil, the same blue sky, the same rivers and seas; there is the same land, the same glorious fragments of works of art, the temple with ornaments and inscriptions that excite wonder of admiration, the remains of a once high order of civilization, is the same old India living India now.
Verily, the humblest citizens in all the land, when clad in armour of a righteous cause, are stronger than all the hosts of error.
SADANANDA DAS
