A saga more interesting than a daily soap
Many years ago, when I was a little kid there was a general election by then. I still remember the day when my mother took me to the market. I saw a mini truck with some sound systems and a mic, and a person was singing on the mic, “ Ab na debaiy congressiya ke vote baba “, the Bhojpuri slogan was continuously played in the area for a few days.
That was the time of incumbency for the then Congress govt of Jagannath Mishra, and eventually Bihar elected Lalu Prasad Yadav as its chief minister in 1990. Known for his rustic style and rural background, the meteoric rise of Lalu Yadav paved the way for reservation politics and severe castism in Bihar. But as we say Success can lead to misery once it goes to our heads.
Unexpected and unlimited political admiration from common people, and then overnight success accompanied by unruly party workers led to the downfall of this charismatic leader of Bihar. There were times of hyperbolic activities by the party workers of the then Janta Dal once Lalu Yadav became a stronger leader in Bihar. I still remember when my parents were going to vote in the state assembly elections and they encountered some booth-grabbers who shamelessly told them that their vote had already been cast.
It’s 2024 A.D.
India has an elaborately brilliant history of democracy.
Although India has been enslaved for years, at the same time, numerous invaders came to India only to rob her fortune.
Despite the hard-earned independence from British rule, India was dealt a devastating blow with the partition. However, it is disheartening that India still falls short in various developmental parameters. It’s time for us to acknowledge the shortcomings and work towards achieving a better future for our beloved nation.
From the very first general elections in 1950 to the current general elections in 2024, there have been quantum leaps in India in many ways.
Conducting general elections in India is a difficult task. The scenes are not the same now. The urge in our constitution to have immaculate representatives for every other region is now biting the dust as Indian politics have now become unimaginably dirty.
Four pillars sans foundation
A democratic country takes an oath on its four pillars: the legislature, executive, judiciary, and media.
When we started as an independent, sovereign country in 1947, the most important concern was reshaping the country and restoring its pride with a keen eye on the foundation.
With a literacy rate of just 12% in 1947 and a basic lack of self-reliance in dealing with governance, India stood tall in her quest to conquer all the myths about her.
As we proceeded as a sovereign democratic republic, our lawmakers tried their best to foresee the outcomes after several years. However, in recent years, India has faced direct threats to its democratic arrangements from greedy and corrupt politicians.
I narrated one fine example in my earlier paragraph in this article. There are several examples now.
The right to vote to elect one representative is in direct danger. In many regions, prospective candidates try to persuade voters with cash and freebies. Sometimes voters are wooed, and in some way, voters are threatened either to vote for the particular party or they will have to face the consequences.
Voters are motivated in the name of caste, religion, faith, and gender–a practice strictly prohibited in our Constitution.
Targeting or intimidating opposition is so common now.
During the last panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh, there were so many instances of unlawful violations, and many of them were from the ruling party workers who went all their way to influence the poll results.
I don’t have any likening towards any party or stuffed inclinations towards any party’s policies.
When we elect someone, they should work for the country irrespective of ideology and principles, and this should be their first and last priority.
All pillars of the democratic structure must work together for the betterment of the citizens and ensure that they are treated intelligently and fairly.
Unfortunately, this is now a forgotten trait of many bureaucrats, elected representatives, administrative officials, affluent judges, and most established media houses. This is the sharpest decline in political practices in India in recent years.
What is missing in Indian politics?
- What would we call it if the fruit started boasting and said tree did not exist?
- What would we say when our kids keep asking that we are good for nothing despite having a big chunk of fortune in their name?
- What should we do when political parties deliberately break the basic rules and regulations inscribed in our constitution?
- Where to put a plea of rejecting our local representative who changes sides after getting elected on a said symbol?
- What options should we have when our elected representatives turn deaf ears to our problems?
- Should we be tempted to elect our representatives in the name of a particular sect without thinking about the genuine concerns of the area?
- Education is not merely a quality; it’s an essential minimum requirement to choose our representative. Can we afford to ignore this fact?
- Political turncoats are like the worst nightmares in politics. Don’t we have a right to recall our representative when they snub the local sentiments and mandate?
- Why should we remind ourselves that ‘might is always right’?
- Why should people consider themselves above the rule of law once elected?
- Why are Polarization and Radicalization still haunting India?
- Why are women, half of the population, still lagging behind their male counterparts despite having a fair share in education and development processes?
- Why do political parties sing caste and religious berceuse to get votes from the community?
- Why are real issues ignored and falsification allowed when we are fully aware that it may lead to negative consequences in the future?
- Why does an established name think itself invincible?
- Why are basic facilities still unavailable in many areas of the country?
- Why are people’s sufferings not reducing even after heavy taxes?
- Why is the gap between poverty and wealth increasing instead of decreasing?
- Why do these leaders, once elected, try to take over the entire system?
- Why is raising questions about unemployment and inflation a decry against the government?
- Why is the country’s economy being overshadowed by trivial matters with little impact on growth?
It is puzzling why leaders, once elected, attempt to take over the whole system. Is it not their responsibility to serve and represent the people who voted for them? Trying to gain complete control undermines the very essence of democracy and puts personal power above the needs of the people. Elected officials must remain accountable and transparent to those they serve.
With the upcoming general elections in India, I request my beloved country’s people to consider themselves above all the one-sided notions and pictures shown by the political parties. They are nothing without our support. They don’t deserve another chance when they can’t fulfill the promises of their previous term.
In a democracy, it is imperative to remember that power lies with the people.
If there are real concerns and issues regarding the country’s economy, security, administration, system, and management, people use their expertise to elect their representatives wisely and sensibly.
This is the most important responsibility of a lawful citizen of a country.
Voting right is both fundamental and constitutional.