The country is staring at a pivotal national election which will determine the future course of politics and the survival of democracy. With nearly 96.88 crore voters eligible to vote, India is the largest electorate in the world, according to the Election Commission (EC). Over 2 crore new electors in the age group of 18 to 29 are said to have been added in the electoral rolls since the last LS election. But will the large number of voters below the age group of 40 - presumably far more educated and informed than their senior generation - bring to democracy the much needed quality in their choices and upend the calculated and calibrated strategy of political parties and their consultant agencies?
There are already questions from citizens on whether or not this national election will be free and fair. The run up to this election is ridden with reports of a drop in India’s position to 108th in the Electoral Democratic Index from among 165 countries, according to the V-Dem Democracy report 2023. Neither is a ranking of 97th on the Liberal Democracy Index and a Press Freedom Index of 161 from among 180 countries an encouraging sign for a democracy. The recent invalidation of the Electoral bonds by the Apex Court, on grounds of being unconstitutional and against the Right to Information among other reasons, has vindicated the public's apprehension about the corruption and loot getting legally channelised by this regime through anonymous monetary exchanges in return for political favours.
Information reveals that the total funding of the party in power from all sources is believed to be approximately 7 times more than that received by the second largest party. Worse still is the attempt by government agencies to entangle the opposition parties in economic offense cases to create grounds for freezing their bank accounts and keeping them distracted in legal battles as the elections approach. With such a huge disparity in political funding coupled with harassment by government agencies, it will be tough for opposition parties to withstand the money power, propaganda
blitz, fake news and arm twisting by the current regime in this election.
With the scrapping of electoral bonds for political funding what remains unaddressed is the suspicion around the EVMs. In such a vicious political climate the doubts raised by the public about the manipulation of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in elections are reasonable.
When dodging accountability and transparency now seems to be the DNA of this government, there is enough cause for suspicion in the use of non-transparent technology systems for voting, and all the more when electronic voting has not been adopted by many technologically advanced democracies globally. The inconsistencies of the ECI in tackling election related controversies further feeds into the trust deficit.
Adding to the publics’ suspicions is the recent amendment in the People’s Representation Act to exclude the Chief Justice of India from the panel to appoint Election Commissioners, which was hurriedly approved by ignoring the opposition's concerns. Whether the justifications offered for this change hold in law is one aspect, but the timing for initiating such a move is what is suspect.
The recent tampering with votes by the Returning Officer which was captured on camera in a Mayoral election in Chandigarh, and referred to as a ‘murder of democracy’ by the Apex court, is possibly a trailer of the extent to which this regime can go to rig the results. There is a desperation sensed in the ruling political party to hold on to power at any cost. So, is it fair and rational for citizens to remain perched on the fence and keep asking, “What are the opposition parties and the courts doing to save democracy?”
Given the hostile style of this political regime, which is convinced that ‘offense is the best form of defense’, it will undoubtedly not be a level playing field for the opposition parties in the forthcoming LS elections. We see the gross misuse of the government machinery to suffocate and eliminate any traces of stubborn political resistance; all carried out under a camouflage of tackling economic offenses and handling security concerns. What must worry citizens is the absence of a sporting spirit and the bullying mentality in this political regime which shifts the goal posts and changes the rules of the game to win at any cost. Until such time that the elections are not formerly announced, the sword of ‘One nation, One election’ could be drawn out at any moment as a trump card to postpone elections if the mood of the nation is not conducive to reach the 375 seats target set by this regime.
For citizens to now conveniently wash their hands and dump the onus of saving democracy on the opposition parties is nothing but a refusal to admit their political blunder of colluding with the right wing forces a decade ago. Under the pretext of liberation from dynasty politics and corruption, was it not the people who gave a mandate to the undemocratic forces and enemies of the constitution? Shouldn’t the people now be asking themselves whether corruption and dynasty politics has ended under the regime they had voted to power in 2014? If the answer is negative, then was it an imprudent decision which has backfired badly? Or, were citizens blinded by the dust thrown in their eyes from a well curated political carnival of the anti-democracy and anti-constitution forces?
This national election will be a challenge ‘For The People’ to show their wisdom, a responsibility ‘Of The People’ to save democracy, and a verdict ‘By the People’ which will determine whether the core values of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity are still paramount for the nation.
(The writer was a Counsellor at a Drug Prevention and De-addiction Centre in Goa)
https://www.heraldgoa.in/Edit/Opinions/Election-2024-A-challenge-%E2%80%98For-the-People%E2%80%99-not-only-for-Oppn-leadership/218230
No comments:
Post a Comment