Political leaders of myriad hues have turned elections into a joke in their lust for power

Till the 1980s, June and July used to be months of activity in Kolkata’s football maidans despite the monsoon. That was the period of inter-club player transfers as a prelude to the Calcutta League. Though neither Bengal nor India were anywhere near the top 10 teams in Asia, the transfers took place with decency and dignity. The Indian Soccer League has since robbed the Calcutta League and the player transfers of their importance. The elections to five State Assemblies, to be held in February 2022, bring to mind more or less a similar scenario. Ministers, Assembly’s sitting members and the out-of-favour leaders have suddenly sprung to life and are animatedly defecting from their old party to new outfits for the lure of tickets and other benefits. In Uttar Pradesh, many Ministers and their hangers-on have jumped fences and crossed over to parties which offered to fulfil their demands. A leader in the BJP’s UP Government suddenly got enlightened that his community, Dalits and Muslims were being ignored by the Government in power since 2017 and so he walked off to the rival camp.

On why he kept quiet for five long years before crossing over to another party, his explanation was that people had given him the mandate for five years and that period was over once the election was declared! While this Minister defected to the Samajwadi Party, a leader from the house of the SP bosses jumped ship and joined the Hindutva bandwagon, portraying it as ‘secular and humane’. The Uttarakhand PCC president joined the BJP because he would not have made it to the list of party candidates in the GOP. These are not stray incidents but routine shows that play out before every election. The Aaya Rams and Gaya Rams are still around…in modern avatars. Though Rajiv Gandhi after becoming Prime Minister amended the Constitution in 1985 with a view to checking defections, our ingenious political leaders have designed new strategies to circumvent the anti-defection laws. Politics is degenerating into ‘politricks’ and has truly become the ‘Great Indian Political Circus’. If the common man opts for “one nation, one election” as proposed by the Prime Minister, it is only to get rid of this political gymnastics. A senior and respected MP was heard saying the other day she was willing to step aside provided her son was accommodated in her place. Cry, my beloved country!!