Irrespective of what the politicians and expert observers say, to a casual observer, most elections appear similar even though the stakes may vary. With the media too working as usual to cover the elections from the same old perspectives while also attempting to bring in a fresh angle in presentation, one thought of recollecting what some noted and knowledgeable personalities had opined about elections and political campaigning.
American philosopher and political activist Naom Chomsky had observed, “There's a lot of fuss on the Left about election irregularities, like, you know, the voting machines were tampered with, they didn't count the votes right, and so on. That's all accurate and of some importance, but of far more importance is the fact that elections just don't take place, not in any meaningful sense of the term 'election'.”
Another noted personality, playwright and political activist George Bernard Shaw went further stating, “An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle except for the blood; a mud bath for every soul concerned in it.” One might view such opinions as influenced by the times and specific situations which these people had observed at that particular time. However, in some cases, though the views were expressed many decades ago, they still seem relevant even though politics, election and campaigning have evolved considerably with enhanced technology, means of communication and societal changes.
Like the view of the 29th president of USA, Warren G Harding, the Indian versions of which can be heard being uttered in the campaign for Lok Sabha elections by some of the politicians here too. Harding had said, “I don't know much about Americanism, but it's a damn good word with which to carry an election.” Here, we have some politicians talking of eradicating poverty after being given the opportunity to do so for more than five decades, which makes their critics state that either the solution is not understood by them or that the intention to act seriously is lacking. It is not as if fantastic statements are being made by members of only one particular party, since fantastic and even preposterous statements are made by politicians of most political parties.
Like the chief minister of West Bengal who opined that “Prime Minister Modi is the uncle of Hitler” and that if he comes to power again, there will not be elections anymore. One could view such absurd statements as marking a new level in silliness which also expose the manner in which some politicians thrive on influencing and scaring the public with seemingly baseless projections. In this case, even if Modi is perceived to be powerful and even autocratic by some, is it really possible for him to do away with elections in a democracy like India? At the state level, in Uttarakhand too, there is no dearth of silly statements being made even by veteran politicians. Like one veteran politician calling the candidate of the rival party- another veteran politician- a “lone monkey”. The candidate referred to as the lone monkey then retorts by calling the rival politician a drenched bird unable to fly. One wonders what the real intention is behind such statements. Is it to entertain the voters, distract them or to criticise a rival to maintain appearances without really working against him? One is reminded of what American journalist and satirist HL Mencken said about political campaigns. He had said, “A national political campaign is better than the best circus ever heard of, with a mass baptism and a couple of hangings thrown in.”
One could point out various flaws in the campaigning and various positive aspects too in the election process but then hardly anything is perfect, that too when undertaken on a scale as vast as in India. Hopefully in the future, the democracy will evolve further, making the current level of campaigning unnecessary. Having said that, democracy being the best available option with elections being the more powerful form of expression for the voters, one does look forward to the day of polling and declaration of results. As the day of reckoning inches closer, one hopes that the people- especially politicians unable to win- remember what the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had once said. She had said after losing the 1977 elections, “Winning or losing of the election is less important than strengthening the country.”