Many believe, this election is the biggest metamorphosis in politics ever since the caterpillar turned into a butterfly. New, issue and not caste-based parties, a voter revolution, political brand building, technological slugfests, online campaigning and high-flying professionals dumping their million-rupee jobs to jump into the fray has made this General Election a watershed in Indian democracy, says DEEBASHREE MOHANTY
The IPl sponsors are in a tizzy. TV productions houses are haphazardly changing track like there is no tomorrow. Even big banner filmmakers are playing the waiting game — for, it’s election time and no one in the nation wants to miss it.
“We are not going to miss the polling, the analysis, the results, the speculation — there is much more mirch-masala here than in the drama dish! It is like a multi-starrer film with good and bad characters, evil goons, a few vamps, some veterans and some clowns in there too,” says ace director Mahesh Bhatt.
So, what is so great in this lok Sabha elections that youngistan wants to discuss, predict and even speculate over a pint of beerIJ “This time round, it will be a nail biting thriller. One doesn’t know which way the match is going till the last vote is counted. That makes this election special. Also, the candidates’ list is very interesting. It is not the regular mix and match thrown at us. It is an intelligent choice to keep the Indian diaspora and the youth hooked,” Mayur Shekhar Jha, a popular political analyst who has been covering elections for 20 years, says about the GE 2014’s positives.
As far as numbers go, the 16th lok Sabha elections will see 814 million people casting their votes using 1.7 million electronic voting machines, across 930,000 polling stations to elect 543 representatives. Around 120 million voters will be exercising their franchise for the first time.
“Even though change is the only constant, there have been huge changes since the last election in 2009. It is a comparatively young and dashing brigade of candidates that is seeking our votes, the debates and rallies have started talking sense and advertising campaigns become more meaningful. It is a step in the right direction,” Ram Chandra Gulati senior professor of Indian Polity at Jawahar lal Nehru University (retd) says.
The innovative advertising campaigns have not only caught the pulse of the 18-45 year olds (who have a 52 % vote share), but also ensured that image-building of the candidate and the party has been done in new ways. Catchy one-liners like ‘Ab Ki baar Modi Sarkar, Jai Ho and Aam Aadmi ki Badhtey Kadam’ have become talking points and the aam aadmi is being lured by a different kind of door-to-door campaigning.
Because of the stiff Election Commission rules, there has been a noticeable dip in the money splurged by candidates to woo their voters this time. Instead, they have resorted to other means. Wives or relatives of the candidate have been doing the door-to-door canvassing. For those expecting big gifts in return for votes, this election is turning out to be a dampener. But those expecting an intellectual debate instead of a monologue at rallies are getting their time’s worth.
“Indeed, GE 2014 has come a long way. In Haryana, UP and Jharkhand, the rallies have been very interactive. There is a lot of counter questioning that has been allowed and the candidates have been well prepared to field queries from the crowds. That has been a big difference this time,” Jha says.
He adds that even the electoral jargon has had a makeover with cliché being replaced with aam lingo. So, rallies have become road shows and campaigns, an art canvas. According to most analysts, it is these road shows that have struck a chord with young voters. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, for instance, has been a part of as many as 13 roadshows in his constituency. “These road shows have an entertainment value and politicians like Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal can make full use of them. For veterans like Modi, it is still the old fashioned rally to abide by,” Jha tells you.
While many road shows have been talked about, a debate held in Chandigarh between actress Gul Panag (AAP), Kirron Kher (BJP) and Pawan Bansal (Congress) is being given as an example of change.In a unique get-together, the three rival candidates shared a podium before the public to discuss the issues facing the nation and how their respective parties would be dealing with them.
“This is the kind of democracy we need, a democracy in which three opponents debate over issues in a sophisticated and intelligent manner. Just goes to show how new blood from a different class of the society can bring about a huge change in the manner in which elections are conducted.
“The joining of professionals and pioneers from the corporate world will leave a positive mark on Indian polity whatever the outcome of this election may be. The active participation of the middle and upper middle class is refreshing and this may change the political scene in India in the next decade,” professor Gulati says, adding that the likes of Nandan Nilekani, Meera Sanyal, Sameer Nair and many others have given politics a clean uplift. “Now it has a character at least,” the professor opines.
Former Chief Election Commissioner Brij Bihari Tandon agrees. “We cannot ignore the fact that this election has got a lot of support and cheer from the middle class section and the Indian diaspora. There are two reasons for this: The public can now identify with the candidate. Professionals and civil servants appear to be more normal than the regular profile of a electoral candidate. They may not all emerge winners but they would have brought about a positive change. NRIs have taken keen interest in this election because they know how a Government in India can impact them,” Tandon says.
Analysts, however, have a different take on this fresh professionalism in politics. While many say that this youthful sophistication will reek of inexperience (giving the Kejriwal example of 49 days of misgovernance), there are others who feel that if these people manage to win even one seat it will mean victory of a new kind of democracy in India.
Though a whopping 178 professionals from across sectors are fighting for a place in the lok Sabha this year, talk is that only .01% may manage to take the battle to victory. So, what happens to professionals who have dumped their cushy jobs to jump into the frayIJ
“For over 60 years since Independence, the middle class and thinking professionals have shunned politics and remained disengaged with voting. In the past five years, however, things have changed. Now, this section wants to make policies and clean the system by being in the system. These people have proved that if we really want a change, we need to be proactive. Most of these ‘officers’ are great businessmen and will find something or the other to keep themselves in the fray. Their standing for elections has inspired many others,” Surya Prakash, political columnist and author of What Ails The Indian Parliament, says. He also gives you a reason why most of these professionals have joined the Aam Aadmi Party.
According to him, the domination of the UPA from 2004 to 2014 created a vacuum with the Opposition failing to exploit it. “As an Opposition party, the BJP failed to take advantage of this vacuum. In the last 2-3 years, people like Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal exploited this vacuum. The AAP gave a platform to professionals who always wanted to engage in politics and were on the lookout for a ‘clean party’. With AAP forming Delhi Government without any corruption charges to its name, people like Gopal Krishnan felt comfortable joining them. The challenge will be for these professionals to join either the ruling or the Opposition party and then try to clean the mess,” Prakash explains.
The fact that the jury is still out on whether academicians and head honchos can disturb the traditional way India votes, has not stopped senior bureaucrats to take voluntary retirement from top positions and join politics.
“Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh still has three years of service left but has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and contest the forthcoming elections from Baghpat in western UP. His main rival is RlD giant Ajit Singh. Similarly, Additional Director General (ADG) of Police PK Jain resigned from the Indian Police Service to join the Ramdas Athavale-led RPI and will contest the Assembly polls from Mumbai later this year. This is a trend to watch out for. It is okay for Bollywood celebrities to come into politics and dazzle for a while. But for senior civil servants to take VRS and join the political bandwagon means that our future is in safe hands,” Jha says.
Although there has been a noticeable difference in the choice of candidates and the role of modernisation, analysts still are unable to rule out the caste and regional factors holding prime place in voting moods.
“We have seen a massive decline in the criminalisation of politics from the 1970s. In 2009, some known goons like Pappu Yadav and Shahbuddin from Bihar contested elections but lost miserably. In 2014, there has been a decline of over 70 per cent such candidates with a criminal past. Sadly, caste and regional factors are still rampant. The AAP may claim of doing things differently but they, too, have been compelled to field people like Yogendra Yadav, for example, from Gurgaon as it is a Yadav dominated area. Goes to show how our mindset is yet to change,” Jha points out.
Identity politics, caste and regional factors may still be the main drivers in the election scene but some prominent political commentators believe that, with time, even this is going to change. “It is here that the educated and professional section of society will help in a big way. If not anything, they will make Indian politics a force to reckon with. Even if they manage two seats in Parliament, they can ask the right questions. That will make all the difference,” Tandon points out.
For Gulati and Prakash though, it is this identity politics that needs to be shunned completely for Indian politics to prosper.
“In 1957, there were only 12 parties in the lok Sabha. Today, there are 47 and tomorrow there might be more than 60 if caste-based politics isn’t felled. Social diversity has got translated into political diversity and this, in turn, has led to instability. It is for this reason alone that Narendra Modi has been welcomed with open arms. I had seen this kind of pan-Indian support during 1973 when Indira Gandhi broke away from the Indian National Congress to form her own party. She emerged as a national figure and much like Modi this time. He has broken into the Dalit, Jat and lingayat strongholds and there is support coming in from all quarters,” Prakash says.
Another big ticket change this year for many is the number of literates exercising their voting rights and how the illiterate population has come of age. “They use EVMs with precision, know their candidate very well and are no longer willing to be pressurised for voting. Money for votes is no longer the mantra and they are willing to exercise their right,” Tandon says, adding that televised campaigns have made this year’s elections more comfortable for politicians and the janata alike.
“April, May and June are tough months for most candidates to step out and attend rallies due to the heat. But thanks to satellite television and mobile phones that have penetrated more than a million homes, one interview or a speech reaches the masses without the candidate having to sweat it out. This is a smart way of canvassing and can be seen as a modern method,” Tandon says.
“Kejriwal has brought in the realisation that if you want change, be instrumental in bringing it. This election will pave the way for the future elections in India. My forecast for the upcoming lS elections — aam aadmi in the form of professionals, bureaucrats and other intellectuals will have some share in Parliament, Indian politics will not be divided in caste segments and identity and sibling politics will be shunned,” Tandon adds.
Apart from the people change marking GE 2014, technology, too, has played a big role in making this a completely different experience. Manual guarding of electoral booths, for instance, has given way to mobile applications where party workers can provide live updates to their respective netas.
Is this not change, and change in the right directionIJ The nation wants to, and will, know on May 16, 2014.
Trendsetters
NANDAN NIlEKANI:
He is one of the richest candidates in this General Election with declared assets of `7,700. The man who scripted the UID scheme Nilekani is fighting from the high-profile constituency of Bangalore South. He joined the Congress last month.
MEERA SANYAl:
Resigned as CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland to fight on AAP ticket from Mumbai South. Her aversaries are Milin Deora from Congress and Arvind Sawant from Shiv Sena. Her second contest. Fought and lost as an Independent in 2009 from the same constituency. Is the president of liberals India for Good Governance, a non-profit thinktank that provides a platform for like-minded liberals and active citizens to work towards improving the quality of life and governance in India. An MBA from INSEAD, France, and a Harvard graduate. As CEO of Royal Bank of Scotland, Sanyal financed over 6.5 lakh women in rural India.
V BAlAKRISHNAN:
Resigned as director, Infosys, to join AAP. Says he is in politics because he is fascinated with the AAP revolution. The party, he says, is the most successful start-up ever by an IITian. Believes Arvind Kejriwal needs to find a balance between populist measures and economic growth.
SAMEER NAIR:
Quit as CEO Star TV network to join AAP. Helms the party’s communication strategy. A votary of the Jan lokpal campaign. Wants to contribute to the ‘change' AAP is bringing into Indian politics.
JAYADEV GAllA:
Resigned as Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Amara Raja Batteries limited to join the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). From Chittoor in the Rayalaseema region. Was instrumental in the shaping the employment intensive Rajiv Yuva Kiranulu project and played a key role in spearheading regional development initiatives as head of the Andhra Pradesh chapter of Confederation of Indian Industry. Tipped to be the party’s candidate from Guntur.
AYODHYA RAMI REDDY:
Resigned as Executive Chairman and Director of Ramky Infrastructure ltd to join YSR Congress Party. An engineering graduate with more than 30 years of experience in the field, Reddy has built an infrastructure conglomerate valued at around `5,000 crore. He is set to contest from a constituency in coastal Andhra Pradesh.