Why Assembly election results are a message to the political class of the country
The public has the last word in a democracy and we were once again reminded of that fact as the assembly election results for the five states rolled in. The vast swathe of Hindi heartland once again delivered their verdict – one which reflected their mood and a statement of intent to the political parties.
This was the first real setback for PM Modi-Amit Shah led BJP election machine. Yes, Punjab was lost and Congress retained Karnataka, but this is the biggest setback yet for the ruling coalition. It is not as if a BJP loss is a reflection of the popular mood, neither is a BJP win a suppression of popular mandate.
The ruling combination is in power courtesy the people's mandate. And all the electoral victories the ruling NDA combine has registered since then is courtesy the people's choice and not because of malfunctioning EVMs. But in a democracy whenever one party or combine wins without breaks it sometimes does seems like it is a race between it and the opposition, trying to catch up.
The people's will, their voice, is somewhere lost in the narrative. Across Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana the voters re-established their primacy.
2014 saw the will of the people propel the BJP-led NDA to power. Since then, the ruling combine has notched up a string of electoral successes. Congress lost its primacy in Indian politics – in numbers and perception. Somewhere in the maze and glorious victories the voice of the farmers, the middle class, small businessmen, the commonest of the common men got feebler and feebler.
The focus of the politicians seemingly shifted elsewhere. It probably moved towards establishing the political primacy of the ruling combine across India. Probably towards replacing Congress, emerging as the winning alternative – probably the only alternative. December 11, 2018, will help BJP refocus.
There is nothing against a strong, majority rule in a democracy, but when the opposition gets marginalised, the focus of the narrative shifts. If the opposition starts facing an existential crisis then it becomes a one-sided bout in a democracy. The demands, the voices of the people lose importance – survival becomes the name of the game. For a long time, it seemed that 2019 is headed for a now-familiar conclusion, but December 11 has changed that perception substantially.
Issues like agrarian distress, lack of jobs were finding voices across large areas of the country. Agitations, mobilisation of the desperate, poor and downtrodden were increasingly being witnessed. The higher echelons of the government and administration had their issues – two RBI governors left.
For the first time in history, senior judges of the apex court met the press, unprecedented tussle in the CBI – yet there was marked reluctance to open up for debate and discussion – particularly of the critical type.
In a democracy, the voice of people should be the voice of the parties in power. Their narrative the focal point of action.
The assembly election verdict is not a premonition, it is a wakeup call for those in power. It resets the narrative just months ahead of the general elections. The voters have shown the way, now it is for the parties to follow, the ruling, the opposition, the regional parties.
The focus is back on issues that concern the commoners. Agenda of the people, set by the people. After all, this is the beauty of our democracy.