To Vote is more IMPORTANT than just holding the Candle marchs.!

The voting percentage in urban areas ( metros) is relatively low than the voting percentage in the rural areas. This some how depicts that the the people who belong to these rural areas are more educated in terms of exercising their universal adult franchisee i.e. their power to elect the people who they feel about and who should run the country. But why the urban class lack the drive to exercise it.......... The reason behind this not so encouraging outcome is that they dont find it worthy or may be the politicos themselves. But when it comes to a roadshow, one can find a flock of people hovering around the INDIA GATE holding candles in their hands and shouting slogans... I am not saying that its not important to show solidarity with someone but its equally or more important to vote with the same enthusiasm. This largest democracy saw its largest voter turnout in 1984. Apart from that the voter turnout remained a mere 50-52%. we should understand that a democracy needs the involvement of their people and without it the democracy holds no importance. If we dont vote then we dont even have the right to say in the government proceedings. However, this time the election is somehow different in many terms ( you can refer to the other articles in this blog to know how is it different?). Earlier the motive of the various awareness campaigns, regarding elections, were limited to just making people understant thet they need to vote but this time it has beeen followed by the slogan to choose the right people and " no criminals in politics". This shows that earlier campiagns to bring people out to the polling booths have been relatively successful,if not completely, but we have to go a long way to be prudly call us a true democracy. Remember : Change is universal and a slow but constant process. So what we need now is patience and optimism. I hope this time the people in the urban sector too realizes their worth and comeout of their air conditioned havens and show some some involvement because its us who decides the fate of the country by hitting the right button.

THREE MUSKETEERS FORM THE FOURTH FRONT TO NEGOTIATE THEIR HIDDEN DESIRE.

Three musketeers form the fourth front to negotiate their hidden desire. What is politics and who are the politician? Without thinking twice and pondering over the matter it can be said that politics is something described as an opportunist game. And the distinct creature on the earth, which has never missed the chance to capitalize it over their rivals when subjected to such an opportunity, is known as a politician. They may take any path, sometimes unprecedented, to achieve this. Generally, they compel others to follow in but at times they try the easy route of deceiving which is in vogue as the elections are around the corner. In the Indian political context this phenomenon is underlined and can be understandable as every second person thrives to put others behind him and doesn’t endeavor to move ahead himself. They make decisive changes at the last moment so that their rivals don’t get time to plan their strategy. But this habit of last minute hiccups sometimes forces their friends to doubt their intentions. Same is the case with Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ramvilas Paswan. They joined hands to defeat their rivals in the Hindi belt. They have a common rival in Bharatiya Janata Party whereas; they are fighting with their individual rivals in the form of JD (U) in Bihar and BSP in Uttar Pradesh. Paswan has a rival in both of them. His rivalry with JD (U) is because of home turf while he is against BSP because of loosing ground on the dalit cause. The coming together of the three reminds the days of JP movement. It may be the loyalties of those days that may have prompted them to think about this poll pact. However, their aligning into a fourth front is definitely not be mistaken as their affection for each other. Their loyalty towards each other is just because of the fact that their objective is similar if not same. Things that appear as simple may be exactly the opposite because ye politics hai mere yaar…. In this election its almost clear that a single party, may be a single coalition too, is not going to get the majority i.e. there is a very fair chance for smaller parties to struck a deal on their terms and conditions. Also, this is a festive season for the players who had an embedded fantasy of holding the key ministries or even the top job. Both the two major coalitions NDA and UPA will leave no room to get their numbers corrected but if they fail, will succumb to any demand of the regional players to stop the other from holding the office. This election is a power differentiator as none of the parties is confident of their performance and hence the power will be divided into different blocks. The other end of the ropes will be tied with the regional parties and this very fact is known to the three leaders of the so called fourth front, and they want this once in a lifetime opportunity to yield maximum in their favor. It’s quite clear that Paswan and Lalu Yadav had decided their coming together and leaving congress out of the alignment, long back but accepted it only recently to avoid any misunderstanding with their other partners. These three leaders are smart, outspoken, and don’t hesitate to let their feeling known to their partners. They are well aware that the UPA needs their backing to form the government. This is a give and take world politics and no social service. It’s an industry which needs tremendous expertise which they probably have in them because of their long stint as politicians spread over decades. Once you make a mistake and you have to suffer for the rest of your stint as a politician. Hence, if they support congress there has to be something substantial in return to satisfy their demands. It would be interesting to watch what they offer to UPA after the results are out. However, they have already maintained that Manmohan Singh will be their Prime Minister candidate and their loyalty will always remain with the UPA but have maintained a pin drop silence about the other key ministries like Home, Defense and Railways. No need to say that Lalu Yadav has a hidden desire for ministry of home affairs which he had almost bagged the last time and Paswan lost the railways to Lalu. Also this time individually they are all weak in their respective regions as compared to earlier which may hinder their prospects this time. So they have decided to go as a team for the 134 seats of U.P., Bihar, and Jharkhand and their primary objective is the corner the maximum of it so as to project themselves in a better position for the post poll negotiation.

BJP ONCE AGAIN DANCES TO THE HINDUTVA TUNE..

The soon to be 2009 elections were widely perceived as an election set to be fought on a different note and tune. The issues this time were completely different from the earlier caste based politics. But as it seems the Indian politicians have learnt no lessons from their counterparts in the U.S., the oldest democracy, which came over an age by electing Barack Obama for the top job and belied the myth that a black cant be named and hold the White house whereas the Indians might have just learnt the opposite. The election which could have been fought on the prospects of development, countering the terror threat, limiting the adverse affect of the economic recession, has taken a drastic unwanted turn in pilibhit, the constituency from where Varun the ‘other Gandhi’ and BJP candidate has been nominated. Varun spilt venom while addressing a rally, allegedly against a community and not against a party which was beyond expectation. His alleged remarks has put the election scenario in the country to resemble the situation prevailed during the first quarter of the 90s, that too at a time when e very country is endeavoring hard to maintain their pace with other nation in every respect. However, BJP and Varun Gandhi denied the allegations but the prolonged silence maintained by the party top brass prompts the party’s intentions to doubt and now it is silently trying to capitalize the situation in Uttar Pradesh and in other parts of India. It seems as if Varun Gandhi is being projected as the Narendra Modi of Uttar Pradesh- a state which is yet to heal the cicatrix of the Babri masjid demolition. This incident can’t be ignored as just an act of imbecile’s work but an age old agenda that BJP strives on, since its inception as an incessant party. The BJP has always tried to garner popularity and corner votes while dancing on the hindutva tune. Not long before, the subordinates of this party rugged Kandhamal in Orissa which forced the 12 year old ally BJD to part ways. Also, after it came to power in Karnataka the fundamentalists hold the state for a ransom and ran a parallel government or better we say a fundamentalist government in the name of Sri Ram Sene under the nose of B.S. Yeddurappa. Whatsoever be the motive behind this, BJP has got what it desperately needed from this controversy. It has reminded the voters about the party’s agenda and filled the party workers with enthusiasm and the drive to work with more energy who till now were not doing much but hibernating. Now, BJP rallies will see a much larger audience who echoes the same thoughts as the party does. This incident has given them the much needed push which will last till the polls are over. But for how long we are going to pay the price of being a united, secular nation that too because of a handful of people who believe in a different way. For how long will we become the victim of these politics? The stakes in this election are very high. On one hand we have leaders who are being projected as P.M. probably for the last time and on the other a league of aspirants who are not sure of bagging enough seats but are sure of their capability of bargain a deal. They are leaving no stone unturned to make the most of the opportunity. Also, a few who are not just trying to prove their worth in this election but are viewing it as an opportunity to make the ground for a smooth ride in the next which is not much far as the government this time is expected to be highly unstable. Now the time has passed to bemoan our helplessness and its time to prove our (read as voters) mettle, so that our silence may not be perceived as our weakness that can be put to test every now and then. Also, it’s time to throw them out to taste the water and make them realize that we are no more puppets whose strings are in the hands of these politicians. So it’s time for a smart usage of our universal adult franchise so that the future beacon us as united and not divided.

FRIENDSHIP SUCCUMBS AS POLITICS TAKES THE CENTRESTAGE

ARISTOTLE ONCE said, “Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies”. But when it comes to politics everything takes a U-turn. At least this is what the Indian politicians are all about. There is no room for friendship in politics, as a matter of fact, party leaders or parties which appear as friends today may turn foes in no time. It’s all about the numbers and calculations to secure the future prospects. The latest surprise which the, yet to be, 15th Lok Sabha elections have offered is just the same. The king of ‘make or break’ politics, Lalu Prasad Yadav has done it again. The ruthless hand dealt by Lalu, by announcing a poll-pact with Ramvilas Paswan’s Lok Jana Shakti Party and giving a jolt to the Congress’ expectations of having a larger share in Bihar. The self proclaimed, “friend” of the grand old party has stunned them by offering just 3 seats to fight --- which a less than the previous share and too at a time when the Congress party was considering a greater chances defending its chances. In retaliation Congress has also moved ahead with a pact with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) without prior notification to Lalu. But this is not all; there are other instances which depict that friendship and loyalty of a party has succumbed to the political pressure and bargain to gain a larger share in the elections and champion their cause of vote share. Recently, Naveen Patnaik of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has done the same by calling-off a 12-year-old alliance with the NDA in Orissa. He has decided to go it alone in the coming elections. The reason behind this face-off is the widely perceived as doubts about the NDA’s prospects in the next general elections. Also, Naveen Patnaik wants to widen his options for post-poll alliance. With the D-day heading nearer, all the political parties have folded up their sleeves to take on others as well as any opportunity coming their way to place themselves on-board. These two are not alone in their quest for a new shelter and make the most of now. They have found a partner in the NCP chief, Sharad Pawar, who is eyeing the prime minister’s seat if the two major alliances fail to secure a considerable number of seats. His hope lies in the dilly-dallying Third Front. The Maratha strongman has already announced that it is Maharashtra’s turn to serve the country and leading the top job. He is one man who has friends in every nook and corner of the political spectrum and he knows how to use them in the best possible manner and at the right time. He has hinted at a possible break-up with the UPA by visiting the Sena chief and withdrawing a case filed against him by his partymen. Apart from these, the Samajawadi Party -- famous for their pendulum like character of switching sides, is another case of friend who can turn foes anytime.With Amar Singh supporting the Maratha for the top job it is quite predictable that the Congress is skeptical about any pre-poll and post-poll alliance with it. However, the Indian polity heaved a sigh of relief as Mayawati refused to join any front. Her declaration to face the elections alone has placed some belief in the principals of politics. She has become the savior of people’s belief in the downtrodden leading the political scenario in India.All these uncalled events have left the parent party in a state of tizzy and dilemma. Now every single party is suspicious of the other members. The result is that none of the parties is willing to disclose their strategy till the last minute, making the situation more difficult and unfriendly for the candidates. This is just the beginning. With less than a month left to go for the biggest democratic exercise on Mother Earth, a lot more drama is about to take place, withering the people’s faith and belief in a democratic set-up.

The era of coalition politics....

Tupsy-turvy era of coalition politics. The era of coalition in Indian politics is now a decade old, but we are yet to see any fruitful benefits out of it. The main reason behind the formation of two blocks in Indian political system has always been a compulsion to prohibit the other from joining the power centre. Both the blocks, namely the NDA and the UPA,which was inspired by the formation and structure of the NDA i.e. one major national party at the helm and several regional parties participating, started allying with regional parties not by choice or because of their similar ideologies but because of the post poll compulsion of 1998 general election. Thus, the basis of coalition has never been the national interest but the self interest the political parties to defeat the other and secure the north block. The dawn of the coalition era dates back to 1998 when after repeated attempts the BJP, led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, failed to offer a stable government. It was then that the political honchos in BJP’s central committee arrived to a conclusion of allying with the regional players to get closer to the magical number required to form the government at the centre. The announcement of the National Democratic Alliance in May 1998 signalled the first step in the building of the coalition, which formed the Government in 1998, but collapsed within a year due to the AIADMK pulling out. But it moved ahead to win the next elections held in 1999, with a greater majority and new alliances. The formation of the NDA-government led to an internal debate in the congressional brass. It was widely felt that on the lines of NDA the congress and the non-allied parties should form another block to counter it, as it was almost impossible to form a government single handedly. After the elections it was quite clear that the ruling NDA is far behind the required number and this opportunity led to the formation of UPA (united progressive alliance) soon after the 2004 general elections. The UPA's policies were initially guided by a common minimum programme that the alliance hammered out with fruitful consultations with Jyoti Basu and Harkishan Singh Surjeet of the 59 member Left front. Hence, government policies were generally perceived as center-left, reflecting the centrist policies of the INC and the Left. Despite having a common minimum programme allied parties always targeted the congress party for some or the other reason. But just after the UPA sealed the Indo-US nuke deal, the left parties withdrew their support and kicked the government on the verge of collapse. However, at that time the Samajwadi Party saved the government during the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition against the UPA resulting in a completetion of the full term of the UPA government. At one point of time both these parties, INC and Samajwadi Party were foes and now they are friends which show the ideological differences among the two parties. However, in a political setup like the one we have its very difficult predict which party will corner itself with which party. In the recent time, after the dates for the 15th Lok Sabha elections were announced, all the major parties started to set up a front to project themselves as the leading contender for the top job, irrespective of their earlier rivalries. This election is quite different from the earlier ones. This time it’s a 3-way fight and not the traditional 2-way. The formation of the third front has led to the sleepless nights for both the major parties. Also, the unclear picture about the voter’s favorite party has increased the risk. Despite the shortcomings of the coalition governments, there is something good which we have sidelined. The more and more participation of the regional parties have put the regional issues on the central table, which otherwise would have been not treated sincerely. In his election, the effort of the parent party is to focus on the regional issues through the regional allies to maximize their gain. So, it would be wrong to say that the coalition era has been an all wrong political era but it has been a mixed bag with some compromises and some challenges. The Third front joining the fray has made the fight more interesting and forces the other parties to have a reality check on their previous work.