The recent assembly elections have been quite stormy in the manner the campaigning took place and the ‘surprising’ results. Challenges have been thrown up that are proving hard to resolve. In West Bengal, particularly, the tradition of post-poll violence has been repeated despite the strong presence of central forces. Just imagine what would have happened if this was not the case!
All this is an example of how complex the democratic process is, given India’s vast diversity and numerous political ideologies. Conducting elections in such a situation is always a complicated and difficult task. That the Election Commission has been doing so quite effectively since Independence is truly remarkable. Other constitutional institutions have not done so well. It is important to note that the Commission has also regularly introduced reforms that have made what would otherwise have become a near impossible task, easier. India’s population has increased four-fold in these years and the sheer numbers would have proved overwhelming were it not for the timely changes brought about. There was a time when, in many states, entire booths were captured, communities denied voting rights by locally dominant groups, the counting process was lengthy and exhausting, etc. There was considerable scope for fudging the results. It is very much different now with the introduction of EVMs and other changes. Yet, the political parties still carry the memory of the past and doubt the processes.
Some problems lie beyond the scope of the Election Commission, as issues such as holding the census and fresh delimitation of constituencies to ensure each vote in the country has the same value are responsibilities of the government and the political establishment. It can conduct SIRs but with incomplete data and the ever continuing cycle of elections, it is proving to be quite a difficult process. The possibility of ‘one nation, one election’ remains distant as there are many issues involved, preventing the necessary consensus.
The general public has considerable faith in the electoral process, which is why its participation is witnessing a rising graph. It has made its opinion known with clarity in the recent elections. It is the politicians who are finding it hard to interpret it with the required honesty. (Even after the dissolution of the West Bengal Assembly, Mamata Banerjee continues to present herself as Chief Minister on her social media handle. This dissociative behaviour shows how long-term political power can further one from reality.) It is important to stay grounded and, basically, the mandate has been about that. Stop blaming the Election Commission.
