The transfer of power in the three important states of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Keralam will pose serious challenges for the new incumbents, but for different reasons. While Tamil Nadu and Keralam are overall well on the path to development on many parameters, West Bengal will need to be resuscitated from a long term coma. Each will require a sophisticated governance approach so that the people’s mandates are fully achieved.
For instance, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President C Joseph Vijay took oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister after six decades of Dravidian-ideology inspired rule. Although he does not directly subscribe to the ideology, he does not intend to undo the social structure and development model that has been created. While his rise to power is based on the Tamil people’s long fascination with film stars, this is the first time someone not affiliated to a Dravidian party has won the elections. Rajnikant and Kamal Haasan did attempt to chart their own political paths but realised early on that they would not succeed. So, now the state has a leader who neither has an established ideology, nor an established party structure, to lead on the basis of an as yet untested political vision. Immediately after becoming CM, Vijay has announced 200 units of free electricity for the people. His pre-poll promises include a number of such giveaways and he will have to be careful that his freebies do not derail the Tamil Nadu economic model that has done comparatively better than most states. Mere populism does not just harm the economy, it also damages the prospects of the party in power – as was seen in the case of AAP in Delhi.
On the other hand, CM Suvendu Adhikari in West Bengal faces an entirely different scenario. It is not just the economy that has been greatly mismanaged for petty political reasons, even the administrative structure is in a shambles. The media has reported on the many ways the running of the state had been contracted out to ‘syndicates’ whose objective was intimidation and extortion, in return for delivering votes for the Trinamool Congress. People were expected to endure all this in the name of ‘Bengali culture and identity’, regardless of the miserable conditions they had been reduced to. Bringing back normalcy will be the first challenge for the new regime.
As for Keralam, the new leader selected by the UDF will face a stagnant economy caused by a complacent and corrupt LDF. New programmes are needed to rejuvenate the system, without damaging the existing structure. All the three states will require imaginative and innovative leadership in tune with the expectations of present day India.
