With assembly elections approaching in J&K and Haryana, it would be interesting to see how much impact recent pan-Indian events have had on voters’ thinking. The inroads made by the INDI Alliance in the Lok Sabha elections were the result of caste-based insecurity among the backward and Dalit sections of society. The claim that the BJP would change the Constitution and end reservations found credence among such voters. Even the outlandish promises being made by, primarily, Rahul Gandhi that ninety percent of the population would get a proportionate share in power found traction among the gullible.
Now, however, three months down the line, will perception have changed as reality has begun to emerge about the actual agenda and performance of the Alliance constituents? The nature of the TMC governance model in West Bengal has been more than exposed as oppressive and exploitative, based entirely on muscle power. The almost daily revelations regarding systemic corruption in Karnataka and Kerala are exposing how fake are the claims regarding egalitarian objectives. Also, the pitfalls that exist in coming to power on the basis of unsustainable freebies and tall promises have become obvious in the Congress ruled states of Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.
The willingness of parties, particularly the Congress and AAP, to tie-up with other outfits just for the sake of power, regardless of fundamental ideological differences exposes their deep hypocrisy. They abuse each other in one state and get together in another. So, will the people be watching this and revising their opinions, or will it just be consolidation of committed votes? Haryana’s is a deeply caste-ridden society that is struggling to come to terms with prosperity and the challenges it brings. Will the state miss the bus to further development by reverting to caste and urban-rural divisions?
The people of J&K have already shaken the traditional balance of power in the Lok Sabha elections through a healthy voter turnout that rejected separatist calls for a boycott. Instead, even separatists participated in the polls. The assembly elections are likely to further increase this democratic inclusivity, providing a stake to a wider spectrum of public opinion in governance. The recently forged Congress-National Conference alliance doesn’t have much to offer as caste divisions are not present to be exploited. Return of statehood is an ineffective promise as that is anyway inevitable. The important point is whether necessary lessons have been learned by the electorate of both poll-bound states in the past three months.
