Campaigning ended on Tuesday for the two states that will go to the polls on 23 April – West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Voting in Tamil Nadu will take place in a single phase, while it will be in two phases in West Bengal, where the second round will be held on 29 April. These two states represent shades of Indian politics that represent a challenge to the prevailing ‘Hindutva’ ideology of the present. Under the present Chief Ministers and political parties in power, people are being sought to be persuaded not so much on the performance of the last five years, but by highlighting ethnic and cultural identities. The question, therefore, is what would be the implications of victories for the present incumbents – will they tone down the rhetoric that underlines separatism, or interpret it as a mandate for increasing confrontation with the Centre.
While Tamil Nadu’s present government may claim to be heading a state that is doing well, overall, on development parameters, the question is whether this is due to or despite its efforts. Is the ‘Dravidian’ ideology so deeply programmed into a section of society merely a means to keep a political dynasty in power? The big question is whether the traditional rival, the AIADMK, is going to make a comeback with its allies. Also, whether the new challenger that has emerged, the TVS under film actor Vijay is going to play spoiler. Are the people capable of making an informed decision that would not endanger the democratic and constitutional structure of the state?
A similar, even deeper challenge faces West Bengal. Conditions there are so dire that the Election Commission has had to adopt the most stringent measures to ensure the people can come out and vote free of pressure and intimidation. In fact, it would have been advisable to have had a brief period of President’s rule in the state before holding elections. Here, too, for different reasons, the ruling party has compromised on not just the nation’s territorial integrity, but behaves as though the state is the personal property of an individual, to be bequeathed to a family member in the future. Little or no thought is being given to the decline in the economy and future prospects such governance has caused. People are being served mere divisive rhetoric in the hope that triggering emotional responses will conceal the existing reality.
Considering these circumstances, it is time that a change of government in both states provides relief from the existing stifling ideological environment. That’s how democracy works.
