If people still have any illusions about politics and politicians, the goings on in Bihar should open their eyes somewhat. However, it should also serve as a lesson in democracy. There are countries in Europe, otherwise stable, that have had their politics so fragmented that governments and their composition have changed frequently. The system continues to function and the people may not entirely approve but have got used to it. This process is underway in some states here, also, where more than one national party, as well as several regional parties are in contention. If they come to be considered as lobbies, rather than parties, it would be easier to understand. It is less of an ideological battle, which mostly centres around the definition of secularism than anything else in the present era of BJP dominance.
Both, voters and politicians will need to wrap their minds around this development in such states. There will be a strong temptation to adopt extreme positions in the bid to keep their traditional voters in the fold. A good example of this is the DMK in Tamil Nadu, where the contenders are quite numerous – even from within the ideology it endorses. Voters will learn to live with changes in government as long as it doesn’t involve going into repeated elections. The best permutation and combination should, ultimately, be judged on the basis of quality of governance, as also the ability to meet unexpected challenges.
The Bihar developments are naturally expected to have a major impact on national politics. There seems to be little left of the INDI Alliance, with one of its major initiators having jumped ship. The falling out of the Congress with other ‘partners’ such as the TMC and AAP further aggravates the situation. It has come to what Mayawati of the BSP and, recently, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had suggested – ally after the polls if the numbers are available. The concept of putting up one candidate against the BJP in each constituency has more or less been jettisoned. It is the Congress that will be blamed mostly for the present situation because it did not act swiftly enough on holding seat negotiations. This lack of decisiveness is because of its lack of a coherent leadership, which is unaware even of its own negotiating position. Communication with the rank and file is almost non-existent. It should now focus on winning what it can on its own – politics has become too complex to unravel in the time left before the next elections.
