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Primary Approach

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It is interesting to note that, despite Donald Trump maintaining a strong hold over the Republican Party, other contenders are taking part in ‘primaries’ to claim the party leadership. Although Trump’s absence from these, thus far, displays his arrogance, Republicans are getting a good look at the alternatives. The strengths and weaknesses of each candidate are coming to the fore as they face questions and debate each other. For example, while Vivek Ramaswamy may have decided to drop his candidature bid, he has made a huge impression. This will serve him well in the long run, particularly as he has kept on the right side of the Trump voter base.

On the other hand, even though Niki Haley has persisted, she is losing ground because she has failed to properly answer some crucial questions. The performances are analysed on TV channels and talk-shows giving the voter as much of an all-round perspective as possible under the presently polarised political environment in the US. All of this matters, particularly in the context of Trump’s possible disqualification for a number of reasons.

This culture of debate at the ‘primary’ level needs to be adopted by the Indian political system. This is necessary because, even though there may be an ideological ‘constituency’ in existence, the appropriate leader may not have been presented before the voters. For instance, while the ‘Make America Great Again’ sentiment may be strong in the US, Trump may not exactly be its best advocate.

India’s problem is that its political parties, except for the BJP and the communists to some extent, have become dynastic in nature – to the extent that the system may even get institutionalised in future. The system of ‘reservations’ for all kinds of categories is a first step in this direction. This cannot be good for democracy in any way.

If, however, even for the sake of seeming democratic, parties begin to hold town hall events to present their best and brightest, it will provide an opportunity for voters to decide on the candidate of their preference. This will help eliminate the backroom maneuvering and opaqueness that throws up candidates. Those committed to a particular party for ideological reasons are then compelled to vote for the person who gets the ticket. Citizens’ groups in Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies should take the initiative in this regard and break out of the present system. Let public opinion also decide who will represent a party, even before that person gets to represent a constituency.