New Highs and Lows in Lok Sabha Elections 2009
New paradigms were set in Lok Sabha Elections 2009 with some highs and some lows. For the first time in the electoral history of India, there were serious organized attempts to enhance citizen participation in the electoral process. For this, numerous civil society organizations came forward with educational and awareness campaigns. The campaigns were organized not only to motivate the people for voting but also to assist them in being registered, in knowing the candidates, and also in gaining a complete knowledge of political process and its impact on their lives. Janagraha’s One Billion Votes campaign, campaigns by The National Alliance for People’s Movement, door-to-door campaigns to encourage voting are illustrious of such attempts. Besides, corporates also came forward through their Corporate Social Responsibility routes to register their involvement in social sector. Janagraha’s campaign was a joint initiative of Tata and Janagraha NGO. Similarly, there were upmarket stores, which offered discounts to the people who come out and vote.
Likewise, media also highlighted various voter awareness campaigns and one source that came to prominence in these elections was internet. There were various blogs, networking sites and dedicated sites that made active efforts of wooing the voters specially young voters. Even the contestants and candidates also became active on internet and launched their personal sites. This was a remarkable development which resembled the attire of USA Presidential Elections. Such campaigns and tactics recorded a reasonable success and young voters came out in huge numbers to register their voices through voting. Not only this, these campaigns made people aware of even their right not to vote and in Delhi a lot of people exercised this of option of not to vote under Rule 49O of Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. Nevertheless, the active citizen participation proved to be a fallacy when Mumbai which stood up against terrorism collectively after 26/11 attacks, showed a deep apathy towards the elections – the most essential ingredient of democracy and did not come out to vote – the best instrument of registering the opinion and to bring about a “difference”. Mumbai recorded the turnout at 43% lower than the turnout at 47%in last 2004 elections. This is a new low for our democracy and I would classify it as an alarming situation. This pattern suggests that there is a need to run civic engagement programs on a sustained basis throughout the five years. The campaigns undertaken just before the elections cannot bring about serious voter participation. The key to build democratic trust in a country is
 For political parties - to devise suitable permanent campaign approach and,
 For Civil Society Organizations – to run education and awareness campaigns on a sustained basis. They also need to organize community integration programs and bring about progressive social and psychological changes towards democracy and political process.
The other high seen during these elections is the social activists and intellectual entering the electoral skirmish in large numbers. Since a long time India was experiencing an accountability and response void from political parties on issues of national importance. The activists always pursued actively in asking questions and exposing the true character of our politicos. But this time, they decided to fill the void and jumped into the fray. The new entrants have not only thrown a challenge upon regular politicos but also have given a wide range of choice to the voters. However, such attempts would result in nothing but to cut votes and would leave the formation of government at the centre in disarray.
If we have a look at the focus issues of these elections, we do not find any specific issues which have been used by any party to be raised as a major political theme. The issues in the election manifestos of major political parties have been dealt with in a quite typical and generalized manner to the extent of being abstract. No overall development goals and action plans find any mention. Besides, issues like economic recession, inflation, redundancies and lay offs, reservations and even Indo-US Nuclear Deal(which became the bone of contention between Left and Congress, and generated a hot debate in all circles of the nation) were not found to be stirring the public and could not be carried at campaign themes. Even the Bofors, Sikh riots 1984, Swiss Bank issue, Godhra issue 2002 too did not create much furore among the public. However, Varun Gandhi’s communal speech engaged the media for a quite long time. One interesting aspect observed in these elections was that the candidates chose the regional issues as political themes for campaigning. In other words, various issues like Gorkhaland in West Bengal, Sri Lanka in Tamil Nadu, urban civic woes and increased fees in Delhi, communal themes run across Gujarat and Orissa found place in campaign lectures but they were region specific. This shows that the political challenge has shifted to States and has become regional in nature. This is a new twist in Indian Election scenario with the regional parties and themes gaining prominence.
Related to it is the formation of Fronts in the Indian elections. All of them claim to be king makers. The Third Front is not new to Indian politics. Left has always acted as third front. However, in Elections 2004 it came to forefront by allying with UPA and joining the government at the Centre. But this time, third front has expanded and includes other parties, like Biju Janata Dal, Mayawati’s BSP, AIADMK etc. Similarly what was new this time was the formation of Fourth Front, an alliance of RJD-LJP-SP which thinks itself to be blocking UPA and NDA from forming government without its support. Every party has decided to keep its options open for post-poll alliances. This pattern suggest the highly fragile and fragmented nature of our polity which can create instability. However the coalition governments of NDA and UPA have completed their 5 year tenure respectively and hung Parliament does not seem to be a menace to democracy.
There was an unabashed low in these elections when the mud-slinging took the extreme turn with Rabri Devi when she hurled the sludge upon Nitish Kumar and Lallan Singh. I would like it to call as the cheap politics rather. There is nothing wrong in criticizing the opposition in Politics. In ideal conditions, the policies and decisions of opposition are criticized and its action/inaction on specific issues is queried about. In less than ideal conditions, the general statements and then the personality traits of individual candidates area also criticized. This can be exemplified by Congress raising questions about L.K.Advani’s iron man image during plane hijack in 2001. But new low was achieved with such character mud slinging.
Another low was achieved when SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav declared that it would extend support to whosoever was ready to sack the Mayawati government. The government in UP is a democratically elected government and by giving such statements ridiculing the democracy of our country. This is the denigration of all political processes and even our Constitution. This is a new low achieved by any politico to fulfil vested interests.
The elections are over now. The spirit of democracy is far more important than the mechanisms and procedural aspects of elections. According to Dewey, “The foundation of democracy is faith in the capacities of human nature; faith in human intelligence and in the power of pooled and co-operative experience.” Within new paradigms of highs and lows of our electoral process and the new reality of hung Parliament, we can look forward towards strengthening our country and its democracy.
