Basics of democracy remains forgotten in pursuit of power
We had several Assembly elections this year and look forward to the results on March 11. Besides, municipal elections were also held in Maharashtra. What are some of the important issues that are covered in the media? Who wins, what coalitions were successful, the leaders and their campaigns, the speeches, how voters from different castes and religions voted, and what were the election issues—are some of the important aspects covered and are essential to democracy. It will be discussed in the media and at homes, restaurants, dhabas and seminars.
However, a few basic questions remain. People want change or, rather, they want better governance. This is why we often see ruling parties changing from election to election.
This is perhaps why there is a general trend of increase in voting percentages today compared to a few years ago. But will we get better governance? Can we expect better performance from the government if we merely change the party in power? For instance, we saw this desire for change in the recent presidential election in the US. We see it around the world in various elections. India is no different.
What new type of representatives does this throw up? Indian data shows that the percentage of candidates with criminal records is still high in a state like UP. It remains between 12 per cent and 20 per cent. This cuts across party lines.
Unfortunately, the percentage of winners with criminal cases is much higher than that. Datas over the last decade show that the chances of someone with a criminal record winning the polls doubles compared to candidates with a clean record. So voters are either not aware of the criminal record, or do not care about it.
Largely, wealthy people continue to contest polls, with few from the lower economic sections. Wealth is good but the question remains: Whose interests do the wealthy represent? Demonetisation once again brought black money in elections back into focus. It is worth noting that not one powerful person was arrested in this issue. In private, politicians say that the spending limit of `40 lakh is unrealistic. It is up to the Parliament to amend the law.
Meanwhile, nothing prevents any party from publicly stating that they will not use black money. Parties don’t appeal to ordinary voters to give small contributions or publicly take a stand to strongly support public funding of polls.
Campaigns are framed by political party strategists. The issues raised rarely reflect the real expectations of people from the government. Several surveys have shown that voters’ top priority is employment. They also want essential public services such as clean drinking water, good roads, transport services and so on. But election speeches do not raise these issues. It is often a slanging match with each party making personal attacks on the leaders of the other parties. What democracy do we get if elections are not fought on issues of importance to voters?
Finally, can we get positive change if all the political parties remain largely the same? Nearly all successful parties are one-person or one-family dominated. They are responsible for giving tickets to candidates. The major change we see is between one generation and the next. While this is welcome, it is not enough. We continue to see a significant number of candidates with criminal records.
Today, elections are very competitive and this leads to each party spending more money, making all sorts of election promises and putting down each other. Issues are raised to catch voters’ attention rather than address people’s concerns.
Social media, meanwhile, sees an exponential increase in partisanship with some using abusive, violent language and threats. So the atmosphere is getting worse. The basic question here is: If each party works for its own power at the expense of others, then who is working for the country and its people?
While we celebrate the good aspects of today’s democracy, we need to correct some of its ills. The fiercely competitive nature of politics, the pursuit of power at all costs and the use of money power are disturbing trends. The persistence of criminal elements in politics is unacceptable.
At the same time, all is not lost. There is an underlying public demand for good politics and good governance. The younger generation is perhaps more demanding and expect concrete results from government. But the ordinary voter does not have much say in shaping democracy, except through his or her vote.
Some structural solutions are needed that will curb money power, ban people with dubious criminal records, prevent parties from giving tickets to such people, make funding transparent and parties democratic. The real purpose of elections is not merely to throw up winners. It is to install a government that will provide good governance.trilochans@IIMB.ernet.in