As the din and tumult of elections to the state Assemblies of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur is done with, life is returning to normal in more ways than one. The tone, tenor and decibel of political discourse have changed. The aggressive pre-election stances give way to a more mature stance of acceptance of the will of the people. The people’s verdict has prevailed and it’s business as usual. The AAP is euphoric with its Punjab win, the BJP is celebrating wins in four states and the Congress is mourning its losses all over. As are others.
But this time round, it’s a wee bit different. The election is over. Long live the election! The election in many ways, in every state we speak of, will live on in its promises and its promise-delivery mechanisms at play. And this is a long-tail issue to handle and deliver. An ever-lasting tail that lasts every day of those five years ahead.
This time round, with the stakes being high and the desire to win being even higher, political parties of every colour have made promises of a completely stretched kind. Promises that require more money than the states really have. The key point is that the winning party needs to keep these promises if it is to have its credibility intact. And 2024 is not too far away, and more immediately we have 11 more polls coming up before that. In India we have an election somewhere or the other, every year. What happens in one place has a beautiful way of percolating all across the fabric of our seamless states, as grist for the election there.
Our most recent sets of elections seem to have learned the Tamil Nadu model, as many of us called it when it was first scented. TN set the pace for the freebies. Literally every aspect of education, health and even domestic gadgets such as TVs and stoves were promised. While some items came from party funds pre-election as bait, most came as expenditures that had to be budgeted for under state funds, once the polls were over. And most remained recurring expenditures on budget, year on year.
Everyone criticised the TN model of freebies in elections at one time, and then everyone copied it in copybook fashion, to be included in their own election manifestos. This obviously means that freebies work. The way to a man’s vote is through his quest for the freebie. And instant gratification is the norm. This lowest-common-denominator approach to an election, the electorate and eventually the vote, seems to be one embraced by every party around. To an extent the election manifesto has become a promissory note, one that will be redeemed once the election is over.
The election manifesto by definition is meant to be about the aims and policies of a political party. A document that lists it all clearly to differentiate it in the minds of the electorate. Today however, a reading of the election manifesto seems to be more about the bullet points of delectable freebies that are laid out as a promised buffet menu.
Again, nothing wrong with a promise. Just as long as the promise can be kept without draining the exchequer. And just as long as it is one that does not dull the sense of the need to work and achieve among us.
Now that most election manifestos of losing parties are lying around in garbage heaps of disgruntlement, without boring you too much with the numbers, let me look at two states, Punjab and UP, both won by different political parties. In Punjab, the AAP list of promises is long and deep, just as the BJP list of promises is in UP.
Let’s look at Punjab. The state’s coffers are not abundant at this point of time. Its annual budget hovers around Rs1.5 lakh crore and receipts this fiscal indicate an inflow of Rs 95,257 crore. However, the state needs to keep its many promises to its people. To name a few, 300 units of free electricity to each household, Rs 1,000 to every woman above the age of 18, upping of the old age pension, 6,000 Mohalla clinics for free treatment, property tax abolition (yet another loss of revenue) and more.
On a rough back-of-the-envelope calculation, the AAP will require an additional Rs 48,000 crore annually to fulfil these promises. Where will this money come from then? As of now, just three routes. A complete attack on illegal mining, a frontal war on illegal liquor that flows freely, and a dedicated focus on bringing back lost revenues from the private transportation sector to the public. All tough and contentious issues. The good point, however, is the fact that these election promises and the need to fulfil them will become motivational carrots that will guide and drive governance.
In UP then, the list of promises includes increase in widows’ pension, a Rs 1 lakh assistance for the marriage of girls belonging to poor families, two (not one) free LPG cylinders every Holi and Diwali, free commute to women above 60 on public transport, a free Scooty to meritorious girls, and lots more for every segment of society there is to cater to.
Such promises therefore push the envelope further and further with every election. The model of managing and winning elections is changing. At one end in our society is glaring and acute privatisation, and at another is the model of acute socialism. The J Jayalalithaa model of freebies worked in Tamil Nadu to a great extent, and everything was branded an “Amma canteen”, “Amma water”, and an “Amma Pharmacy” even. Everyone criticised it. Everyone copied it.
Today, the Kejriwal model is working beautifully in Delhi. The realisation is out there in the open. As acute privatisation at one end is creating the best schools and the best hospitals to cater to those with the best monies, political parties have realised it’s time to focus on acute socialism at the other end where it matters. Offer the best schools, the best medical facilities and the best transportation at literally just no cost to the deprived consumer at the other end of the spectrum. After all, we are all humans. Rich or poor, every one of us has a brain, a body, a stomach, a bladder and more. Each needs to be satiated. With the best. And there it goes, the election manifesto fulfilment gravy train!
In conclusion, there is a bright side to it all. Every promise made in the election manifesto needs to be fulfilled in each of the winning states. The anointed CMs of each of these states have their plate full now. Fulfilling every promise will stretch their imagination, creative ability, political imagination and prowess to the ultimate. In the bargain, there is likely to be a very creative approach to revenue generation, loophole plugging, corruption handling and efficiency generation in administration, by and large. Hopefully.
Brand Guru & Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults