The Drama is Over

14th May, 2009
The drama that the Voter is supreme is over. After the five-phase poll, the poll managers are not worried about the voting machines. They are already on their missions to subvert what has been delivered by the voters. Late night meetings have started. Some calculations and exit polls are available. In the next few days, starting the counting day 16th May, there will be hyper activity to beat the other party in gathering the required strength for Government formation. The voter appeared irrelevant in this election right from the beginning, this when one of the biggest excercises to make the voters go to the poll booths was launched. The Congress, the BJP and the Third Front are all in the game. The voters can only watch this new drama helplessly and wonder whether they did anything wrong in casting their votes.

Game is On

The game is on. The newspapers are full of reports and in fact one can follow the activities of leaders of most parties to see it. They are going round the country, not as much to publicise their programmes or manifestoes as to contact possible post-poll allies. During press conferences, it is a common refrain. The parties are not shy to say they will do it to get into power. The voters can vote in anyway but their verdict will be definitely twisted to get into a shape that suits the political formations.
Pankaj Vohra said 4th May in Between Us (HT) the election appeared "issueless," and its most crucial phase could be starting on 16th May when results come out. TOI on front page survey said 6th May whichever party emerges biggest bloc, it will have to "rope in" many partners after the results. ET report Alliance Dalliance 5th May is sure the existing fronts will break up after 16th May, the components bargaining hard to get the best deal. Subhash C. Kashyap (Indian Express 8thMay) fears the same scenario -- large-scale horse-trading of MPs, together with demand for money, ministership, withdrawal of criminal cases etc. He has given suggestions to the President to save the situation. Express 9th May has a report on parties preparing for post-poll tie-ups.
Pappus will do it till 13th May, and then Papas will be on the job from 16th May onwards.

Watch Out

30 April, 2009
The Economic Times of 27th April said it. "Options Trading ---- Opens on May 16." It's the thing which is bothering me and should bother you. Earlier, this sort of talk started after the results. In fact, people were shy of saying this. Everybody said they would get a majority on their own and form a Government. Now it is part of the election speeches. We are sure we will get many more parties supporting us after the result and thereby we will form a Government -- this is what most major parties are saying it today. Virtually they say they are not bothered which way the results go. They will somehow form a Government. Does it not show little respect to the verdict which the voters would give. The results are losing sanctity by this talk.
The ET report has many details. TRS would go with the party which ensures Telangana. SP General Secretary Amar Singh is also quoted saying the picture is not clear, the leadership too can not be decided and "everything" will depend on the post-poll numbers. The fourth front of Mulayam, Paswan and Lalu also said it earlier.
Today, Congress spokesman Ashwani Kumar in an interview to Hindi Hindustan says plenty of parties which are not with the Congress now can support it after results. In fact the "re-alignment" of political forces AFTER THE POLLS is the major factor on the basis of which the Left-led Third Front hopes to form its Government, Prakash Karat, CPI (M) leader, has said it in an interview to PTI published in full in the Hindu.
The whole issue raises the question -- will the results have any sanctity. After the five-round polling, people say, the sixth round of bargaining and re-alignments will take place, and will help form a Government, the character of which could be different from the one the voters might have wanted.
Watch Out!

Elections2009

This is an election that needs to be watched carefully. Political parties are saying quite a few things. They are not only making promises through their manifestoes but are also declaring their intention to "modify" the results according to their needs. Normally post-poll adjustments do take place to form a Government. But this talk usually starts after the results. This time nearly every party is saying, come what may, they will get support of many others and form a Government. For the voters this is a veto on their verdict. A virtual subversion of what the voters may want. Small adjustments are acceptable but this time the candidates are talking about large-scale re-alignments which make the elections a meaningless exercise. The issue needs to be pondered over. And the talk is already there before the elections. So voters should know, whatever they may do, their vote would have little relevance after a date. There should be some way of taking the voters' consent in this. Perhaps some legal way or a guideline from the Election Commission can be there. The Constitution can be looked into. The manner every party is "confident" of securing sufficient support to form a Government after the polls is making the voter feel small. I wonder what people feel about it.