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.