Events & Issues

New Delhi, 3 March 2014

Coming Elections

STABLE GOVERNMENT DOUBTFUL

By Dhurjati Mukherjee

Regional Parties are continuing negotiations on a Third Front or Federal Front, despite political observers asserting that such groups might not meet with much success in their endeavour to form a new Government.

While Samajwadi’s Mulayam averred that his Party would play a key role in Government formation, CPM’s Prakash Karat expressed hope that 11 non-Congress-BJP Parties have already come together. Interestingly, most belong to the erstwhile Janata Parivar, SP, JD(U), JS(S), BJD, AIADMK and the CPM-led Left Front.

Though they might align for the elections, it is doubtful whether they win over 90 seats. Consequently, they would not be in a commanding position to form the Government and eventually support the Congress or BJP, preferably the former.

Undeniably, the Congress is in difficult position not just because of wanton corruption by its leaders but also due to lack of governance. The UPA’s performance has been widely criticized due to its failure on all fronts topped by it losing the four Assembly polls recently. Pre-poll forecasts too reveal that the Congress is in a pitiable condition as people do not have high hopes about Rahul Gandhi.

Recall, Rahul in his first formal interview underscored his desire to bring about a change in politics, said he, “I am blind because I saw people I loved destroyed by the system”. Although he did not elaborate on the areas which he wanted to change, one can see his determination to improve efficiency and gear up the system, imperative at this juncture. 

According to him, legislatures and policy makers have to develop institutional mechanisms to liaison with pancahyat pradhans who implement policy at the village and block levels. He laid emphasis on Gandhian ideals for political and economic decentralization which has been ad nauseum talked about but never implemented.

Notably, compared to the UPA, the BJP-led NDA is in a better position, notwithstanding that it has only three regional Parties. Pre-poll forecasts the Narinder Modi-led Front might get over 200 seats as NaMo has been attracting large crowds at his rallies across the country.

The NDA is expected to focus on infrastructure, specially roads and power, as during Vajpayee’s tenure earlier. Moreover, Modi promises to transfer more funds to States so that they could give impetus. However, the BJP and Modi have yet to evolve a structured approach to economic policies for the poor and economically weaker sections, unlike the Congress which is ahead on this front.   

Pertinently, another important factor in the polls is the growing popularity of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) who is a strong votary of decentralisation and empowerment to mohalla committees, drawing on Gandhiji’s vision of self-sustained villages.

The Party’s success in Delhi has motivated civil society movements across the country and many important personalities have joined AAP against corruption and promising sustainable development.

With eminent personalities joining AAP, the Party has the potential to do well in Haryana, Eastern UP apart from its stronghold in Delhi. But one does not know what will happen in other big cities where people are fed up with the policies of both the Congress and BJP. If it wins around 20 Lok Sabha seats, it would have made to mark on the national plain. 

Besides, organizations like the Narmada Bachao Andolan, Lok Shakti Abhiyan (main litigant against Orissa’s Posco steel plant), Azadi Bachao Andolan (famous for its human chain protests), Uttarakhand Peoples’ Science Movement, active on scientific and environmental issues etc have deep roots among local communities and are seriously considering entering elections with AAP’s support.

Experts believe that the extent of their influence stretches to nearly 150 districts across the country though AAP’s total tally might not exceed 10 to 20 seats.

Another significant development has been Anna Hazare’s extending support and campaigning for Mamata’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) which is putting up candidates in 60 seats, to be selected by the noted Gandhian of which it might win around 23 of West Bengal’s 42 seats and perhaps one in Tripura. In case Mamata does manage around 25 seats it would make the TMC the third largest Party, after the Congress and BJP.

Additionally, the elections would bring to the forefront some basic issues which have been neglected by the UPA whose policies have essentially been geared towards social welfare legislations and the rich. The new subjects that need priority include village development, providing potable water to the rural masses, electricity and health facilities.

This can only become possible by giving more powers to panchayats and ensuring they function efficiently. The pro-urban approach to planning witnessed neglect of rural areas where water facilities are not only dismal  but also contaminated in most districts, health services are poor and electricity, wherever existent, is not available for more than 3 hours.

Another vital issue that needs to be seriously considered by the next Government is the question of reservation. This created controversy when senior Congress leader Janardhan Dwivedi observed that this should be done on economic criteria as there are a lot of poor people who do not belong to SC or ST categories.

Furthermore, such reservation in Government departments had witnessed lesser qualified people reaching the top positions thereby superseding better qualified and senior officers. But Sonia Gandhi turned this down stating that the Congress was committed to continuing reservation as before.

Clearly, corruption needs to be curbed with an iron hand and good decentralised governance ensured down the line through efficient and transparent functioning. These are big challenges which the UPA failed to tackle and were the main reasons for the Congress’s downfall in the Assembly elections. 

All in all, the BJP followed by Congress is likely to get the largest number of seats in Parliament but both might fail to reach the 272 mark to form the Government. Be it NDA, UPA or the Third Front all have work in the ambit of a common minimum programme in a spirit of compromise so as to allow the Government to function and perform its task efficiently.  ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)