2009

The run up to this election has been an eye opener (not that the elections in the past have’nt!! this is still fresh in my memory).
- The media - their role, prejudices, opinion polls, short sightedness, selective telecasts & judgments and condescension in their talk shows
- The political parties - their ill conceived, unintelligent and abysmal manifestos, shameless and opportunistic alignments & realignments - both pre-poll & post-poll
- The illustrious/infamous candidates - their individual manifestos, their crass, hysterical & screeching campaign speeches, & last but not the least the assets they have accumulated as politicians (wonder if their earning ability has infact helped the Finance Minister take credit for the GDP score!!)
- The common man - unable to understand who he needs to vote for, nevertheless casts his vote as it is his fundamental right.

In this election nearly 10,000 crores rupees have been spent by the candidates alone. Additionally the state incurs expenses to the tune of 300 crores of rupees as well - booths, duty officers and their travels, security etc.

Elections, the freedom to choose our representatives, we all know, are the spine of a democracy. And those elected as "representatives" of the people, are ones who ideally should govern the country, ensuring safety, security and stability.

The reality unfortunately, is far from ideal. The least priority of the representatives is governance - they unfortunately spend time trying to survive; most often it is their ability to hang on to power we citizens are witness to.

Sadder is the fact that those who can govern, face such a stiff entry barrier (read money power) that they dare not think of it even in their dreams. A candidate, if he has to make himself known in the constituency he stands for, will need to travel across geography of approximately 300 Sq kilometers at least twice. Arrangements for the campaigns, arrangements at the venue of election meetings, remuneration for his team, boarding and lodging, and travel, are the costs a candidate will incur. Thus to run a modest campaign, the candidate should be able to bear an expenditure of close to a few tens of lakhs of rupees. But it turns out that this is not sufficient. This is why we do not often get to vote for representatives of our choice, but are forced to choose from what is made available.

As political observer and commentator Cho Ramaswamy says, the choice is most often between the lesser of the evils. What a pity!!