DailyPost 2572
ELECTION PLANNING
What is election planning? It is certainly 8way more intriguing8 than democracy and much more complex than the governance of this country. While it is practiced with utmost vigor, day in day out, by single politician and every political party, yet it is nowhere mentioned in the democratic parlance of the nation. What the Election Commission of India plans is an exercise for the execution of elections; some fair play and expenditure accounted for and with the declaration of the results, their story gets over. For the real players of democracy; it consistent, persistent and relentless and remains in planning and practice stages simultaneously all the time.
The moot question is what is the purpose of elections? Without getting into the democratic grandstanding, the simple, straight and tangible purpose for the candidate is to win the election he contests. For the political party its purpose aggregates into getting more half the seats, so that it is able to form the government. This is the real brick and mortar of democracy, rest can be declared as academic. Hence, the vision and north pole of our robust democracy is only one, how does the voter come to the polling booth and casts a vote in your favour. Everything is fair in love, war and politics.
Nearly every activity is oriented to this goal and every governmental and party action is prompted by the fire and insatiable urge to win and be in power. All actions which do not fall in those categories for compulsions of governance, defence and diplomacy are successfully provided that garb. Some of them have delivered wonderful results at the hustings. The beauty of this planning is that it is an unwritten one, unseen thread that goes through every single action / inaction, planning or the lack of it, delivery or lack of delivery, meticulously brought to the democratic table, by politicians and political parties, in their favour.
Having not learned the expertise of governance, not having the grit, courage and commitment to put in immense time and energy to deliver, whether it is food, clothing and shelter or quality education and health care, how do they play the democratic game? The crux of this planning is that the government should seem to be governing and performing. The politicians and the political parties take the responsibility of transforming it into a make-believe story; unleashing political, media and election blitzkrieg, making this plan winnable. The opposition has to find gaping holes in this story and make it stick. So, the question is not what is election planning, the realpolitik question is what is not election planning? Only this this thought process can show the mirror to the ruling class.
WHEN PLANNING AND GOVERNANCE ARE FOR ULTERIOR MOTIVES BOTH DEMOCRACY AND THE VOTERS (CITIZENS) LOSE.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.