Daily Post 1508
ELECTORAL ARITHMETIC – A WEIRD GAME
The Indian elections have their own arithmetic and chemistry, making it the lingua franca of our elections have been the singular achievement of this country. Even TN Seshan was not able to make a dent into it. Money, outside publicity, misuse of administrative machinery and die hard rabble rousing might have decreased, though this has not been validated by any field level research work. But the real currency has not changed and given the past experience, the likelihood of anything changing in next quarter of a century does not seem likely. It has been thoroughly consolidated in our democratic psyche.
Electoral arithmetic is the political play of votes based on castes and religions and whole superstructure which is built on it. We are a matured democracy and so are our voters. This lip service has to keep on happening on a regular basis to provide the moral validity to the process, the legal one anyway is provided by the physical handling of elections in a free and fair manner. The emotional underpinnings necessarily has to be accounted for. In a hugely non-data driven and purely emotional country, this trajectory happens in a very natural and an organic manner. The lip service of democracy has it own story and all stakeholders have perfected this art.
It is not only the political parties, the election machinery but the media too. Their electoral arithmetic has reached levels, where they have the potential to be employed as data scientists in the best of the IT behemoths. They are exemplary exponents of databases of a different kind. What a tragical use of technology; poverty certainly looks more harsh on latest in tech; smart TVs. Virtual models in the studio are certainly meant for a different audience. The audience who has the purchasing power to buy the products advertised. This arithmetic has finally become the mathematics of elections and is in the drivers seat of democratic secular voting exercise.
Besides the arithmetic, there is a chemistry also involved. *The chemistry is supposed to spur between the leaders and the electorate.* The hype created and promises put on the electoral drawing board is the chemistry of the elections. Some great slogan resonates or a corrupt escapade of the ruling party or 10 lakh jobs promise. Everyone tries to crack the chemistry, who gets the formula right wins. It is worse than old wine in new bottles, but that is all we have on offer, you can make your choice. The digital shenanigans gather much before the elections in the name of digital marketing or social media campaigning to have their share of the party. Post elections the data drama is handed over to the channels. The electoral course is completed.
WE HAVE STILL TO DISCOVER THE ARITHMETIC AND CHEMISTRY OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDICES.