DailyPost 1630
IF ELECTIONS ARE WON BY OPTICS, CAN GOVERNANCE…
Elections are known as the festival of democracy. In the very same manner as we have an endless number of festivals and fairs too, we have endless elections if we consider only the well known ones. The others being of schools, colleges, universities, societies, associations, professional bodies, cooperative bodies etc notwithstanding. Are elections a festival of celebration of what was achieved in five years tenure and a blueprint of the future, or a celebration of an Indian festival of fun, frolic, gaiety, sweet talk, new dresses, good food and some nice time. Then back to the back breaking daily grind, which this country offers to its masses. What elections means for the electorate would certainly have been known to them by now. It’s a mere a festival and fair mixed in one in the true Indian style.
The Indian Constitution is the longest constitution in the world, written with brilliance and expertise and unique vision of the future. *Such a bedrock of democracy would throw the nature of elections it does, is what can be termed as the democracy of contradictions.* Elections were supposed to be a pure exercise of truthful expression of the masses through universal adult franchise. *Elections were to be an interface between the marksheet / scorecard to the ruling party and proposed curriculums of all the parties involved.* Does it happen that way? It is general consensus now, that elections are won through optics.
There are no facts or data on the platter, commonly accepted. *You can spin any story; however weird you feel like.* Winning and losing thus gets disconnected with performance, is the ultimate solace all parties have. The strategy has to be different. The tragedy comes later. The core issue is that if elections are won by optics, can governance be far behind. A leader on a wheelchair can change the face of elections. Symbolism, gestures, emotional blackmail, rabble rousing; you can call it with whatever name, the end result is the same. This remains the only potent professional tool in the arsenal of a politician / political party.
The best practitioners are flown all around the election battlefields to sway the mood of the electorate. The research which goes in for this exercise is mind boggling and the precision is praiseworthy. It has gone beyond the Cambridge Aanlytica founder’s story of elections being a battle between despair and hope. We have our own Alexander Nixs. With this mindset and optics-based approach to politics / elections, leads to optics-based governance. Where facts and figures are created and used for optics. Where real life-threatening situations are successfully handled through this tool. Multi – media blitzkrieg has the capability to vitiate anybody’s mind. The complexity of Indian democracy and governance and tools used for its sustenance and growth does not match.
IF ELECTIONS ARE WON BY OPTICS, CAN GOVERNANCE BE FAR BEHIND!