DailyPost 3021
OF FALSE / VITIATED DATA & UNACHIEVABLE PROMISES
The country is back to the same game again. The game of electioneering. Whatever was dished out to the electorate in the general elections and recently concluded state elections has long been forgotten. The geographical locations change, the drama remains the same. Whether India ever has one election or not, the de-facto rules of the game remain the same across the country, the election propaganda, the formation of governments and then the lame duck governments, which deliver anything but quality governance. And now itS fun time in Delhi.
The election happens in one small state and the whole country is forced to be hooked on it. It is one electronic media, one print media and the war machine of social media also remains one, the content and strategy all operated by high command. Democracy has descended into a mercenary election machine, operating between two destinations, both being an election, separated by five years. Different five year schedules keep operating simultaneously across the country, making a mess of literally anything and everything, keeping the election mode aflame.
The ECI is not mandated to get into false data and tall claims of the ruling parties entering the election mode and also not into realistic feasibility of the promises being dished out. The model code of conduct and its policemen (ECI) perform some namesake policing of the feudal elections, for churning out governments which will make India fully developed in the age of artificial intelligence. If this system has failed then how do we bring sanity in elections? The Model Data, Achievements and Promises in Election Code needs to be formulated to be controlled, moderated and executed by a Civil Society Election Governance Board.
Every piece of data, information, and achievements being used for electioneering should be from one of sources validated by the board. It would necessarily be a government or research source or databases of organisations of repute. All data needs to have such references. Two objective references need to validate the goals, numbers and the accomplishments. Pictures of all tangible work done, with coordinates, pics and videos with measurements and all relevant information should be available on the party’s and Board’s website. All data would be referenced and benchmarks and parameters would be provided as a tool for the voters to evaluate the true picture. Has ECI ever been a third party audited? All promises would be checked for feasibility by experts of the Board. If the election watchdog is not democratic then how can elections reflect the true spirit of the constitution. All election data by statute should be declared open data in the interest of all stakeholders, including the myopic ones, who are declared visionaries.
COMPREHENSIVELY FRAUDULENT BLACK BOX ELECTIONS NEEDS TO GIVE WAY TO PARTICIPATORY AND TRANSPARENT ONE.
Sanjay Sahay