Election, Electorate and the Elected

India has a federal form of government with power divided between the Centre and the states. For a country with such geographic and socioeconomic diversity, state governments are very crucial for fulfilling regional aspirations and fostering national unity through accommodation rather than suppression of differences. 

State governments can protect their interests in important sectors like industries through subsidies and creation of Special Economic Zones, negotiate and implement agreements for sharing river waters and joint infrastructure projects, attract foreign investments and enact laws to promote regional languages and cultural practices. 

Strong Centre-State relations are crucial for the nation to progress, and this requires constant dialogue and mutual trust. Only robust state governments can protect state autonomy and ensure effective federalism, which happens when citizens vote for a political party that believes in accountability.

The qualities of the electorate determine the qualities of the elected and thereby impact the health of democracy. The education of the electorate on issues of importance is of paramount significance. Our state has 126 constituencies for the assembly elections, with voters in each constituency running into lakhs and spread over several townships and rural areas.

The minds of voters differ in towns and villages. Reaching out to them individually is not possible, even for a party in power and with strong finances. Traditionally, “Manifestoes” are used to reach out to the voters. They contain promises by political parties and are mostly grounded in the real needs of the citizens.

The idea is not only to woo the electorate but also provide a blueprint or roadmap for the future. However, most voters cast their ballot on hearsay, and there seems to bea disconnect between the documents and the voters’ decision-making process. Hence, the traditional manifesto may not be the best investment, especially in the current scenario of fast paced social media environment.

Our state is going to elections this year, and both the ruling and opposition political parties will try to attract voters. The ruling party, along with its allies are expected to focus their messaging on achievements in the last 5 years and the successful delivery of welfare schemes. 

Incumbents usually have access to more public and private funding, and their campaigns are data-driven and robust with extensive reach. The opposition parties have the advantage that they need to focus on channelling the anti – incumbency sentiments against the party in power for a decade, as incumbents are held responsible for the woes of the common man. 

The ruling party cannot criticise the opposition as a decade in power is enough to correct mistakes or shortcomings of past governments with respect to issues like inflation, unemployment, crime, inefficient public transport, inadequate health and education facilities, floods, erosion, low per capita income, child malnutrition, corruption and pollution. If they claim that they have tackled these issues successfully, then they need to provide evidence. 

It is always difficult to make a case for oneself when in power. Opposition, on the other hand need to raise awareness on failures as well as question the long-term sustainability of current success. They further need to raise scrutiny on ethics, transparency, accountability and conduct of the incumbents and try to reframe the definition of development as highlighted by the former.  

A political issue unique to Assam is illegal immigration, and dealing with it requires strong institutions instead of divisive narratives. Election is a good opportunity to compel political parties to give clarity and solidify their stand on issues such asthe  Inner Line Permit, which is hailed as a protective measure for the indigenous identity.

Voting is the cornerstone of democracy, and participation in elections is sine qua non. As far as post- election defections are concerned, the party should not suffer, and it should be next member up. Till such a law comes into force, only voters can put a stopto  and ensure value-based politics by making it impossible for defectors to get reelected 

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