We are in the middle of elections in five states of India which will be completed in seven phases as per the announcement of Election Commission of India. These elections have started from 10th of February and will end on 7th March. The results of these elections are expected to be out by the late evening of 10th March since polling in India is now done on EVMs hence counting of votes is done quite rapidly by using the EVM technology.

Anyone with even a little interest in Indian politics can imagine the atmosphere in the country during this period. Its completely electrifying and charged with emotions, rhetoric’s and all the hoopla and tall claims by leaders and their supporters. The debates on TV have become just all noise and all the nuisances. The coarse language being used by political party’s spokesperson have lost all standards of decency or ethics. The situation has turned so ugly that any party or its leader are not bothered at all about morals and sanity in public life. After the shameful and disastrous incident of last month, of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s car cade being blocked by staged protesters in Punjab, Narendra Modi has visited the state first time. The drama continued this time as well during his visit and state machinery was hell bent to disrupt Prime Minister’s rally this time again. It appears that the ruling state government is totally frustrated with growing popularity of the Prime Minister and his party in the state. The state government is making desperate efforts to somehow disrupt or derail the large crowds coming to attend these rallies. During the last visit of Narendra Modi, Congress party lied in unison that there were only 700 people to listen to the Prime Minister. The same people are in jitters and worried now to see tens of thousands turning up to listen to Mr Modi. Alleging false accusations by anti BJP parties have become the order of the day and making false promises to woo the voters has become the new norm.

It is surprising to note that Election Commission and the top Court of India remain mute spectators to all this happening right under their nose. The Supreme Court is in a habit of taking cognizance on matters of least importance and even rebuking the government for that every now and then. Now most political parties are making all these false promise to their prospective voters to give free electricity, water, or offering money to them, but these two top bodies have maintained silence over this open fraud. No one has the courage to ask these parties how they can promise something to people which they can’t fulfil. Where will the money come from to fulfil their promises, there is completely no accountability of anyone. At the end of the day, it’s the poor voter of the country who gets cheated by all these thugs who come in disguise of politicians and leaders. The Election Commission of India and Supreme Court should take an initiative in this matter to ensure that voters of the country are not cheated by these leaders every election, by making false promises. Its their job and their prerogative also to ensure that elections are conducted in the right manner.

Politics is a game of uncertainties, and no one can claim since they did a good work so people should choose them again to run the government. After the emergence of BJP at the centre and in the several other states of India, people’s expectations have risen many folds. They want everything to happen soon for them because governments in the past have made them wait for so long, even for the basic amenities. Since Modi government has performed exceptionally well in past 7-8 years of their tenure, people have now started expecting miracles from them. This is a very big ask from the people of India but going the track record of Mr Modi, he shouldn’t be disappointing its people. – Yugal Parashar