The Indian democracy Jamboorree

Today’s been the day of the vote count of the state elections, and has resulted in one mad rush on my Twitter account. Tweets have been coming full and fast, and the excitement is palpable. Journalists Barka Dutt, Sagrika Ghosh, Vikram Chandra, Bupen Chaubey et al, can hardly hold their excitement- change is on the threshold, and they are live reporting it, carried away with the mad hysteria of the winning party’s followers.

Pritish Nandy, a senior and respected journalist comments

“More important than who has won where is that Indian democracy has again proved itself. The ballot box has won.”

Adds Vikram Chandra

“ What a crash for the Left! All powerful, with a veto at the centre, just 3 years back! And now totally wiped out.”

The five states of Assam, W Bengal, Pudducherry, TNadu and Kerala where the elections have been held, old warhorse parties like the CPM & DMK have been decisively routed, and the Congress humbled in Puducherry and Kerala .The incumbent Trinamool & DMK governments were both led to victory by their mercurial women leaders, and is slowly showing that India to be increasingly be led by the fairer gender. In recent memory, leaders like Laloo Prasad Yaday and Sharad Yadav had opposed the women's reservation bill, which intended to reserve 33% of seats in the central and state legislatures, is now being translating into reality by the electorate,  bill or no bill.

The great India democracy continues its song and dance with our lawmakers, routinely humbling the high and the mighty, and giving the electorate an opportunity to change their rulers. Over a period of time, 'people's party's' become authoritarian, oppressive, bombastic, corrupt and unresponsive to the people, and consequently are served a drubbing in the court of the people, the elections. In the case of both the Left and the DMK, their states had become personal fiefdoms, and milching cows of the first family, the Karunanidhis, and with the CPM, their functionaries at mid and lower levels. Simultaneously, responsive governments such as Tarun Gogoi's in Assam, were given a rousing mandate to return to governance, and continue their good work.

Peoples power is the ultimate power in a democracy, and for some strange reason, all political parties loose sight of it and are rudely reminded of it when drubbed in elections. The era of Laloo's social justice empowerment, gave way to infrastructure and development, and now the electorate want jobs,clean governance and responsive administration. 

The  governments in the newly elected states have an onerous task in front of them - to restore the independence of the state machinery, to refill the bankrupt coffers, to restore law and order, besides other pressing reforms the state may need. A long road lies ahead.....