Democracy has come of age in India

The results of the recent elections in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala have, once again, demonstrated the Indian electorate’s ability to judge issues facing the nation wisely.

Earlier, in 1966, India’s first and only woman Prime Minister till date, Indira Gandhi came to power following the death of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. Her party was re-elected in 1967, but with a greatly reduced majority. In 1971, riding on the plank of her ‘Garibi Hatao’ slogan and her role in the Bangladesh war, she led her party to a landslide victory. Soon, in 1975, a judgement of the Allahabad High Court declared as null and void her election as a Member of Parliament and disqualified her from holding office for a period of six years on the grounds of electoral malpractice. Following that verdict, rising economic instability, and intense protests in the country, she imposed an emergency in the country. And India saw one of the darkest periods of post-independence, with the declaration leading to suspension of civil liberties and other freedoms. Soon, following internal conflict and disillusionment of voters she lost her seat.

In 1977, disgusted with the Congress (I) led government, people brought the Janata Party to power. But the people of Andhra Pradesh alone defied the so-called popularity wave and voted for the Congress (I). Not much later and, in fact, barely two years afterwards, internal conflict destabilised the new government too. And, in 1980, Indira Gandhi came to power again.

“Aaya Ram Gaya Ram” is a popular phrase in Indian politics, used to describe politicians who defect or frequently change parties. It originated in 1967 with Haryana MLA Gaya Lal, who changed parties thrice in fifteen days.

In another remarkable election in 1983, NTR, the matinee idol of the Telugus, swept his Telugu Desam Party (TDP) into power with a thumping majority. Nearly all TDP candidates were elected as if NTR, rather than the candidates, were contesting, from their constituencies, thanks to NTR’’s charisma. Earlier in Tamil Nadu, actor-politician MGR had created history with his magnetic personality.

In 1984 the TDP government was dismissed following the betrayal of some MLAs. NTR was subsequently reinstated in the wake of a public agitation. Later the Assembly was dissolved and elections held, which NTR won with a thumping majority. On both occasions, it was as though people in different regions of the state had entered a silent pact to vote in an identical fashion, the sharp differences in their cultural and linguistic dialects notwithstanding! In a see-saw sort of manner, in the 1989 Andhra Pradesh Assembly election, the Congress (I) swept the polls.

In yet another historic election, the recent poll in West Bengal saw the defeat of the incumbent Trinamool Congress, which was ruling since 2011, with the BJP being elected to power in the state. The sequence of events, which led to that verdict, was indeed extremely intriguing. There was a strong anti-incumbency wave in evidence. Several violent incidents had taken place in the wake of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electrical roles undertaken by the Election Commission of India.

Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee initially refused to step down from her post, stating that the entire voting process had been rigged and votes looted by force. She accused the Election Commission of bias and claimed a moral victory for her party. On his part, the Governor of the state warned of stern constitutional measures, even hinting at bringing in central paramilitary forces to maintain law and order if the decision of the Chief Minister not to respect constitutional norms and requirements led to any untoward situation.

In an equally surprising and dramatic development, the Congress (I) led United Democratic Front (UDF) swept back to power in Kerala, riding a massive anti-incumbency wave. The victory marked the end of a 10-year electoral drought for the party and return to public life after years in the wilderness. And the BJP made an impressive debut by opening its account in the state, a significant landmark in an area where it had earlier struggled to gain a foothold.

The results were notable also for the miserable performance of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), largely on account of having got mired in issues of nepotism and concentration of power in a single person who was bestowed with a cult status. As a result, rebellion had broken out in the rank and file of the Front, leading to the fall of a citadel which it had presided over for several decades, apart from causing a cascading effect elsewhere in the country.

And, in another totally unexpected development, history repeated itself although, this time, neither as a farce nor as tragedy!

In a stunning performance, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by the latest darling of the Tamil movie aficionados, Vijay, registered a stellar performance in its electoral debut. The verdict has clearly demonstrated that, once an electorate, especially one that is so politically conscious and educated as that of Tamil Nadu, has accurately assessed the performance of the incumbent party in power, its choice comes out loudly and clearly.

One of the chief reasons why India can hold her head high is that a mature democracy in the comity of nations in the matter of conduct of elections is the way the election commission of India has conducted itself over the past seven decades and more. Regular and repeated conduct of free, fair and impartial elections for a country of India’s size and diversity is no mean achievement. Save for the occasional and understandable departure from the straight and narrow path. It has, by and large, managed, to maintain its reputation as an autonomous and independent body free from political pressures.

T N Seshan, Sukumar Sen, and J M Lyngdoh are widely regarded as among the most transformative Chief Election Commissioners of India, having enforced strict electoral reforms and strengthened democratic processes. Sukumar Sen oversaw the monumental task of organizing India’s first general elections. Seshan was known for revolutionizing the election paradigm in the country by strictly enforcing the Model Code of Conduct, introducing voter IDs, and tackling corruption. Lyngdoh did a remarkable job of ensuring impartial elections, notably in Jammu and Kashmir, and reinforcing the integrity of the Election Commission.

I, as the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh state, had the honour and privilege of interacting with Lyngdoh. It was his steadfast adherence to the rule book and firm refusal to allow conduct of elections in the state, unless the electoral rolls were comprehensively revised that led to the successful conduct of a fair and free election, thus also earning me the credit of having led the exercise of the run up to that poll.

In the recent polls, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal witnessed unprecedented constitutional political uncertainty following Assembly elections to their Assemblies. In Tamil Nadu, Vijay led TVK to a spectacular victory in the hustings, bagging 108 seats to become the single largest party, but falling short of the requisite majority of 118. However, after garnering support from a number of other parties, such as the Congress (I), the CPI(M), the CPI, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Vijay managed to reach a total of 120, thus mustering the requisite majority. The role played by the Governor, who failed to call the leader of the largest single party to prove his majority on the floor of the house, and delayed what was an obvious choice, was called into question by several political parties and experts.

And, in West Bengal, in an unprecedented and historic win, the BJP registered a massive victory. Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the Chief Minister.

All the events we have looked at in this piece served to establish the fact that democracy in India has matured and come of age. The people of the country have vindicated the spirit of the words with which the Constitution of India begins, namely, “We the people of India…”

It is in the hands of the people that the power to hold the reins of the country finally resides. The refutable fact that property in public life and performance in the realm of governance are the qualities that ultimately matter in decide who is chosen by the voters to run the country’s affairs

(The writer was formerly Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh)