The Kolkata Report #9
Suddenly, there is an immediacy in the air. In less than 48 hours, the State of West Bengal,of which, Kolkata is the principal city and the State Capital, is set to vote its lowest strata of elected officials in. The villages and smallest towns are governed by Panchayets, or a Council of Five (Pancha). The system has evolved into a far more complex structure, though it still retains the name. It is the body of elected officials, that is closest to the general public. Though the higher legislative functions are carried out by a higher category of law makers at the state and central level, the Panchayets are the representation of the people at the ground level. A nation with more than a billion people, naturally holds this election as being very important. A politician, cutting his or her teeth at this level, could then aspire to higher elected office in later years. Naturally, these elections are robust and lively, as an incubator for political hatchlings would be. Bengal has always been an acutely politically aware place, teeming with thinkers of all persuasions, with the slogan of of 'What Bengal thinks of today, the rest of India does tomorrow'.
It has, naturally not been sitting quietly in the run up to this election. A few years back, there was a regime change, and fresh blood in the guise of a new political party, swept into power. At the helm is a fiery, charismatic woman, tiny in size but with the courage and guile of a Bengal tigress. According to Newton's Third Law, the equal and opposite reaction is still building with zest, yet knowing that it will be a very long time before they can catch up with her. In fact, sometimes it is comical to see them huffing and puffing to catch up with her, marching in protests, forming strange alliances and conspiring to defeat her political party. In the last elections, her party won something like 84% of the seats.
Her political party has had very strong grass roots support, fuelled by her populist social programs and development agendas. She has been canny enough to do the work, seek publicity for it as well as brush off inevitable criticisms nonchalantly.
So as the notifications for these elections were made, her party, ever ready for such opportunities, rushed to file nominations for every single post. Over and above that, they decided to take no chances with elections and opposition candidates, simply intimidating them and even physically preventing them from going to file their papers. It must be said, that the many of the opposition candidates were often just nominal in nature. Many just simply withdrew their candidature, and some simply fled. As a result, the real elections, scheduled for earlier this month, were deferred due to complaints of fraud and intimidation to the courts of law. The local politicians were always half a step ahead in this case. They declared as many as 34% candidates elected unopposed, even while the courts and various political parties wrangled over the merits and demerits of the case. The state's high court, slowly awakening after a month long strike of their own, because of the lack of sufficient judges, delivered a slew of orders to cancel the voting date, issue a new one and then doubt whether that was it, and whether a newer date would be declared and allowing intimidated candidates to refile their nominations, yes they could do it online, no they couldn't do it online, security was inadequate, no, it was fine and so on and so forth. The opposition claimed that the ruling party had sent death threats to the election commissioner, who then promptly denied the reports. The Supreme Court of India stepped into this mire, even while wallowing in its own woes with their judges, to hold the 'elected 34%' as being on hold. However, it seems, all are due to vote on the 14th, in two days.
There is a bit of a carnival atmosphere even in this scorching hot weather. My staff has made arrangements to go to their respective home constituencies. No doubt, there will be freebies for them, an inducement from all sides.
In the meantime, today's newspaper carries the report of an unfortunate candidate in another part of India who hasn't been able to canvass for votes or conduct any election campaigns for himself due to acute embarrassment. In this eleventh hour, he finally went pounding the road, but it may be too late.
It seems that the Election Commission, which understands that there are many illiterate voters, has election symbols, by which voters can identify their candidates, For instance the party at the helm in the centre has a lotus as its symbol, the main opposition parties have various others like a raised hand, the familiar hammer and sickle, a broom (yes, they really did sweep the very first elections they stood for), a bicycle, a lantern and so on.
This unfortunate politician in question got the allotted symbol of, I kid you not, a Toilet with a toilet seat. Yes, it is true.
Now, for the past few years, cleanliness has been a slogan for success (not yet in hand though), and one which the new prime minister of the nation found fit to propound at length on the day when he addressed his nation on its Independence day. He didn't think it important to give tributes to the martyrs of the Independence movement or to the Nation's struggle to achieve it. Now, of course, after a few years everything has changed. Nationalism is back in the driver's seat, cleanliness, now espoused by various celebrities and corporate sponsors, continues to run on a distant parallel track. Of course, if this candidate wins- the toilet will win again!
Suddenly, there is an immediacy in the air. In less than 48 hours, the State of West Bengal,of which, Kolkata is the principal city and the State Capital, is set to vote its lowest strata of elected officials in. The villages and smallest towns are governed by Panchayets, or a Council of Five (Pancha). The system has evolved into a far more complex structure, though it still retains the name. It is the body of elected officials, that is closest to the general public. Though the higher legislative functions are carried out by a higher category of law makers at the state and central level, the Panchayets are the representation of the people at the ground level. A nation with more than a billion people, naturally holds this election as being very important. A politician, cutting his or her teeth at this level, could then aspire to higher elected office in later years. Naturally, these elections are robust and lively, as an incubator for political hatchlings would be. Bengal has always been an acutely politically aware place, teeming with thinkers of all persuasions, with the slogan of of 'What Bengal thinks of today, the rest of India does tomorrow'.
It has, naturally not been sitting quietly in the run up to this election. A few years back, there was a regime change, and fresh blood in the guise of a new political party, swept into power. At the helm is a fiery, charismatic woman, tiny in size but with the courage and guile of a Bengal tigress. According to Newton's Third Law, the equal and opposite reaction is still building with zest, yet knowing that it will be a very long time before they can catch up with her. In fact, sometimes it is comical to see them huffing and puffing to catch up with her, marching in protests, forming strange alliances and conspiring to defeat her political party. In the last elections, her party won something like 84% of the seats.
Her political party has had very strong grass roots support, fuelled by her populist social programs and development agendas. She has been canny enough to do the work, seek publicity for it as well as brush off inevitable criticisms nonchalantly.
So as the notifications for these elections were made, her party, ever ready for such opportunities, rushed to file nominations for every single post. Over and above that, they decided to take no chances with elections and opposition candidates, simply intimidating them and even physically preventing them from going to file their papers. It must be said, that the many of the opposition candidates were often just nominal in nature. Many just simply withdrew their candidature, and some simply fled. As a result, the real elections, scheduled for earlier this month, were deferred due to complaints of fraud and intimidation to the courts of law. The local politicians were always half a step ahead in this case. They declared as many as 34% candidates elected unopposed, even while the courts and various political parties wrangled over the merits and demerits of the case. The state's high court, slowly awakening after a month long strike of their own, because of the lack of sufficient judges, delivered a slew of orders to cancel the voting date, issue a new one and then doubt whether that was it, and whether a newer date would be declared and allowing intimidated candidates to refile their nominations, yes they could do it online, no they couldn't do it online, security was inadequate, no, it was fine and so on and so forth. The opposition claimed that the ruling party had sent death threats to the election commissioner, who then promptly denied the reports. The Supreme Court of India stepped into this mire, even while wallowing in its own woes with their judges, to hold the 'elected 34%' as being on hold. However, it seems, all are due to vote on the 14th, in two days.
There is a bit of a carnival atmosphere even in this scorching hot weather. My staff has made arrangements to go to their respective home constituencies. No doubt, there will be freebies for them, an inducement from all sides.
In the meantime, today's newspaper carries the report of an unfortunate candidate in another part of India who hasn't been able to canvass for votes or conduct any election campaigns for himself due to acute embarrassment. In this eleventh hour, he finally went pounding the road, but it may be too late.
It seems that the Election Commission, which understands that there are many illiterate voters, has election symbols, by which voters can identify their candidates, For instance the party at the helm in the centre has a lotus as its symbol, the main opposition parties have various others like a raised hand, the familiar hammer and sickle, a broom (yes, they really did sweep the very first elections they stood for), a bicycle, a lantern and so on.
This unfortunate politician in question got the allotted symbol of, I kid you not, a Toilet with a toilet seat. Yes, it is true.
Now, for the past few years, cleanliness has been a slogan for success (not yet in hand though), and one which the new prime minister of the nation found fit to propound at length on the day when he addressed his nation on its Independence day. He didn't think it important to give tributes to the martyrs of the Independence movement or to the Nation's struggle to achieve it. Now, of course, after a few years everything has changed. Nationalism is back in the driver's seat, cleanliness, now espoused by various celebrities and corporate sponsors, continues to run on a distant parallel track. Of course, if this candidate wins- the toilet will win again!
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