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chowkidaars once more?

By Sachin Gautam


After almost seven decades of independence, India has managed to prove itself a true democracy as it still stands on the pillars built by its constitutional framework and parliamentary form of government. Now, as the General elections have started, a sense of anxiety is set in the heart of both the citizens and political parties of the world’s largest democracy. This time the political parties have given all they had to win the 2019 Indian General Elections. Whoever wins, controls the destiny of more than 10% of the world’s population.

Amidst the political upheaval that India has faced over the last few months, more is emerging with the introduction of coalitions, critical schemes and political dramas that have been propelled by opposing parties. However, the current prime minister, Narendra Modi has never failed to express his confidence in winning these elections with an absolute majority. The prime minister has also commented that the opposition now, even after series of coalitions, are more scattered than they were in 2014 with each leader having left no stone unturned when it comes to putting one another down. Modi claims that the National Democratic Alliance has never missed an opportunity to improve the development of the country as he urges voters to choose the one who will take concrete action instead of just boasting slogans. However, keeping aside the popularity gained by the BJP due to Bollywood movies and the surgical strikes in Pakistan, the government has also been accused of stoking division between India’s Hindu majority and the country’s 200 million Muslims which has made it lose various key states in the December elections. Criticized for pushing an aggressive Hindutva agenda, liberal voters fear the establishment of hegemony of fascist ideology overcoming the nation, overriding the constitutional and secular nature of its democracy.

On the other hand, the face of opposition, Rahul Gandhi with his schemes such as ‘Nyuntam Aay Yojna’ is focusing on the upliftment of the poor. Gandhi has shown the flaws of the present government by calling them promise breakers, who instead of living up to claims of improving the nation’s economy, brought about schemes such as DeMon-etization and the “Gabbar Singh Tax” (GST). Claiming that the party has strategic plans for the country, Gandhi has even promised that the Indian National Congress’ manifesto will be a reflection of the people’s voice and wants, focusing mainly on solutions like job creation, healthcare and the economy. Further, the introduction of the new Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has bought about a considerable change in Congress’s stature in the upcoming elections. She comments that unlike her party, the Modi government has not engaged in any work but rather only in lofty talk.

The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases covering over 543 constituencies and its results will be announced on the 23rd of May. Many analysts believe that the BJP stands a strong chance of winning these elections by a simple majority. On the other hand, Congress has been trying its very best to reclaim their old glory. Personally, I believe that the Congress would have been likely to win the General Election if they were head by a non-Nehru/Gandhi president. Eliminating the monarchical nature of their party would help eliminate bias as the introduction of new, competing face holds the potential to bring about a drift in people’s opinion. Well, now it’s too late.

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