Col Jasjit Singh Gill
INDIAN political parties have honed the art of winning elections by holding the voter to ransom. Such is the decline in the standards of politics that people with professional and intellectual merit but without political lineage find it tough to be in politics and are rarely, if ever, in the reckoning during an election.
What we are witnessing is a recycling of available candidates among the mainstream parties. Parties decide who can be voted for. In the absence of meritorious options, the voter doesn’t have a choice.
Elections have become so expensive that an ordinary person with ordinary means cannot hope to be a serious contender. It is only the main political parties that can be in the contest. The funds and support that a candidate raises invariably have little to do with ideology and the larger social good. Raising funds to fight an election has increasingly become related to networks and personal equations that the voter doesn’t get to see.
A voter who would like to bring change also feels a sense of hopelessness because parties and entrenched leaders have captive vote banks that vote with their feet one way or the other irrespective of regard shown to them or not.
It was to empower the voter and address this situation that the NOTA or ‘none of the above’ option was introduced. It was hoped that NOTA would discourage parties from putting up sub-standard candidates.
But NOTA doesn’t seem to have worked either. Has it been propagated enough? Even if it were to be widely used to rein in political parties, a big weakness of NOTA is that no threshold of votes has been set by which an election can be countermanded. A threshold was necessary. It is hardly likely that all voters will opt for NOTA.
Very lenient defection laws also do not serve the voter’s interest. Not bothered about breaking the public trust reposed in a representative, politicians switch loyalties without any qualms. Having two-thirds of members defecting as a group, as allowed under the anti-defection law, is another mass insult to voters and a betrayal of them.
It can’t get worse when, either because of allurements or coercion or a mixture of both, as is widely alleged, a large number of people’s representatives leave one party and join another. The fact that they represent a majority does not take into account the faith placed in them by the voter and the betrayal of that faith.
Changes in the law are needed to make defection ‘non-profitable’. There should be a clause to the effect that “Any candidate who defects from a party he is elected from cannot fight any election at any level for the next five years.” Additionally, holding public office should be ruled out for five years. Nor should it be possible for the defector to return to the parent party for five years.
The first past the post phenomenon is actually a very sad part of public participation in governance in the present democratic system. A person who gets 30 percent of the votes gets elected despite the second and third candidate getting 29 percent and 28 percent of the votes, respectively. So, two losing candidates, despite getting 57 percent of the polled votes, sit out as compared to the winning candidate with 30 percent. Is it a true reflection of the mandate of a constituency?
Why can’t India have more representative government in a system of conscionable democracy? The Swiss federal government (the Federal Council) is made up of seven members who are elected by the Parliament and who are each members of one of the strongest parties. The federal councillors work together to reach a consensus and set the course the country will follow. The Swiss Parliament (the Federal Assembly) has 246 members who are directly elected by the people. Switzerland has a bicameral parliament consisting of the National Council (200 members) and the Council of States (46 members).
Eleven parties are represented in the Swiss Parliament. Those parties with the largest share of the popular vote are represented on the Federal Council. Some 5.5 million citizens above the age of 18, roughly 63 percent of the total population, are eligible to vote at federal level. Few countries offer their citizens as many opportunities to vote on political issues as Switzerland does. Every year there are between three and four popular votes in which the electorate can have its say on a particular issue. Delegates are elected every four years.
The Swiss model is worth emulating or embracing if India needs to move towards participative democracy, strengthening the existing parliamentary democracy with minimal changes to keep the essence of active participation of every citizen in the country’s governance.
Finally, why can’t elections be less acrimonious and more oriented towards development agendas? Why can’t it be made mandatory that politicians will restrict themselves to issues and not attack one another? They should focus on outlining their programmes for the country. People would then be able to choose, in a more rational atmosphere, politicians and parties on the basis of promise of performance.
Colonel Jasjit Singh Gill is an emvironmental activist based in Ludhiana
Comments
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Dr Balwinder Singh - May 31, 2024, 9:55 a.m.
I wish Col. Gill’s comments get implemented. But none of these will. Why? Because the ones who are expected to make the necessary changes will never budge – it is not in their interest. Each candidate who gets elected forgets forthwith what he had just said to allure the voters during his/her election campaigns. The elected representative knows well that he doesn’t need to care for his/her constituents until after the next elections. They work on the maxim that people have short memory. I fully endorse Col. Gill that stringent laws should be made against defections, but why can’t the public punish – at least - the defectors? For that matter, why shouldn’t there be a minimum qualification for the candidates? Why are the convicts not barred from contesting? Why isn’t there a check on the elected representatives’ source of income? Why should an MP/MLA be allowed to run his/her business while holding an office? Why would there be no parity between a government employee and an elected member vis-à-vis their pensions? If an employee – even at the highest level – must serve for a minimum of (I suppose) 20 years to become eligible for pension, why can’t the same be applied to an MP/MLA? Bringing Swiss electoral system to India is a far cry. An intelligent and visionary person just cannot think of contesting an election for obvious reasons given by the writer. In that case, the voter’s choice would be among the recycled politicians only. The elector – you are right – has Hobson’s choice. Once the politicians reach the parliament/assembly, they believe – regardless of their political stripes – in maintaining the status quo. And the vicious cycle starts.
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Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan - May 29, 2024, 10:15 a.m.
Good views, good effort
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Brij Bhushan Goyal 1 - May 29, 2024, 8:31 a.m.
A thought provoking writeup. The so called participatory democracy of Indian politicians is a farce for the voter. The voters are captive of mirage ploys by our politicians.
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Gurprakash Singh Virk - May 29, 2024, 7:45 a.m.
Very true. Nicely articulated. We are fixed to numbers not to intellect. Days are not far when Indians will be drowned in ocean of numbers . Only saving grace is if Bhakts of Modi are truly turned towards Ram & no one is plagued being a OBC , SC & ST. One feels sorry that after centuries we are ensuring that low cast only remain their winning numbers . Hence the trimester keep winning in style .
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Kuldeep Singh 1 - May 29, 2024, 3:47 a.m.
Well Said. Very minutely observed. Fully endorse your opinion.
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Rajesh Rai Dhanda - May 28, 2024, 10:51 p.m.
We The People We the people of India should Accept that we are This Who Are more bothered About changing. / criticising every other thing on the Earth Rather then Getting to know what We are and where the problem is . Intelligence is not running away from the problem The intelligence is to managing the problem If cannot be eradicated . Like living with One leg not w/o Leg , Living with One Arm Or living A life of differently Abled . It’s not intelligent to be on the road with eyes wide opened But to be on the road with no vision . We have one of the best constitution . But not the best of the Citizens . So We the People of India knowingly or unknowingly are now part of system where in this Era the Robin Hood Politics is at it’s worst Where Each political party is trying to woe the majority population with freebies to be procured from the pockets of Taxpayers. It took decades to be into This & It will take decades to be out of This . Rajesh
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G.S. MALHI - May 28, 2024, 10:38 p.m.
Agree with you 100 %. Very well researched treatise. 5 year ban on defectors is an excellent deterrent to switch parties or hold government office.