1. Highest turnout
ever: This elec tion has been one of the most hyped ever but in the end it was
worth it. The previous highest national turnout was in 1984 which also happened
to be the Indira Gandhi sympathy wave. That stood at 64%. The 2014 one stands at
66.4%: This despite the fact that it was conducted over a marathon 36 days and
mainly in the sweltering heat.
Now think of all
those missing voters in the electoral lists and all those who didn’t vote
thanks to errors on the voting card and you know how the Election Commission
has bungled up big time and could have taken that figure even higher.
2. Politicians on
their toes: During election time, politicians usually get away with
irresponsible statements and acts. The model code of conduct has been deterring
them steadily, but this time all the politicians were on their toes as a record
number of FIRs were filed and political leaders were pulled up across party
lines. The only downer was allegations of bias favouring the Congress and
against the BJP.3. The anti- corruption theme: In one way this vote has been
the end of the anti- corruption movement that began in 2010 and saw the August
Kranti agitation of 2011 and the launch of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Plus this time it has
been different.
1989 was just a reaction
to Bofors. This time corruption is a much larger theme and the Lokpal was
introduced. Post- 2014 people will not be satisfied with mere probes and will
demand for more concrete action.
4. Social media:
Usually people just get to get their voice heard once every five years. Not
this time where they were heard each and every day. No new big scams have
resurfaced for quite some time now, and public memory is usually very short.
Not so with social
media where every old Tweet, article and photo is pulled out to embarrass the
politicians.
And every year in
India there is some election or the other ( like the Assembly and municipal
ones), so social media voters will keep applying the pressure in the run up to
these elections.
5. Yet another
alternative: People tired of Congress moved to the BJP. People tired of both
the Congress and BJP moved to the AAP. The AAP had a brilliant launch pad but
squandered it through first joining hands with the Congress and then letting it
go when people were OK with the arrangement.
They made it worse by
vigilantism, dharnas, attacks and dramas. No matter how good they fare, they
could have been much better had they play their cards right. However, they
still have a base to make it big in 2019.
It is still possible
for all the AAP to win back a lot of the middle class it lost by 2019.
Alternatives have
emerged elsewhere too. Tamil Nadu has a Third Front in the form of NDA as the
BJP has tied up with the non- DMK non- ADMK players. West Bengal finally has a
non- Congress non- CPM option in the BJP. Funnily the BJP is gaining ground in
the Northeast and Kerala too. All in all the BJP might finally become a
permanent national party and India will officially enter a 2- alliance system
much better than the Congress monopoly or Third Front nonsense.
6. Political
indifference uncool: Till now everyone found it cool to either not vote or not
be involved with a political party. That has changed this time. Celebrities and
professionals in large numbers are getting associated with some party or the
other. Bollywood is writing letters in support of “ secular” parties.
The youth has been
politicized and exposed to the grandest electoral campaign ever. Political
indifference, which has led politicians to behave with impunity, is out of the
window.
7. End of the Delhi clique:
It is always unhealthy for a small group of individuals to have a stranglehold
over all opinions and debates, but that is exactly what had been happening till
now. But now the doors have been opened and all manner of people all over India
have made their voice heard in this election and not just the Delhi clique.
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