Continuity vs. Change

The world’s largest Democracy (India) held elections in stages over the past month. It played out relatively quietly. Early on, Maoist separatists attacked polling stations in the semi-lawless north-east of the country, killing about sixty people. Since then, the Indian Election Commission has stepped up its efforts, beefing up security – calling out the army where necessary (in places like Kashmir among others considered to be flash points) - at polling stations nationwide and there have been no reports of trouble since.

Voter participation has been awesome! Almost twice the entire population of the United States cast their ballots. My wife signed up to vote within the proscribed time period but found that her name was never added to the voting list. This has given rise to intimations in some quarters that the parties in general do not care about the middle class vote. Bolstering this view was the (to us obvious) fact that our illiterate maid was taken through the steps of registering early in the process and received her voter card well before Election Day.

It must also be added, however, that any number of respected, non-partisan organizations exist here who are dedicated solely to get people to exercise their franchise. These are said to consist of virtual armies of young, well-educated volunteers who recognize the people’s right (and obligation) to vote as sacrosanct in a democracy. They are said to refrain from promoting specific candidates over others. In this respect, they appear to resemble our ‘League of Women Voters’ rather than, say, ACORN.

Yesterday, the Indian stock market rallied when it became apparent (from the exit polls) that the ruling coalition will continue. The Indian people, it seems, want continuity (as opposed to change). Today is the counting. The exit polls appear to have been correct. What has been surprising is that the election has not been as close as predicted. Also, the Communists appear to have lost some ground (and influence). At the same time the (what has been described as the muscular) right-of-center Hindu Party (BJP) has fallen far short of expectations. This is said to be largely due to the decision by Atal Behari Vajpayee (considered by many to be a great statesman of exceptional maturity and depth) not to run.

From the vantage point of an outsider, who is not familiar with the daily ebb and flow of political fortunes here, I hear the usual cynical carping of dirty tricks and corruption. But all in all, nobody running can be accused of being in league with the enemy (Pakistan).

It is interesting to compare the Indian elections with our own in which the deciding issue was ‘change’ without the slightest curiosity what such ‘change’ would actually entail.