Disappointment

May 16th 2009 was a day of reckoning for all the political parties in India. It was the day decided upon by the Election Commission of India to count the votes of the 15th General Elections. The Election was spread over a 5 week period and was conducted in five phases with the first phase being on the 16th of April and the last on the 13th of May. I have to congratulate the commission for a job very well done. With almost a billion voters, it is indeed an exercise worth commenting and this they achieved without any fanfare and big talk. This time the lead up to the elections was not the riot that it usually turned out to be. All parties followed the election conduct code set by the commission and there was peace and quiet all around. Thanks to the commission, the compound walls were not defaced with the posters of the candidates and so also the skyline was devoid of the huge cut outs for which my city of Chennai is famous.

The trend of the results were clear within 2 hours of counting and by noon it was sure that the UPA lead by the Indian National Congress would continue to hold the reins of power. This result truly made me happy. Let me get this clear, I am no supporter of the Congress and have never been. The reason for my happiness is not the fact that the INC won, but the fact that the voters in India had given a clear mandate to one of the coalitions. This meant that the UPA could really get down to ruling the country in the way they think is best. It goes without saying that their responsibility has increased as they have no one to blame for not doing what they should. In the last 5 years, any snag on their part was blamed on the allies who stood as a stumbling block. Now I wish them well and hope they govern in the best manner possible and let us ordinary citizens enjoy the fruits of democracy and also feel the sense of security which we badly need.

This result which for certain has been accepted with relief and happiness by the majority has I ‘m sure left certain groups disappointed. One such group is of course the parties which lost. That is but natural as everyone out there wants a win, because only a win will enable them to be in power and thus fill in their coffers. A win would have also made them be in a position to bargain with the ruling coalition. This clear mandate has left most of these power seekers high and dry what with having to wait another five years for lady luck to favour them. More than thanking the voters for giving a clear mandate, I would like to thank them for not giving a fractured mandate.

The other group that would be more than disappointed on this victory is the anchors of the various English news channels in the country. Yes, I am glad that we have a choice of channels to watch unlike in the seventies and eighties when only Doordarshan enlightened the public in their most monotonous manner. The English news channels are indeed savvy and the presenters are the face of modern India with their western attire and ingenuous minds. The build up to the fifteenth general election started for them even before the dates were announced in February and once the dates were known it was the only topic on air 24x7. Once the elections began and there was a sense of a hung parliament, these anchors went on an overdrive and began working out the various combinations and permutations. Oh my God how they enjoyed this show and how they set the minds of the viewers thinking in various ways. They had guests from all the political parties in their studios and these poor men and women were made to answer questions to situations that they would have never dreamt off. Since most of them came for the interview without any clue as to what would be asked, they would sometimes talk of the cuff and get themselves into a sticky situation from which it was difficult to come free. Many a misunderstanding has come about and many a head has rolled. These presenters consider themselves above board and without realizing what is good for the country or its people do a job which according to them is well done. They have made elements in the fray “King Makers” by exaggerating their importance and these poor souls have now become totally disappointed. They have managed fully well to give a sense of elation to groups that are not worthy of it and on the other hand have put down people who need a pat on the back. Some of the smarter politicians have seen through their game and have been able to keep them at arms length. In this manner they have filled their air time for the last 3 months. Had we a fractured mandate, they would have been the happiest and would have tried working the most improbable situations. Even with a strong mandate, I was surprised when an anchor was working out the various combinations that the UPA could resort to, to achieve the 300 mark.

I wonder when these anchors will change their attitudes. Yes we all admit that they are smart and can think out of the box, but that in no way gives them the authority to speak the way they do. For the first time in my memory, the leaders of the losing coalitions have had the courtesy to congratulate the UPA leaders and have extended all support to the government. When the situation is thus, I wonder why these anchors want to maintain a divisive attitude. To them it is only the question of filling the air time and improving on their TRPs. Just as they are disappointed with the results, I am disappointed with the entire breed. The only channels I view are the news channels, but after this prolonged agony, have decided to stay off the remote for the time being.