Election campaign in India is getting hotter and hotter in lock and step with its rising temperature plaguing its weather. The battle of ballots in a multi party Parliamentary system will be held under the umbrella of scorching Subcontinent heat starting from tomorrow, April 19 and held in multiple phases extending over three months until the declaration of results in early June. It is going be a long, tiring journey for many - from the candidates to the government officials working hard, toiling under an unforgiving burning sun, striving to successfully stage the longest electoral exercise.
In India an entire family's vote mostly goes towards the same political party, unlike in America where it is quite common for spouses to support different parties. Example of Republican husband and a Democrat wife are plenty. The couples live in peaceful coexistence after casting their separate ballots. But when it comes to voting in India often the head of the household decides the vote on behalf of the entire family. My mother who is apathetic to politics would always vote for whomever my father tells her to do so, she caring least about the candidate's profile. The sole exception was in 1984 when she cast her sympathy vote for Congress party on the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's tragic assassination. My father never voted for Congress, nor I. I have voted twice in India, in 1989 to Janata Dal inspired by V.P. Singh who seemed like a messiah but later belied my hope and in 1995 for the same party again as the legendary Biju Patnaik was contesting from my home constituency Bhubaneswar (there was no Biju Janata Dal yet).
Do you remember your first ever election in India ? For me it was the Lok Sabha election held in March 1977 when Indira Gandhi suddenly called off Emergency she earlier imposed and announced fresh election only to be drowned by the Janata Tsunami. The popular, punchy anti Congress and Indira campaign slogan of the time was - "SINGHASAN KHALI KARO, KI JANATA A RAHI HAI" (Vacate the throne, because the Public is on its way) caught everybody's imagination. As a 8 year old I retain faint memories of it, though still remember the fillowing headline on Newspaper "Times of India" (used to be delivered in evening fetched earlier by the flight from Delhi) "JP WAVE UNABATED". Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan, fondly called as JP, was creating waves across North India which wiped away the Congress from the entire cow belt. I remember my Uncle and his friend with hippie hair and check Shirts clinging to the radio at our home to get the latest election results from BBC whom the public depended for authentic news those days as they didn't trust the government owned AIR (All India radio).
Late in the night came the news of Indira Gandhi and her son and designated heir Sanjay's defeat. Indira was defeated by Raj Narain, a political buffoon of the time and her son Sanjay Gandhi a local goon. I remember fireworks going up lighting the sky and celebrations near SOOCHANA BHAWAN (Information center) in Bhubaneswar where the election results were displayed for public consumption. Delhi didn't sleep that night and Delhites went on a frenzy of celebration. Next day the picture of folks in bell bottom pants and long sideburns dancing on streets of our capital flashed on Newspapers. But Janata wave stayed north of Vindya, never could percolate southwards. In spite of the excesses of emergency, South India stayed solidly behind Indira and Congress and its ally AIADMK swept the South ending with a decent total of 140 plus.
Lot of speculations, debates will go in a nation of 1.4 billion people and nearly 1 billion voters until June 4, the day the results will be declared. The current Prime Minister Modi led BJP is expected to get a comfortable majority for a 3rd term, though there can be many a slip between the cup and the lip. So tighten your seat belt for a long roller coaster fun filled ride while following the battle of ballots in India. Game on folks.
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