Dear newbies, welcome to the thrilling world of Indian politics! India is the world’s largest democracy. Around 1.4 billion people are in the country, and around 97 crores are eligible to vote. Even if 60 per cent of them, which is less than the 67 per cent turnout in the 2019 elections, around 57 crore voters will exercise their right to vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
With such a mammoth number, the world is looking at these elections and waiting for the outcome. For the newbies who want to understand how elections work in India and how balls roll in the direction people want, there is no better time to dive headfirst into this circus. And yes, there is no need to get offended by the word circus. It is a humble request to take things lightly and let the newbies learn a few things with ease.
Understanding the basics
First, you need to learn about the leading players in this game. Let’s picture a scenario. If India were a grand circus tent, the political parties would be colourful characters competing to stay in the limelight. At the centre ring, the ringmaster of the game stands, the Prime Minister. He is the undisputed master who runs the show and leads the ruling party’s brigade. Around him, the performers are the opposition parties who have different tricks up their sleeves. The ringmaster runs the show for five years, and after his term is over, the other performers try to take the ringmaster’s position.
Understanding political parties and alliances
Unlike the Western countries, India has thousands of political parties that compete in the General Elections. Apart from them, countless independent candidates try their luck. 18th Lok Sabha elections are, however, engaging in many ways.
The major opposition parties have come together to form an alliance, the I.N.D.I. Alliance, to defeat the NDA alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Notably, the BJP leads the NDA and is the majority party. That means, even if they decided to go solo in the 2019 elections, they could have formed the government independently without the support of the parties in the alliance. However, they respected the coalition, and NDA formed the government.
Who is more likely to win the elections?
Returning to the opposition parties’ alliance, their only aim is to stop BJP from forming a government. But they have royally failed to do so because the coalition lacks understanding and unity. Aam Aadmi Party is contesting an election in Punjab alone. Trinamool Congress refused to share seats in West Bengal. Nitish Kumar, who was one of the leaders who pushed for an alliance of opposition parties, joined NDA much before elections were announced, and they failed to decide who was going to be the PM face for the opposition, are among the reasons they could not convince the public to vote for them.
The great Indian jugaad to win the elections
Indian political parties are exciting when you observe them. Since the first elections in the country, all political parties have thought that promising voters the moon and stars is the only way to win elections. Congress pledged to eradicate poverty, bring equality and give jobs many times, winning the elections.
Interestingly, Congress still thinks they can win the elections with tall promises. The manifesto is filled with practically impossible promises, and even Congress knows it. The party also knows it will not form the government, so what is the harm anyway! The same goes with the Aam Aadmi Party. Though they are stuck in a different battle together as the party’s star campaigners are in prison, they are known for making promises that have the potential to drain the treasury in a couple of months.
Does that mean the BJP does not promise anything? No, they also make tall promises that sound impossible at once. For example, they pledged to repeal Article 370. They vowed to build Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. They promised to bring the Uniform Civil Code. They promise to bring the Citizen Amendment Act. These are a few tall promises BJP was mocked for, apart from some small promises like pucca houses, electricity in every household, gas connection and water connection. Looking back, all these promises were fulfilled and done with grace and perfection.
The case is not the same with the opposition parties. We often hear that the BJP only takes credit. The project was announced during UPA. So and so dam’s work was started by Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister. However, many of these projects did not move an inch during UPA’s tenure, and only PM Modi got them running and finished. PM Modi often says, “We don’t only lay the foundation stone but also do the inauguration.”
Newbies, that is not the case when Congress and other parties are in power. If a project was started today, there might be some progress, but in most cases, some political or bureaucratic reason would stop it from moving. In many cases, the projects were dumped because their cost rose exponentially and they were not completed in time.
Understand the jargons
If you want to understand Indian politics, there are a few terms that you should remember.
Jumla: The ruling party and the opposition party blame each other for ‘Jumlas’. But what are Jumlas? These are empty promises or the tall promises leaders make but never fulfil. For example, Congress has promised to remove the cap on reservations. According to the law, collective reservation cannot go beyond 50 per cent in India. According to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, they will remove this cap if Congress comes to power.
Manifesto: All political parties release a manifesto based on the wish list of the voters. The manifesto is the document that political parties swear to fulfil. Whether they deliver the promise or not is the whole other story.
Horse trading: In Indian politics, horse-trading refers to the under-the-table business of buying and selling candidates like commodities. Ethically, it should not happen, but it does. There might be some genuine reasons for shifting from one party to another, but in most cases, it is a business that the public does not want to dive into. Note that this happens in every political party before every election. We all know it, but it remains a secret.
The grand Indian soap opera
Elections in India are no less than the saas-bahu drama we enjoy on TV. There are allegations, counter-allegations, promises, sting operations, video and audio leaks, misinformation and even disinformation that can potentially alter the outcome of the elections. The director-producer of this soap opera, the Election Commission of India (ECI), is responsible for making fair elections happen without much drama. The struggle to gain power is real, and as the results date approaches, everyone will get on the edge of their seats. The suspense will be much more dynamic than the unforgettable death of Mihir Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
The Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Why it matters
The Lok Sabha Elections are crucial for every citizen who wants to understand the intricacies of Indian politics. Democracy is not a spectator sport. You have to be an active participant and must make an informed decision. The greatest show on Earth is about to begin, and voting will start on 16th April 2024. For 49 days, India will be the suspense-filled thriller you want to enjoy with a tub of popcorn.
The wild and wacky world of Indian politics is not easy to digest. Some influential groups with vested interests in and out of India want to influence the elections and throw away the ruling party. However, the groundwork that BJP has put in place is not easy to compete with. Still, misinformation and disinformation are something one should be aware of and be very careful about while deciding whom to vote for. Remember, in the circus of Indian politics, expect the unexpected and stay vigilant. Happy voting.
