The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections which began on April 19 have entered the last two laps amidst a blazing hot summer, with voting being completed in 25 states and Union territories involving 428 of the 543 constituencies.
While covering the entire gamut of the polls, the Urdu dailies reflected hope as well as despair over the week. Bemoaning the “negative campaigning” and poll code violations by leading players in the fray, they also saw a silver lining in rising public wariness of the politics of hate and fear.
INQUILAB
Flagging the absence of any discernible wave in the general elections, the New Delhi edition of Inquilab, in its May 17 leader headlined ‘Iss election mein bahut khamoshi hai (There is a lot of silence in this election)’, says reports from various regions indicate quiet stirrings of a change. “These reports do not get proper display or space in the mainstream media, but they still trickle in regularly. They are pointing to some rumblings among people below the surface, which are borne out by signals coming from some journalistic circles too,” the daily says, attributing it to “anti-incumbency” which may not be palpable.
“A key reason for a perceived anti-incumbency is that common people seem to have got frustrated by non-fulfilment of various major promises that the incumbent BJP had made over the last two terms. In its hubris, the BJP thought that PM Modi’s call will ensure an overwhelming voter turnout at the booths, but its figures have so far remained lower than earlier polls,” the editorial says.
“The second reason is a multitude of burning issues like price rise, unemployment, non-recruitment of employees, leaks of exam papers, farm distress, Agniveer scheme, and apprehensions about changes in the Constitution. Various sections of people have been affected by these problems, although they may not be voicing their dissatisfaction against the ruling party openly,” the daily says. “The third reason is the formation of the Opposition INDIA alliance. It was earlier thought that there could be no alternative to the BJP. But now people can see that the INDIA bloc is actually trying to put up a vigorous fight.”
The editorial states that the fourth reason is that in the 2014 polls the BJP’s main plank against the Congress was the issue of corruption. “The BJP had then promised it would eradicate black money. The people have seen that those leaders labelled as ‘tainted’ by the BJP have now joined its fold. And then there has been the scandal of electoral bonds,” the edit says. Another factor is that there does not seem to be any emotive issue dominating the poll discourse, which generated election waves earlier, it adds.
ROZNAMA RASHTRIYA SAHARA
Commenting on the changing equations between West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee and the INDIA bloc, the multi-edition Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, in its editorial on May 18, points out that despite playing a key role in the formation of this Opposition grouping, Mamata chose to fight the elections solo in her state, where the other two INDIA constituents, the Congress and the CPI(M)-led Left, stitched their pre-poll alliance. “Although the Congress tried to align with the TMC for the polls, it failed to persuade Mamata,” the daily says. “Spearheading her party’s campaign against the BJP, Mamata also went after the Congress and the Left, alleging that they have joined hands with the BJP, while urging the people not to ‘waste’ their votes on them.”
The daily points out that the TMC chief also named strong candidates against prominent INDIA faces such as state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in his bastion Baharampur, where she fielded Yusuf Pathan, the Gujarat-born ex-cricketer, which could result in splitting votes in the Muslim-dominated seat to the BJP’s advantage.
“But in the middle of elections, Mamata changed gears, claiming that INDIA would bag over 300 seats and form the government and that she would extend support to it from ‘outside’. Barely a day later however, she again changed her stance, saying she was very much part of the INDIA bloc,” the editorial notes. At the same time, Mamata said while she would remain with INDIA at the national level, the Congress and the Left were excluded from it in the state, the edit says. “Mamata’s shifting stance reinforces suspicion about her political opportunism. Adhir Chowdhury alleged that realising the INDIA bloc’s rise she is singing a different tune in a bid to ensure her relevance in national politics. It is difficult to dismiss Adhir’s charge, given Mamata’s posturings.”
SIASAT
Referring to the conclusion of the fifth phase of the elections, which again saw a marginal dip in turnout as against the 2019 figure, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its May 21 editorial, points out that India is the world’s largest democracy where elections are considered a “festival of democracy”. Indian democracy is respected around the globe for its unique diversity and singular dynamism, it notes. “However, the poll campaigning by various contenders so far has been disappointing as they did not leave any stone unturned to tarnish the image of our democracy. While running a negative campaign, they did not shy away from bending electoral laws and rules just for the sake of winning by any means. The ruling party and its leaders especially stood out in this regard.”
The editorial states that religion was blatantly misused in electioneering in contravention of poll laws and model code of conduct. “The people’s genuine issues and concerns were pushed to the margins. Instead, attempts were made persistently to put polarising issues like Hindu-Muslim and mangalsutras at the centre stage of the elections.”
The people of the country are the largest stake-holder of its democracy, who should not be subjected to inflammatory remarks, emotive sloganeering and hate speeches, the daily writes. The cynicism of our leaders and parties seem to have played a significant role in making the people a little disillusioned with the poll exercise, which is reflected in dipping voter turnout, it notes. “This is disquieting since our focus has to be on enhancing people’s participation in elections and pushing up the turnout figures. Also, while campaigns are mounted to create public awareness about the need to come out to vote, there are hardly any efforts made to ensure that the contending players follow poll rules and code,” the edit says. “Whether it is the incumbent or the Opposition, accountability is not fixed over their poll violations. Their leading faces do not participate in serious debates on real public issues. It is imperative that everyone should endeavour seriously to reform and strengthen democracy and the poll process.”