Imagine a classroom when students are shown their exam papers to get one final idea of how they fared and how they could improve. Every year there are some students who approach their teacher and (most often) point out rather ludicrous arguments to raise a mark or two on their total. Now, it is almost always just two types of students who bicker and argue over marks - either they belong to the category that is failing miserably, or, they belong to the top of the top, already scoring highest marks or quite close to the class highest. It is exasperating trying to understand the psychology and ambitions of both these categories.
In the battle that raged at the polling centre in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and outside the Election Commission at Nirvachan Bhawan, New Delhi, the student-crying-for-more-marks analogy couldn't be dismissed. There was a potent similarity between the two warring political delegations marching in and out of the EC office with students haggling for a mark or two extra to scrape through.
When news played out, with top BJP leaders Ravishankar Prasad, Arun Jaitly, Nirmala Sitharaman and others marching to and fro from the EC with high energy and conviction; they somehow reminded me of the second category of kids - the high rankers with such a killing competitive spirit, that it is frightening. I remember saying to one such student once, "Relax, it is *just* an exam and you already have the top score!" and to that the cheeky student immediately retorted, "No ma'am, it is an exam!" Our core difference was on our understanding of an exam: to me it was an opportunity to learn how one had fared or failed, but to a few brilliant students it was nothing short of war.
Congress was hell bent on ensuring that the two votes of detractors Bholabhai Gohil and Raghavjibhai Patel be considered invalid because both had "violated the voting procedure and secrecy of ballots" by showing their votes to a person other than the authorised body. The ‘other person' was allegedly Amit Shah. They insisted that video camera footage be checked. This desperate attempt to ensure that their leader Ahmed Patel didn't lose his Rajya Sabha seat to BJP nominee Balwantsinh Rajput. Political secretary to Sonia Gandhi since 2001, Patel is said to be extremely close to the high command and at one time, was thought to run the show from behind the curtains during the UPA regime.
While BJP party president Amit Shah and the Information and Broadcasting and Textiles minister Smriti Irani were also contesting for their debut Rajya Sabha seats, their victory was almost certain. It was Ahmed Patel who reportedly had a tough battle set for him. To prevent "horse-trading" all the Gujarat Congress MLAs were flown away to Bangalore and kept at a resort. (At whose expense?)
They flew back to Ahmedabad a day before the elections. Patel's defeat was allegedly touted to be a personal desire of both BJP party president Amit Shah, and ex-Congressman Shankarsinh Waghela. The latter reportedly had grudges against the Gujarat Congress chief, Bharatsinh Solanki. Solanki himself is the son of Congress leader and former chief minister of Gujarat, Madhavsinh Solanki.
Now, when Congress got all worked up about the ballot, it made a pretty close picture to the first category of students on a "paper-seeing" day. The teacher is sitting at the table, anxious to collect the papers back, but a student slouches towards the teacher at the last moment and points out the unnecessary: "Look Miss, I got 18!" Yes, but the passing requirement is 20. "But Miss, but listen. Just two marks more, please na, only two!" The teacher says it is the best that could be done, after even the most liberal of correction, but the student doesn't give up. Their math on failing is quite clearly worked out: "Look Miss, I know I will fail in X and Y, but if I also fail in this paper, Z, that makes a total of three subjects and I will have to repeat a year Miss! Just two more na, please." This unashamed request and astute calculations regarding their failing prowess is at once scandalising and non-negotiable. The student is shooed away. As he/she turns their back, they mutter, "As if those two marks come out of the pocket!"
The Election Commission rejected the two votes pointed out by Congress. Ahmed Patel, and by default Congress, may have won this battle and the BJP may have, for once, lost their scheme of things but it is unfortunate how democracy has played out. Congress is either certain of failure or is in complete denial of the their rapidly disintegrating forces throughout the country. But, instead of learning from their mistakes and creating a more communicative and transparent power centre, their chief leaders are still notorious for their unapproachability (or absence).
They are like the lax student who want two marks, just like that, without wanting to work for them. BJP, on the other hand, is like the class's top-scoring kid who is never satisfied. Ambitions are good, but can a race so laced with speed and fervour be run again and again?
While both the parties were within their rights to go to the Election Commission, the drama that played out for close to seven hours, till the counting finally began, demonstrated the manipulative twists and turns imposed on our democracy today. It is unfortunate that "horse-trading" has become a commonplace euphemism for political players being "bought" and "sold" at the time of elections. Gives the impression that the democracy is led not by people, but horses. No?
