Never before in independent India, election campaigns have reached such a feverish pitch, crescendo, and it appears that winning elections is an all out war with no holds barred.
The ruling party is investing in high dignitaries, officials and functionaries of the party much in advance even before elections are announced. The attempt to create mass hesteria of popularity and support. Voters have seen through these designs and Delhi, Bihar elections are just a trailer of their intent. Breaking up of parties by poaching, official posts, monetary incentives and threats of investigations by I-Tax, ED is a strategy. Even local municipal elections are high octane campaigns. Sad and disgusting that all parties resort to personal attacks, character assassinations, instead of focusing on plans and schemes for developments
Close to elections, grandiose schemes are announced that make no economic sense. The would be rulers seem to be free to dispense scarce resources that are contributed by the tax payers. If freebees, money, liquor goodies are banned as malpractices then the announcements of welfare schemes bordering on economic disaster, irrationalisation must also fall in the category of wooing voters and must be considered as electoral malpractice.
The desire to win at all costs is a fierce battle throwing ethics, decency to the winds. The paranoia to win at all levels and in all states by hook or by crook is recipe for disaster for Indian democracy. The scheme of electoral bonds with secrecy of non-disclosure is corrupt practice and in no way a substitute, remedy for electoral funding by the State. Every citizen is bound to disclose every income and its source however small, only the law makers are above the law or circumvent it by legislation of majority. The muscle power, money power is replaced by vocal and social media outpouring. Another worrying trend is breaking up party loyalists with undisclosed incentives to lower the image of the party to which they belonged and were nourished and nursed to their present status before defections thus creating tremors.
