It is quite clear that democracy in our country is mostly based on vote bank politics. We vote on the basis of religion, caste, or winnable candidates blindly, regardless of morality, competence, or merit for the job! The law is accordingly manipulated, as seen in how the Speakers and authorities in various government bodies function.
This is evident in the actions of Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar, who has delayed Girish Chodankar’s petition filed in November 2022 seeking the disqualification of elected legislators who jumped ship. It is only after the court’s prodding that he is now beginning the procedure, much like the farce of summarily dismissing the disqualification petition filed by Domnic Noronha against eight out of eleven Congress MLAs who defected to the BJP.
Even though the majority of voters may vote against a party, our system of first-past-the-post favours a candidate who secures the maximum votes. Having eight of a total eleven elected on a Congress ticket defect to the BJP with impunity is an insult to the system and the voters. With power and money, the panchayats and gram sabhas are sought to be controlled by the government. It is a sad state of affairs where justice and ethics are prisoners of vote bank politics.
