Election results to five States emerged over the weekend and early this week. These got a little overlooked by the clutter of other news, and the perceived distance Goa has from the Hindi heartland (though not Telangana). But, behind all the facts and figures, two or three aspects stand out strongly.
Firstly, the media got it wrong.
This is not the first time things like this are happening. Exit polls of voters are supposed to be scientific, reliable and based on sound calculations. Yet, the exit polls say one thing, and the results come up with something quite different. How?
Check it out. You just need to go to the archived news broadcasts, predictions and headlines. These show how easy it is to get things wrong when it comes to predicting an Indian election.
Of course, there are many ways to report on an election. Predictions and punditry are probably the worst option. Randomly talking to people can also be misleading, unless there is a clear wave going in one direction. Not just because one can be proven wrong in just a few days. This can also be misleading, guesswork-based, and prone to go wrong for a hundred-and-one reasons.
Within the press, mediapersons are wont to take sides. This is particularly true today, but it was not rare in earlier times too. People might have been more circumspect then, but have become more blatant now.
In a discussion on the PGurus channel, which is known to be rather close to the ruling party, someone made the point that "both the BJP and the Congress" pay huge money to bloggers and other social media influencers. This may or may not be true. But, the fact that prominent players in both the media and the social media are more than willing to take sides today is not doubted.
The way an Arnab's Republic interprets the same set of opinion polls is markedly different from the manner in which The Wire or Newslaundry or Deshbhakt (Akash 'Bhakt' Banerjee) sees the issue.
This shows how much bias (and subjectivity) can enter the system, even when it comes to just interpreting numbers. There is a huge reluctance to interpret things that go against our bias, to ignore certain realities, and give a certain spin on the story.
Once the exit polls are proven wrong, the media quickly goes on to their next story. They will indicate what the "results imply", and go about giving the voter even more punditry.
In all this smokescreen, what is overlooked is the fact that so many issues related to elections are given short shrift. What are the issues important to the voters? Are their views, religion, caste affiliations being manipulated to get a twisted result? Is there gerrymandering going around, to skew the electoral result?
Can micromanaging of the electoral books (and voter lists) go about to create a macro result shift? Creating divisions within the Opposition? Are concerns over the EVMs just scare-mongering or justified? Are some elections "decided" even before a single vote is cast? (The most dramatic case of the latter was when, in the heyday of the Congress, the Navelim seat was won "uncontested", with some skilful manipulation of who filed their nominations.)
Till date, nobody wants to talk about the role of the Revolutionary Goans in shifting the result so dramatically in the Goa 2022 elections. Yet, there are even more crucial issues.
There are so many campaigns over the need for citizens to 'respect their duties' and cast their vote. We are told that one of the "Fundamental Duties of every citizen of India is to cast his/her vote in general or State elections so as to maintain a vibrant democracy".
But what about the duties of politicians who ascend to power, based on those votes? They too have even more serious responsibilities to ensure they stay faithful to their promises, don't jump parties, and don't sell out on voter interests.
While electoral authorities have often goaded the voter to undertake their task (in voting), we are yet to see the election politicians being similarly reminded of their own duties.
Political scientists and pop stars who remind voters of their duties, also have to be similarly outspoken in telling our political class about where they should get off.
In the race to punditry, a whole lot of critical issues are missed out on. Man does not live by elections alone. The whole process gets focussed around election-day, and what our "people's representatives" do for the remaining five years is forgotten, overlooked or ignored.
This calls for a complete overhaul of how we see the political world. But, in a cosy set-up, which everyone seems happy to work with, hardly anyone will want change.
This system is like the proverbial "the operation was a success, but the patient died" syndrome. Those who manage the system find it working well for themselves. Politicians can ascend to power, even change parties, and take their own turn at being rulers. Voters get the emotional satisfaction that they are "in charge", and can occasionally "change the system".
But, things hardly works in our long term interest. A small clique can commander the entire political system. No questions get asked (with very few exceptions) about how democratically our parties function, who funds them, and whether they have any self-cleansing processes.
After getting it all wrong, the media is quick to shift to the next topic.
Bias is camouflaged with punditry. The hue and cry against the "Gandhis" being in control of the Congress makes one wonder what exactly the saffronists fear about the Pandit's great-grandson taking over the helm of that party. Even if one is neither a fan of Rahul or the Congress itself.
If ever there was a lesson to learn, it is not about the election results that emerge each time. Rather, it is about the responses to the results. Politics is far too important to be kept in the hands of politicians and the press alone.
