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| Limit unfairness in elections | | | NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
JAMMU, Nov 26: Everything is fair in love and war. Nothing is unfair in elections. But there need to be a limit to unfairness. During the elections political leaders and those contesting elections cross any limit for securing support of voters.
It is no longer a secret that candidates aspiring for party mandates do donate hefty sums of money for securing tickets. At times those having the authority to allot party tickets demand a pound of flesh from the ticket seekers. This very issue caused a major split in the BSP when the rebel, Dr Satpal, accused the BSP leadership of giving party mandate in exchange for big sums of money. This practice of seeking money in the name of donations to the party has encouraged even those parties, which have limited bases in the state, distributing tickets like alms. Another unfair practice pertains to financing candidates by those in the fray to contest the election in order to ensure that the vote bank of the rival candidates got split. The Election Commission has put limits to each candidate as far as use of vehicles for campaigning is concerned. This limit is being violated by fielding more than two candidate of their choice as independent so that the main contender could use more vehicles than prescribed in the election law.
In 2002 Assembly election the three-year old PDP used its demand for reopening of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road for travel. Its leadership displayed hoardings giving distance from Srinagar to Mzaffarabad in a way as could be construed by the simple-minded voters as a sign of barrier less borders and the PDP trounced the National Conference in the valley. The PDP has played the card of opening of the border routes for trade. Its demand has been implemented and this has helped the PDP to rise from the ashes. Now the self-rule is being used as its main weapon to lure voters without realising that the centre had sabotaged the greater autonomy resolution of the National Conference even when this was being viewed as a safer bet than the concept of self-rule. Everything can be fair in elections. When Madr-e-Mehranban and other National conference leaders secretly dangled out rock salt slabs from Pakistan telling people that vote for NC was vote for the rock salt it did help the National Conference in 1977 election to win absolute majority. It would have won the election without banking on rock salt politics.
The BJP used to roar in favour of abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution of India. Surprisingly there is no mention of it in the BJP poll manifesto this time. Has this strategy been adopted to woo voters in the Kashmir valley where the BJP has fielded more than 15 candidates? The BJP is banking on its cry over establishment of delimitation commission during the ongoing poll process. The same BP had voted for the bill laying embargo on constitution of fresh delimitation commission till 2026. When the National Conference moved the bill the BJP supported it. The Congress had remained silent on the need for setting up regional councils to undo discrimination. Now it has, in its poll manifesto, committed to redraft the state constitution in order to clear the decks for setting up regional and district councils. For doing it has to have a support of two-third majority in the Assembly. Will it be able to have it? That is not its headache. Its desire is to win power. |
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