The Election Results and Politics Beyond

The Election Results and Politics Beyond​

By: Amit Bhushan Date: 12th Dec. 2018

So it is the ‘Economics’ stupid! Instead of this headline following the results of what is widely circulated as electoral semi-finals for India, we have everything else as headlines for today. From the results, it is clear that polarization by the way of raising slogans for Mandir or Cow hasn’t worked and neither has caste based ticket distribution or a caste-based aggregation/campaigners. The vote is now increasingly decided basis a household’s own economic performance under a ruling regime + associated other issues on the sidelines. The results also throw light on what is ‘normal performance expectation’ vis-à-vis what may be stupendous performance. Further any bromance with “other issues” by political parties, should be very carefully calibrated as it has very little chance to succeed under ‘normal performance’ scenarios. The electoral success of ‘Independents’ in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh says this clearly. If it were for the caste/tribe equations then so many Independents should have very little chance against so careful planning by Political experts in organized parties now-a-days which are deployed in abundance by almost all parties whether big or small. However the commercial news media would telecast as if the gimmicks of the winner are being bought in ‘full’ and therefore they should continue to ‘repeat’ such gimmicks in particular about caste and ‘free-ware like loan waivers and power etc. which have been much abused in past’ and go on to assure them for the next electoral success as well. In fact, the budget rounds is just around and is scheduled for prior to general elections and the state level opposition is strong enough to rip through such gimmickry. The ‘smaller parties’ would also be coaxed to take a stand to secure their own voter-base from possible ‘cheating’, which has become quite a shouting match, now.

Game had talked about State level leadership rising and likely to become more decisive for the national elections way back i.e. post results of 2014 general elections which catapulted a CM to high chair. Now the entire media is gloating about the same, that how leaderships at the state level may swing votes and influence voters. However dalliance of the key central figures from ruling party with ‘other issues’ is always resorted to, instead of focusing state leaders on economic deliverables & traction of these with the masses. While it may be true that lately there is somewhat higher degree of focus on infrastructure, mainly roads, electrification etc. (and especially about contracting for the same with some focus on contract closures/execution) however associated ecosystem to bring economic upliftment of people is left for a trickle-down to masses by itself. So no mobilization of people is happening even in the era where ‘aggregation technologies’ that are thriving aplenty, social media being just one of them. That happens because Neta’s focus is almost always on awarding contract (to contractors) and then outline such works to public as it presumably eased the life of public. The empowerment of public to be able to solve some of their issues may be completely missing from such discussions and the commercial news media would continue with its coverage of the celebration first and the scams later thus fulfilling its responsibility. Reading public’s point of view is not the media’s but Neta’s responsibility for it and vice-versa for the Neta, thus goes the story. And then follows the election results i.e. sing praise of the victors and coyly join the victors to spread malice about the vanquished. It is only lately that the Genie of employment and lack of bank credit for small business has come out as has the issue along with concentration of credit in few hands, which turns bad at regular intervals for re-cycling by the Netas in government. This has been almost totally ignored by tele-media, which only discussed fugitive defaulters at best.

The parties, Netas and commercial news media would however continue to propagate the drama of the Netas around “sundry/other” issues that may be dear to them, even if this has little traction with public. All this is being sustained through ‘you know by now how, mechanism’ and few would dare to investigate the role of defaulters here. And the parties Netas would go about announcing Loan waivers to further erode bank and build case for government money infusion thus trying to bail out mostly – you know who… When politicians talk about income disparity, usually the result is an increase in income tax rate and increased leakages from business and therefore the part of society that goes under grind should be rather clear. So we have an Insolvency and Bankruptcy code but even now the twelve big cases are yet to be resolved and host of others still in queue. Basically all attempts seem to being made to fail the process and ‘settle’ this suitably. Announcements of large loan waivers and government getting to fund such largesse for ‘poor farmers’ may only be a political hog-wash, with only ‘Game’ farmers be able to benefit from same (hope the Khat Khari is still fresh in Game public/media’s memory) and induction of money/public bonds on such account actually going to rebuild bank’s balance sheet fractured by some other loans. We also have the Rabi crop and the associated agricultural issues and transmission of these for public consumption. It’s going to be interesting for all Dalits to watchout for sure. That the middle classes are only channelized over some Mandir or Cow as key values rather than economics is another political stupidity nurtured by the commercial news media and Netas haven’t explored this myth as of yet. This is even as there has been a rise in the number of people who believe they are middle classes as perpetrated by the Netas/Media/Parties. Then hopefully the commercial news media would now gear up to report state’s performance in suitable measured index on public issues like state of educational institutions, jobs board, healthcare institution, agri-pricing and purchase etc. so that public can gaze comparative performance of parties ruling various states. The hope remains as there is some coverage over these issues, as still there is no coverage of issues of incessant flow of fresh credit to large industrial defaulters not only to sustain existing projects but for fresh projects as well.

Our twin challenges with the ‘main’ political forces thus remains. We have a sections political focus on Mandir/Cow and on other side are questions around how to ensure continuity of political privileges for select sections with continued noise around Dalits/Minorities/Farmers for political gimmickry. Nationalisms, Environment, Water-woes etc. are frequently used as pepper spray alongside some other issues to rally votes however the problem is almost never getting recorded by the commercial news media in any significant manner for play during elections and therefore not even attempted to be addressed. So as politics continues to mature with lots and lots of social medias making their impact felt as per the forecast of these article and Political India firmly in the grip of ‘Second Flush’ and moving towards the ‘Third Flush’. Let the ‘Game’ evolve…

 

[Swaswati Borpuzari]

The recent election results have not only reshaped the political landscape but also underscore the deeper currents that influence politics beyond the ballot box. These outcomes reflect a complex interplay of societal values, economic conditions, and the effectiveness of political communication. For instance, voter turnout and the demographics of who votes can often be more impactful than the policies themselves, highlighting the importance of engagement and mobilization strategies. Additionally, the roles of media and technology in shaping public opinion and facilitating political participation are becoming increasingly significant. In many regions, social media platforms have become the primary arena for political discourse, enabling both the rapid spread of information and the proliferation of misinformation. The election results also signal a growing demand for accountability and transparency in governance, as citizens across the globe become more informed and vocal about their expectations. Politicians and parties that fail to address these underlying issues risk alienating their constituents, regardless of their electoral success. Ultimately, while the immediate focus may be on the winners and losers of the election, the broader political implications will continue to evolve, influenced by the ongoing dynamics of public sentiment, economic performance, and the ability of leaders to connect with and serve their constituents effectively.

 

[Dhruv Bindhani]

The Election Results and Politics Beyond​

By: Amit Bhushan Date: 12th Dec. 2018

So it is the ‘Economics’ stupid! Instead of this headline following the results of what is widely circulated as electoral semi-finals for India, we have everything else as headlines for today. From the results, it is clear that polarization by the way of raising slogans for Mandir or Cow hasn’t worked and neither has caste based ticket distribution or a caste-based aggregation/campaigners. The vote is now increasingly decided basis a household’s own economic performance under a ruling regime + associated other issues on the sidelines. The results also throw light on what is ‘normal performance expectation’ vis-à-vis what may be stupendous performance. Further any bromance with “other issues” by political parties, should be very carefully calibrated as it has very little chance to succeed under ‘normal performance’ scenarios. The electoral success of ‘Independents’ in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh says this clearly. If it were for the caste/tribe equations then so many Independents should have very little chance against so careful planning by Political experts in organized parties now-a-days which are deployed in abundance by almost all parties whether big or small. However the commercial news media would telecast as if the gimmicks of the winner are being bought in ‘full’ and therefore they should continue to ‘repeat’ such gimmicks in particular about caste and ‘free-ware like loan waivers and power etc. which have been much abused in past’ and go on to assure them for the next electoral success as well. In fact, the budget rounds is just around and is scheduled for prior to general elections and the state level opposition is strong enough to rip through such gimmickry. The ‘smaller parties’ would also be coaxed to take a stand to secure their own voter-base from possible ‘cheating’, which has become quite a shouting match, now.

Game had talked about State level leadership rising and likely to become more decisive for the national elections way back i.e. post results of 2014 general elections which catapulted a CM to high chair. Now the entire media is gloating about the same, that how leaderships at the state level may swing votes and influence voters. However dalliance of the key central figures from ruling party with ‘other issues’ is always resorted to, instead of focusing state leaders on economic deliverables & traction of these with the masses. While it may be true that lately there is somewhat higher degree of focus on infrastructure, mainly roads, electrification etc. (and especially about contracting for the same with some focus on contract closures/execution) however associated ecosystem to bring economic upliftment of people is left for a trickle-down to masses by itself. So no mobilization of people is happening even in the era where ‘aggregation technologies’ that are thriving aplenty, social media being just one of them. That happens because Neta’s focus is almost always on awarding contract (to contractors) and then outline such works to public as it presumably eased the life of public. The empowerment of public to be able to solve some of their issues may be completely missing from such discussions and the commercial news media would continue with its coverage of the celebration first and the scams later thus fulfilling its responsibility. Reading public’s point of view is not the media’s but Neta’s responsibility for it and vice-versa for the Neta, thus goes the story. And then follows the election results i.e. sing praise of the victors and coyly join the victors to spread malice about the vanquished. It is only lately that the Genie of employment and lack of bank credit for small business has come out as has the issue along with concentration of credit in few hands, which turns bad at regular intervals for re-cycling by the Netas in government. This has been almost totally ignored by tele-media, which only discussed fugitive defaulters at best.

The parties, Netas and commercial news media would however continue to propagate the drama of the Netas around “sundry/other” issues that may be dear to them, even if this has little traction with public. All this is being sustained through ‘you know by now how, mechanism’ and few would dare to investigate the role of defaulters here. And the parties Netas would go about announcing Loan waivers to further erode bank and build case for government money infusion thus trying to bail out mostly – you know who… When politicians talk about income disparity, usually the result is an increase in income tax rate and increased leakages from business and therefore the part of society that goes under grind should be rather clear. So we have an Insolvency and Bankruptcy code but even now the twelve big cases are yet to be resolved and host of others still in queue. Basically all attempts seem to being made to fail the process and ‘settle’ this suitably. Announcements of large loan waivers and government getting to fund such largesse for ‘poor farmers’ may only be a political hog-wash, with only ‘Game’ farmers be able to benefit from same (hope the Khat Khari is still fresh in Game public/media’s memory) and induction of money/public bonds on such account actually going to rebuild bank’s balance sheet fractured by some other loans. We also have the Rabi crop and the associated agricultural issues and transmission of these for public consumption. It’s going to be interesting for all Dalits to watchout for sure. That the middle classes are only channelized over some Mandir or Cow as key values rather than economics is another political stupidity nurtured by the commercial news media and Netas haven’t explored this myth as of yet. This is even as there has been a rise in the number of people who believe they are middle classes as perpetrated by the Netas/Media/Parties. Then hopefully the commercial news media would now gear up to report state’s performance in suitable measured index on public issues like state of educational institutions, jobs board, healthcare institution, agri-pricing and purchase etc. so that public can gaze comparative performance of parties ruling various states. The hope remains as there is some coverage over these issues, as still there is no coverage of issues of incessant flow of fresh credit to large industrial defaulters not only to sustain existing projects but for fresh projects as well.

Our twin challenges with the ‘main’ political forces thus remains. We have a sections political focus on Mandir/Cow and on other side are questions around how to ensure continuity of political privileges for select sections with continued noise around Dalits/Minorities/Farmers for political gimmickry. Nationalisms, Environment, Water-woes etc. are frequently used as pepper spray alongside some other issues to rally votes however the problem is almost never getting recorded by the commercial news media in any significant manner for play during elections and therefore not even attempted to be addressed. So as politics continues to mature with lots and lots of social medias making their impact felt as per the forecast of these article and Political India firmly in the grip of ‘Second Flush’ and moving towards the ‘Third Flush’. Let the ‘Game’ evolve…

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