Elections as a festival and beyond

Elections pose as a critical component of the Indian democracy. Democracy, defined as people’s sovereignty, involves their full participation in the election process. In fact, it is through the participation of the people that a government is constituted as is the case in all participatory governments. However, concomitantly, elections in India can be perceived as a festival, characterised by contrasting, colourful propaganda and campaigns carried out by numerous political parties as well as the role of the citizen who partakes in this festival rather enthusiastically with the hope of a better future. Slogans constitute an integral part of any election in India, more so at the national level, where the party in power and the opposition/s indulge in coining appealing catchphrases that can be both entertaining and incisive. The ubiquitous “Main Bhi Chowkidar “and “Chowkidar Chor Hain” are examples of the same in the context of the current elections.

The election process, like any other festival, involves an equal amount of grandeur and money, for carrying out the campaigns which often involves distribution of pamphlets, promises and goods, habitually, to win over the hearts of people. At the local level, various political parties cash on the enthusiasm of people to disseminate their agendas and ideologies on the basis of a widespread perception that it is easier to manipulate the populace at the grassroots level owing to their limited knowledge and awareness. This, in actuality can be counterproductive as India’s largely agrarian population using Gramsci’s phrase constitute “the pillars of politics and of any collective action whatsoever.” The farmer in India is at the same time the most cynical and the most active participant in the democratic exercise of voting rendering it a festive look by way of the colourful nature of the process in the rural areas.

Elections bring a temporality to the country, owing to the prevalent structure and the mandate it conveys. The Election Commission of India introduces a “Model Code of Conduct” on all parties from the time that the election is announced. Under this code all parties are expected to behave in moderation and are open to constant scrutiny by millions of officials who are appointed to work for the Election Commission across the country. The constitutional backing of the Election Commissions sphere of jurisdiction implies that it can function above all political or state intervention. The elections bring with them a hyper structural mode of functioning whereby things are more structured and efficient than otherwise. The country is in a high pitch of excitement and curiosity as campaigns gather momentum and there is visual and aural display at every public space. There are posters, banners, wall paintings at every lane and road. The daily din of the city is eclipsed by auditory receptions of public gatherings, rallies and meetings conducted by political parties, urging to vote for a particular candidate. Thus, there is a visible “election time” which takes shape, and the entire nation in transformed into the largest public festival.

It is also during this time that there is a visible influx of the world of “rajneeti” with the ordinary citizens and the politics of vote bank, caste politics and electoral corruption that come into play. The usual politicians in their almost habitual white blazing cars, struggle to get the dust off their clothes and handshakes and hugs take place to woo people for votes and promises. Then again, there are those, ideologically aware men and women, who can gauge the hypocrisy of such gestures, while there are some who are purely enchanted. Workers of different political parties, sweat themselves on elevated planks, and organise meetings and interact with the ordinary masses, with the incentive of distributing clothes, food or goods.

Promises and counter-promises are in abundance, marked as it is by the rhetoric of achievement and failure. In the election campaigns held by the BJP, the present prime minister, Narendra Modi has been promising a “new India” and mentioned that “our vision is of a new India that will be in tune with its glorious past … India’s 1.3 billion people have already made up their minds. Once again, a Modi government is going to be formed in this country,” in a public meeting held by him in Meerut City, in Uttar Pradesh. Banking on the recent Pulwama attacks and erstwhile Uri attacks, which he has also been using in his speeches, Modi mentioned that “[Be it] land, sky or space, my government has shown courage to conduct surgical strikes in all spheres,” promising to make India a “Super League” in comparison to other countries. On the other hand, the opposition has repeatedly attacked the government on issues relating to corruption, the Raphael defence deal in particular, the economic downturn, unemployment and underemployment as well as the usurpation of credit for military/defence achievements.

Thus, during elections, the political landscape of India is almost transformed into a festive one, whereby there is a plethora of campaigns and rallies, which are conducted much like the myriad cacophonous celebrations in the country. In terms of the social landscape, we notice the congregation and amalgamation of various people who celebrate the electoral process and victories marked by the hues of various colours of saffron, green, red or blue. While there’s a deemed civility in the nation, the electoral process is also marked by various instances of corrupt and violent practices, which often remain enmeshed within the celebrations of votes and campaigns. To quote Mukulika Banerjee, “People participate in elections in the hope that the extraordinary awareness and visceral experience of egalitarianism will in turn infuse into everyday time and eventually bring genuine social change. It is for this reason that elections have become sacrosanct in India and continue to keep India’s democracy alive.”

Srishti Maitra

Intern, AGA.

May 19th,2019

 References

Gramsci, Antonio. Selections from the Prison Notebooks, edited and translated by Quintin Hoare and Geoffrey Nowell Smith, New Delhi: Orient Longman, 1996, p.144.

Banerjee, Mukulika. “Elections as Communitas.” Social Research, vol. 78, no. 1, 2011, pp. 75–98. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23347204.