Indian Election Results
So the results have just been coming in, with a huge surprise. While my favoured alliance in this election was crushed to pieces, the emergence of a strong UPA majority is most welcome.
As for my predictions pre-poll, it was a mixed bag. The third front was totally routed, Mayawati was annihilated at the polls. My faith in democracy was partially restored.
I predicted the huge upset in West Bengal + the smaller upset in Kerala, and the Indian voters duly followed. Have we seen the end of the Communists in their last bastions of West Bengal and Kerala?
What I didn't see was INC(i) totally wiping the floor with their opposition in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. These "hindu heartlands" rejected the rhetoric of Varun Gandhi, the diffidence of LK Advani, the communal anti-brahminism of Mayawati and the left in-toto.
So what does this hold for the future? India shall be left with a stronger parliament, controlled by the INC. Is that a bad thing? In days past I would have certainly said so. My critique of the INC is that they have ruled for over 50 of the 60+ years that India has been independent. Where did they deliver progress? In my mind only two: Indira and Manmohan have created progress in the agricultural and economic fields respectively.
My view of Congress has changed from one of total loathing, to recognising that Congress is not really a true political party. They stand for nothing other than the Indian constitution and secularism. What separates the BJP from them? Nothing much... a few token anti-muslim statements is about it, and that's not much to base a government or a society on.
Congress is the supreme monster of Indian politics. It is fed by the dutiful electorate, who have an intrinsic bias towards it. However the body of the beast follows its head. When the head is weak, Congress is weak. When the head is strong, Congress is strong. The only solution is to have a strong leader for Congress. Manmohan ably plays that role in an intellectual capacity now, but when Rahul Gandhi ascends to his "birthright"... what of India then? Which way will the beast turn?
Whoever leads Congress, leads India. Its as simple as that. On paper, Congress is a noble party with solid fundamentals. The fact that they have rarely delivered is more a measure of the ineptitude of its leaders than of itself.
As for my predictions pre-poll, it was a mixed bag. The third front was totally routed, Mayawati was annihilated at the polls. My faith in democracy was partially restored.
I predicted the huge upset in West Bengal + the smaller upset in Kerala, and the Indian voters duly followed. Have we seen the end of the Communists in their last bastions of West Bengal and Kerala?
What I didn't see was INC(i) totally wiping the floor with their opposition in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. These "hindu heartlands" rejected the rhetoric of Varun Gandhi, the diffidence of LK Advani, the communal anti-brahminism of Mayawati and the left in-toto.
So what does this hold for the future? India shall be left with a stronger parliament, controlled by the INC. Is that a bad thing? In days past I would have certainly said so. My critique of the INC is that they have ruled for over 50 of the 60+ years that India has been independent. Where did they deliver progress? In my mind only two: Indira and Manmohan have created progress in the agricultural and economic fields respectively.
My view of Congress has changed from one of total loathing, to recognising that Congress is not really a true political party. They stand for nothing other than the Indian constitution and secularism. What separates the BJP from them? Nothing much... a few token anti-muslim statements is about it, and that's not much to base a government or a society on.
Congress is the supreme monster of Indian politics. It is fed by the dutiful electorate, who have an intrinsic bias towards it. However the body of the beast follows its head. When the head is weak, Congress is weak. When the head is strong, Congress is strong. The only solution is to have a strong leader for Congress. Manmohan ably plays that role in an intellectual capacity now, but when Rahul Gandhi ascends to his "birthright"... what of India then? Which way will the beast turn?
Whoever leads Congress, leads India. Its as simple as that. On paper, Congress is a noble party with solid fundamentals. The fact that they have rarely delivered is more a measure of the ineptitude of its leaders than of itself.
Anish wrote at 10:57 pm on Sat 16th May -
Today's election result proves that the largest democracy in the world is unpredictable at the polls. While a hung parliament was the word on the street, what came was a staggering mandate for the Congress party in particular and for the UPA in general. This is a brilliant result in my opinion. It will inevitably eradicate much inefficiency in Delhi derived from coalition politics. The task for Manmohan Singh is now much easier in many ways- despite the weakened economic outlook. A discretionary Keynesian style demand management of the economy, alongside strong investment in the supply capacities of the economy will allow for a counter cyclical resurgence of the Indian economy. Nobody is better than Manmohan Singh to guide India's economy into the future. What lies ahead is exciting. My guess is that Rahul Gandhi will take the leadership 3 years down the line...a bit like the transfer of power from Blair to Brown in the UK. This victory for the Grand Old Party, founded by Dadabhai Naoroji back in the late 19th century, has once again shown that the Indian voter cares deeply about secularism, economic management and stability of the political system. All Indians around the world should be proud of what has been achieved today. Jai Hind!
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