It is not merely a mere vote for change but definitive and positive vote for better governance.
The messages stands out loud and clear as the official details of the poll figures are now available about the poll held for 224 members Karnataka Legislative Assembly held on Sunday.
Perhaps the wariness of the electorate, arising out of the from the era of the coalition governments which began in 2004, followed by the political anarchy which prevailed during the subsequent single party rule of the BJP, when the governance became a casualty at the altar of the power seekers must have prompted the people to turn in more vigorously to give a strong message to the political parties, vying for their attention and eager to ensconce themselves in the seat of power.
The penchant for change among the voters, which first expressed it in 1983, has practically resulted in a new government being formed at the end of every election since then, with the 1983 and 1984 governments of the Janata Party led by Ramakrishna Hegde being the only exception to win two terms continuously. This could be brought by an incidental increase in the polling, which hovered around 60-65% , which meant an additional 15 to 20 lakh voters turning in addition to cast their votes.
As a consequence, Congress was voted back to power in 1989, when the Janata Dal had messed up the mandate through their internecine quarrels. When Congress also indulged in the game of fratricidal quarrels, changing three chief ministers during the five year tenure, the electorate gave them marching orders to bring back Janata Dal. But the Dal could not hold on as it was back at is old game when personal political agenda ruled the root pushing party’s interest to background, the voter once again turned towards the Congress in 1999. The Congress indeed ruled for five years, without break and without the leadership change but its lack lustre performanance, and window dressing it sought to give to its functioning which to cover up its non performanance resulted in the voters putting the party in dog house once again.
That the voters were confused over their course of action was evident in the hung verdict it turned out in 2004, with none getting the majority. But the lure of power made the three political parties, to ushering an era of collation government, with the two national parties, the Congress which had failed to get mandate on its own, and the BJP pocketing their pride of party, in stooping down to go in for opportunistic alliance with the regional party, the Janata Dal (S). As a result, one could see the spectacle of the Janata Dal (S), which was the number 3 party in the assembly enjoying an unbroken spell of power thanks to the coalition government in formed with the two national parties, the Congress, initially and later with the BJP.
The voters gave an opportunity to the BJP to try its hand in governance in 2008. But what happened later on made them rue till the end on trusting the BJP with power. How the party’s legislators and ministers went virtually berserk and involved themselves in money making proposition with no scruples whatsoever, is too recent to be recalled and the leader of the party turned out to the fountain head of the corruption activities, and he also turned out to ultimately the wrecker in chief.
But what happened this time, is something unprecedented in its dimensions. For the first time, the poll turns out crossed the 70% mark to end up at 71%m the highest recorded so far in Karnataka. In real terms, the 6.22% increase in the poll turn out meant whopping 48 lakhs voters turning up in addition to cast their votes. Apart from 36 lakh newly enrolled voters, who would surely not miss the maiden opportunity to participate in the democratic process, another 12 lakh voters, who had never exercised franchise all these days, throwing their hats in the ring for the first time. They would not have done it surely, if they had nothing to urgent to convey to the political parties.
And this came about in as unobtrusively manner as possible. None of the parties, who put forward their own agenda before the people had any idea of the kind of feelings bottled in their mind, which could came out all of a sudden in bang as it were on the polling day. The people came up on their own, since the vigil maintained by the authorities had put curbs on the tendency of the political parties in providing transport to the voters and using the money power and providing freebies to the voters as has been the wont all these days. The voters came out quietly despite the scorching sun to cast their votes.
The bonanza of the additional 48 lakhs which has descended unexpectedly has thrown all political calculations to the wind, with the two major political parties, having an uniform vote base of around 90 lakhs, more busy in safeguarding their bases rather than acquiring anything new.
There has been an uniform increase in the polling right from the backward district of Bidar in the northeastern tip of the state to all others down below, The only exception to upsurge in polling has surprisingly been Mysore, the home district of the Chief ministerial aspirant of the Congress stables, Mr Siddaramaih, where the poll percentage was below the 2008 level. The polling crossed the sixty percent mark even in the Gulbarga division areas, where low polling had all along been a fact of the political life, notwithstanding the presence of the Congress strongmen like Mallikarjun Kharge and Dharam Singh, and Veerendra Patil earlier. The Bangalore Agglomeration accounting for over two dozen assembly constituencies remains only the unit which has recorded less than sixtypercent polling. But despite this, there has been a 7% increase in the turn out with more than 4 lakh additional voters casting their votes.
It would be quite interesting to watch how the parties, would share the additional about more than one lakh votes available on an average for each of the district. Congress appears to be a definite favourite to benefit from the unexpected windfall be default as it were. (Posted on May 7, 2013 @ 7.40pm)
(Author is a Senior Journalist and Columnist. Mobile: +91 94480 74872 Email : madan.mm@gmail.com)
