Those are the 4 P's which have been revolving around the great Indian democracy for the last couple of months.
It all started with the cash rich political parties who left no stones unturned to woo the voters, both rural and urban. Of course rural population holds more weight for them as they are more easily influenced by the Pink Elephant like imaginary promises made by our netas. During the campaigning season, the political parties as well as the government somehow forget their primary job i.e., running the country. They are more concerned about how to come to power for the next 5 years. Pathetic.
Then its time for the people. Yes, it includes the great middle class of India who are expected to come in large numbers to vote during the D-day but somehow the voting percentage which is announced polls reflect otherwise. Most of them are too lazy to come out to vote, a greater majority do not have their names in the voting lists and some think one vote would not count much. Disappointing.
Then there is the Vote for India like campaigns. Rightly so. They say opinion is like an asshole, everybody has one. But Jeffery Archer puts it correctly, 'If they do not vote, they should shut up, they do not have any right to an opinion'. 714 million people, that is the number of voters in our country. A number which mesmerizes the developed world. An election of such magnitude to be conducted more or less flawlessly from the highest point in Ladakh to a village in the eastern Assam where a polling booth was setup for just 3 voters. Amazing.
Then there are the political parties and the players. Permutations, combinations, bribes, public abuses, apologies, friends, enemies...we have seen it all. Its a drama of the most unimaginable nature, where political candidates are least ashamed to portray themselves in the public. Not to forget the latest trend of shoe throwing. Power is the final destination. Power to control the country. power to fulfill personal desires, power to be the leader, power to run the greatest democracy in the world. There is also the power to make India a better place to live in, the power to make India a SuperBrand, the power to lift it to greater heights, but these powers are not the ones which everybody likes to have. Floyd says, 'Money, it's a gas. Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash. New car, caviar, four star daydream, Think I'll buy me a football team.' True.
And then there is the PM, the Prime Minister. A magical post which has enchanted everybody from Advani to Jayalalitha to Mayavati to Nitish Kumar. I hate to imagine if somebody like Mayavati becomes the PM. What is she going to speak when she goes on the World Economic Forum conferences. The post has seen a lot of mockery over the years. As TOI one day reported, people who retire at age 60 are not deemed fit to work, they very reason why they are given a respectable exit channel from the companies. But as a counter view, as Indian politics need the youth, they also need elderly statesmen to guide and transition them. But some of our elderly statesmen consider the seats of power inherited. There are no friends or enemies here. The political system of India works on the strategy of opportunism. Do not let go of power. If not own it, buy a stake and you will rejoice. Unbelievable.
And finally the results today show UPA to be in a comfortable position to make it through. It does not really matter which party comes to power. What matters more is that one party gets most of the majority and they make a stable government, not a government with 10 strings attached to different directions and all directions exerting forces to pull it down. A stable government is what the Indian economy needs too and I would be surprised if the markets do not show an upward trend this Monday. Hopefully wisdom will prevail and the ministers who make it to the top chairs think about the country first and not work for their personal vendetta. Wishful Thinking, but that is what India needs.
Shifting parties, never-imagined alliances, players with not one but many faces. That, has been the bewildering landscape of Elections 2009.
