Let’s Have Elections – Now!

The state of politics of any country affects not only the state of the government, but also the state of the economy, international relations, and above all, the mood of the nation. Right now, all these sentiments are anything but positive. The next round of General Elections is due in May 2014, but the entire nation has been talking about them since early 2013. So much time, money, and effort is being wasted in wondering about and waiting for the next elections. Under such circumstances, the best bet is to get over with it, i.e., to have the elections right away.

The Congress party should not get obsessed with completing its full term. In fact, what good will it achieve if it somehow completes its full term? The verdict is already out against it. The Congress party should grab the opportunity of early elections with both hands. The main opposition party, the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), is not prepared. It is busy with in-fighting. Even the smaller parties like the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) are not yet ready for elections. Moreover, the way the Congress is moving, it is a no-brainer that even if it gets more time, it will not be able to turn the public sentiment in its favour. In fact, the more time it buys, the more scams would come to the fore. Therefore, instead of scoring more self-goals, the best strategy is to start a new game. Come to think of it, if the Congress is not confident enough of winning the elections now, where will it get the confidence from, a year from now?

As far as the BJP is concerned, it should also grab the opportunity of early elections. The majority of public mood is against the Congress, including their trump card – the Gandhi family. Instead of fighting amongst themselves, the BJP members should unite behind experienced politicians like LK Advani and call for elections.

The biggest brunt of the current political mayhem is being borne by the country’s economy. The investor sentiment is low because of policy flip-flops. The stock market is shaky. The country’s growth rate is abysmal. In short, everything is not moving as fast as it should because everybody is waiting for the next elections.

There are a lot of people who have pinned their hopes on the BJP as a suitable alternative to the Congress. Instead of waiting, it is best if those people can get to see them in action. Would the BJP be better than the Congress at the helm of affairs? Or would it be the same, just the names of scams would change? The latter scenario is more likely. The recent dashing of hopes by the TMC in West Bengal and the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh are befitting examples. However, the Indian voters have no option but to vote with the hope of voting for the better.

The Congress has been afflicted by a disease called ‘hubris’ and only if it is out of power for some time, can it do some introspection. It needs to be out of power to sit back and think what wrong it has done. This would benefit the country in the long run as the Congress would come to power some time or the other.

The BJP has been in the opposition for quite some time and it has been literally opposing almost everything that the Congress has been proposing. Does the BJP really have logical grounds for opposition, or is it just opposing for the sake of opposing? Would the Congress also take the same stand if it loses these elections, which seems quite likely to many? Would the BJP do justice to its new avatar of being secular, or would it stick to its Hindutva agenda?

Would the Congress repeat the Sonia-Manmohan model with Rahul Gandhi and another PM, if it comes back to power? Have the Congress and the BJP learnt their lessons? Would they think of the good of the country? Can the BJP provide a suitable alternative to the Congress, or is there really a need for a Third Front? All these questions are as important as they are difficult to answer. Only elections can give the answers.

It is said that too much analysis leads to paralysis. And, this is what is happening currently. Enough of analysis! Let the country give its decision as to which political party it wants, and let the real business resume. The country cannot afford another year of analysis, waiting and watching. It needs action, proactive action, and action – now!