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The sudden spate of unopposed elections in the Shiv Sena invites mirth rather than invective. The party refuses to follow the guidelines la...

The sudden spate of unopposed elections in the Shiv Sena invites mirth rather than invective. The party refuses to follow the guidelines laid down by the Election Commission, a body which has the constitutional authority to dictate the modalities of the election process. In effect, the Sena is thumbing its nose at the Constitution, a laughably immature gesture. Yet, it is prepared to contest polls arranged by the very same Election Commission and authorised by the very same Constitution. It wants to play but, like a perverse child, it refuses to follow the rules. The Constitution dictates a democratic political process. Not only does it want polls conducted in the approved democratic manner, it also expects institutions involved in the polls to operate on the basis of a democratic constitution. When it comes to political parties, maintenance of the status quo ante benefits only entrenched interests.

It would be all very well if there was indeed unanimity within the Sena on its leadership. However, considering that four complaints have already been filed with the Election Commission by dissident leader Madhav Deshpande, a founder-member of the Sena, this is obviously not the case. In fact, the Commission is as much to blame for this ridiculous state of affairs as the Sena because it has not acted on those letters yet. At a time when it needed to be united in its attempt to bring the Sena to heel, it was at its most divided, with G.V.G. Krishnamurthy starting an unseemly ego-clash with an unauthorised Press conference on the Sena issue and then proceeding indignantly on leave. Krishnamurthy8217;s action gave the Sena the courage to jury-rig a farcical organisation election, and now it has gone to the extent of refusing to attend meetings with the Commission that are attended by Krishnamurthy. In effect, a player is questioning the integrity of an umpire. The Election Commission should now tell the Sena very clearly where to get off.

Finally, the election of a party functionary for life militates against the most fundamental principle of democracy. Logically, the Sena should next be demanding that party posts be made heritable, that pramukhs be permitted to father forth further pramukhs. The current move assumes that the world will stand still through the lifetime of Bal Thackeray. The world of the Shiv Sena might, but the party should realise that there is a bigger world outside. A party that is headed by a quot;supremoquot;, whose elections are merely exercises in compulsory reaffirmation, obviously does not belong in the political process. The Shiv Sena should be given to understand that it has a limited number of choices. Its leaders cannot spurn the Constitution during the poll process and then promise to uphold it and defend it with their very lives once they are elected to high office. If it wants to play the game, it must learn the rules. Democracy requires a familiarity with basic beliefs and procedures. Without access to these, the Shiv Sena runs the risk of looking very, very ridiculous.