April 26 : For the second time in succession the members of Parliament have let the nation down. They have foisted on the voters an election they did not want. In the ugly political drama that preceded the Union Cabinet's recommendation for dissolution of the 12th Lok Sabha, no party has crowned itself with glory. Both the BJP, which boasted about its numerical strength even on the day of the crucial vote in the Lok Sabha, and the Congress, whose keenness for power was inadequately matched by parliamentary support, have ended up with egg on their faces. Smaller parties like the AIADMK and the Samajwadi Party were exposed for putting their selfish interests before the national interest while other bit players like the RSP and the Forward Bloc strained all their nerves to argue how revolutionary it was to have a Congress-supported government rather than a Congress government. The contradictions inherent in the approaches of various political parties and their persistent refusal to bear in mind the larger good of the people stood in the way of forming a stable alternative government. Hence there is a willy-nilly acceptance of elections as a viable option, though the fear of a fractured verdict cannot be scoffed at for the simple reason that politicians seldom learn their lessons.Fixing dates for the poll is the prerogative of the Election Commission but the need for advancing it cannot be overemphasised. Governance has come to a standstill ever since Jayalaltiha withdrew the AIADMK's support to the Vajpayee government resulting in its eventual fall. The massive slump in the capital market is an indication of how prohibitive the cost of political instability is. A revival in the market will remain a pipe dream when the country is governed by a caretaker government which by its very nature is unable to take decisions which have long-term implications. It is true that the term `caretaker' does not figure anywhere in the Constitution and the Vajpayee government is as good as any other government. Nonetheless, moral compulsions prevent it from taking decisions other than routine, a point likely to be driven home when the Election Commission's model code of conduct comes into play with the announcement of polls. Technically, there is no urgency for polls as the new House needs to meetonly in October. But to take such a laid-back option is to let the caretaker government remain in power for as long as six months, which will entail a heavy political and economic cost to the nation.In a country with vast climatic variations, it is difficult to arrive at an ideal and universally acceptable time for elections. Even so, a June election is advisable not so much for its suitability or amiability as for its proximity. There is also a precedent of holding such an election as in 1991. It may be argued that the revision of electoral rolls which began on April 24 will take a couple of months at least. The point is whether the addition of a few millions of new voters as a result of the revision will make much difference to the electoral contest. It may not but it will certainly delay the poll process. Thus there is a strong case for putting off the revision to facilitate elections in June. The young would-be voters may be deprived of a chance to vote but it is a price worth paying to bring the political instability gripping the nation to an early and, hopefully, happy end. Top
