Vote for/against Modi

The BJP8217;s Sushil Modi impasse in Bihar seems to have unwittingly wrought a potentially important victory for intra-party democracy. Since both factions in the state BJP appeared to be equally strong, and the central leadership was apparently divided too, the usual olive branch/hardball tactic didn8217;t cut it 8212; leaving the party with no option but to institute a secret ballot to decide matters. This is, or rather could be, a welcome precedent in a country where most major parties, especially the Congress and the BJP, sorely lack institutional mechanisms to settle differences and dissidence.

The part-honourable exception is the Left, with its robust tradition of intra-party discussion on key issues. In fact, when Jyoti Basu was being considered as a potential candidate for PM, the CPM central committee voted an open vote against it 8212; by a skinny 7-vote margin. But neither the Congress nor the BJP has a robust tradition of intra-party, structured deliberation. Most matters are simply divined by party leaders who make or break other functionaries. That8217;s why dissidence often takes such a virulent form 8212; there8217;s no institutionally sanctified escape hatch for grievances or debate. The Sushil Modi secret ballot, born out of exigency, showed that a clear decision can emerge and everyone can have a say even when intra-party fights are bitter. Party reform is a long, arduous process. For the US Democrats in the bad old days, party bosses decided matters in closed, smoke-filled rooms until administrative structures and intra-party ballots were entrenched as late as the 8217;60s. The British Labour party also reformed itself after decades of pressure. In India, this may take even longer. But the Modi decision provides at least an interesting departure point.

Secret ballots of course can be manipulated in intra-party vote. So an attendant question is a better party culture. Also, some may see virtue in open voting, where participants are forced to take stands and are expected to abide by them. But that, practised in some form by the Left, is probably too much to ask of the BJP and the Congress. But they can at least start the debate on how to bring democracy to the largest political parties of the world8217;s largest democracy.