Its relative

Gopinath Munde,as the BJP general secretary in charge of Maharashtra,currently carries considerable clout. With tickets being finalised for next months state assembly elections,he would be expected to sit in judgment over many aspirants. Among the candidatures cleared on his watch are his daughter Pankaja Munde Palves,his niece and daughter of Pramod Mahajan Poonam Mahajans and his nephew,Madhusudan Kendres. That these decisions reportedly came amidst stormy scenes over the place of dynasty in the party indicates that the widespread opinion was not that the tickets had been won on merit alone. And as the other main parties in the fray in Maharashtra,the Congress,Shiv Sena and NCP,too deal with friction over relatives of politicians claiming tickets,the issue of dynastic politics is being framed rather more starkly than before.

The question of whether relatives of established politicians should be given preference in assigning tickets has always been a tricky one. Unabashed supporters of the idea say that in our first-past-the-post politics,every candidate,whether related to somebody significant or not,must get the voters endorsement and,by that logic,prove her merit. Certainly,it can be nobodys case that family ties to political leaders bar a person from pursuing a career in politics. Politics nowhere is a level playing field,with access to funds,networks and charisma being crucial determinants in making it. And in a crowded field,name recall and the networks that come with it are substantive political assets. However,political parties,especially in a parliamentary system,are also managers of aspiration. As entities always in election mode Lok Sabha,state assembly,local bodies,by-poll for their own survival they need to constantly reinvigorate their ranks with cadres and ideas,a process that can be best achieved in an open,democratic intra-party framework. And since our deeply contested electoral landscape offers so much fertile ground to rebels and break-away factions,the processes by which a party opens itself to questioning on its decisions can determine its success in averting rebellions.

Family ties will continue to be on many candidates CVs. But amongst a generation next in Indian politics obtained from children of successful politicians,can political parties find the internal clarity to show that having a relative with clout has not been a decisive factor?