The Manifesto Game.

It is Election time in the country and compared to last General Elections I saw, this one comes with lot of mystery and uncertainty. Each political party trying to woo the voters with their manifestos. This time round I tried to scan through the manifestos of the top three political parties.

Taking the ruling party's manifesto, I didn't find anything promising. May be they listed many things that they are going to do, but I dont thing the Indian voter will beleive them. Simply put, they had 10 years to implement what they are promising the Indian Voter that they will implemet it in the next five years. Going by the feel of the country, their chances in the GE2014 seem to be very very bleak.

The principal Oppostion party's manifesto came in very late, to be precise when the election's first phase was underway. This time we can say the marketting strategy of BJP was very successful in selling brand Modi to India. They harped on development and growth of Gujarat state that is presently led by the party's prime ministarial candidate. But this model is equally challenged and questioned by experts as it is praised by its party loyalist and partymen. But it feels that BJP has clearly misunderstood the terms "Culture and Tradition". They still have the communal taint of Hindtutva that they carried from their inception. BJP has to understand that their development plan is appreciated by the Indian Voter, but not the unneccassary communal tunes. The Indian Voter will definitely reject such narrow mindedness.

AAP, the novices in Indian Politics present a radical manifesto. They too propose development and upliftment of the common man, but for the conservative Indian Voter it may be only be a castle built in air. AAP's model may be the right model to implement, but will they get the support of Common man and infrastructure in place? AAP could have better provided their detailed plan in acheiving their goal. The Indian Voter is in a fix, as to wondering how will AAP acheive the reforms they are promissing. Will they have the numbers?

The third front consisits of too many manifesto's, that I didn't have time to follow-up with any of them.

THE NUMBER GAME.

Going by the current feelings regarding GE2014, I feel it is difficult for the ruling party to return to power. The principal Opposition, may harvest the most due to the under-performance of UPA, but given the presence of AAP and third front, none of them seem to make it 272 mark. Unless there are post-poll alliances between NDA and third front or AAP and third front or any other combination and permutation happens, India should be ready to brace for a hung parliament.

Even if India votes honestly, (which very difficult to attain), I don't think we are heading for a steady government. Still, it is the worlds biggest reality show in action. It has drama, melodrama, scheming, suspense and action. So sit back and enjoy the show. The climax will be on May 16 and the grand finale in the weeks following it.

Never underestimate the power of the Common Man

The rise of Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi Elections, has changed the political equation in India. A party which was first considered to be cacophony of inexperienced members, who blabber at the drop of a hat against the established and experienced political parties, has proved all wrong. They proved that they are of substance and the common man indeed supported their voice in the party. Aptly abbreviated to AAP (meaning You).



Till date, politics in India was the candidate himself, his party and his party's High command. The public was never in picture unless if the election were due in few months. With the AAP the whole equation changed and the common man did feature in the mandate.



But some questions remain unanswered. With all the subsidy rolled out by the AAP government, can it sustain itself economically? The government also speaks of regularizing unauthorized colonies, but question remains that will not many such unauthorized colonies crop up in whole of Delhi, hoping that they will be regularized by the government. Regularization of jobs of government employees on contract is understood, but will there be a strong enough performance assessment mechanism in place, so that the age-old habit of sarkari babus lax out in comfy office chairs in their place of duty.



I just hope that Kejriwal figures it out, how to survive in such a situation, without harming the public exchequer and pockets of honest tax payers (including direct and indirect taxes). I just hope that the mechanism that AAP presents will be able to fix all the leakages and misappropriations. Hope the honesty that the party advocates may also be seen in all its members. Genuinely speaking, it is very rare that you may find such people.



In many places AAP will also face the hurdle of convincing party loyalists who have sold their votes to the party, since the independence of this country and those voters who want to experiment with the NOTA option. It would be a herculean task to select upright citizens to represent the party and defeat the regional and traditional strongholds. It will also have defeat the temptations the voters will face when their pockets are filled with unaccounted loot, against the value for good governance.



The AAP government in Delhi has very little time before the General Elections 2014 to prove that the power of the common man cannot be underestimated.



N.B. I do not support any political party by writing this blog. All I hope for is a clean government and effective one too, that will put my tax money for betterment of the society and not in their own pockets.