People are asking: 'democracy is fine, but does it mean only frequent elections?’
Frequent Elections & Adverse Trends
Every year has now become an election year when everything goes in the election mode. Governance, too, gets into the election gear. Every proposal is examined and seen through the lens of electoral prospects.
Public governance is the first casualty of frequent elections. Public policy is governed more by political calculations to win the elections; everyone avoids implementing good public policies of larger public interest but which are not likely to be taken favourably by voters of some particular caste/community/religion/region or even by some coalition partners of the government.
Political expediency overtakes genuine public welfare and national interest. Apprehension of pre-mature elections always acts as a sword; short term gains triumph over long term perspective vision of growth; everyone succumbs to pressures of the existing vested interest. Lobbies and pressure groups become active; pressures are built up to concede popular demands with intention to lure voters.
Frequent elections generate demand for larger campaign funds. Every election gives a political boost and encouragement to those with muscle and money power who in turn exploit the political system to the utmost causing irreparable damage to the ethics and efficiency of public administration.
Vote banks tend to be nurtured and polarised on caste lines. Every election tends to further sharpen the focus and accentuate these narrow vote oriented outlooks - caste arithmetic becoming the single most important aspect of election winning strategy.
Even after elections, the vote bank considerations in the next election, keep on colouring our vision and force us to a course of action not on ground of merit of larger public interest but on whether it would increase the vote bank or not. Election related compulsions and weakness cause irreparable damage to system of governance. General public seems to be losing faith in the capacity of elected governments to fulfill and deliver the promises made at the time of elections. The anti-incumbency factor generally noticed in elections to State Assemblies are nothing but reflection of public dissatisfaction with the quality of governance being provided to them.
In the current scenario of deteriorating standards of elective politics, there is growing disillusionment with the democracy of elections. The loss of public faith and respect is detracting good persons of caliber from getting attracted to politics. Naturally, the quality and standard of the elected -bodies is showing a decline. This, in turn, is impacting on the quality of performance of these elected bodies.
Frequent elections are the single biggest factor for the present plethora of ills associated with our democracy today. The compulsions of elective polities in the every-year-election-syndrome are the genesis of the concerns and malice inflicting our democracy.
Era of frequent elections
In the year 1952, we started with simultaneous general elections, both for Lok Sabha and State Assemblies . The details of elections to Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies since then are annexed. The general elections to Lok Sabha in 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1989 and 1996 were held on time i.e. after LokSabha had completed the normal duration of five years.
Lok Sabha Elections in 1977 were held after six year duration of Lok Sabha (duration of Lok Sabha was extended under the emergency provisions of the Constitution). Other Lok Sabha Elections in the years 1971, 1980, 1984, 1991, 1998, 1999 were held pre-maturely (Lok Sabha being dissolved sooner than completion of normal duration of five years). Lok Sabha 1967 had a duration of four years, Lok Sabha 1977 (three years), Lok Sabha 1980 (four years), Lok Sabha 1989 ( two years), Lok Sabha 1996 (two years), Lok Sabha1998 ( 13 months).
Lok Sabha election in 1971 and 1984 were held one year in advance as the government recommended early dissolution of-the Lok Sabha with a view to choose the timing of next elections to their advantage.
Why Many Lok Sabhas Did Not Complete Full Duration Of Five Years?
Election to Lok Sabha in 1980, 1991, 1998, and 1999 had to be held as on each of these occasions, situation of political instability had developed leading to pre-mature dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
On a few occasions the ruling party thought of choosing the timings of next elections and accordingly recommended early dissolution of Lok Sabha (this happened in 1971 and 1984).
With the decline in the primacy of the Congress and emergence of multi-party system, shifting combinations of support and party defections led to political instability leading to the fall of government and in the absence of any feasible option of alternative government, led to pre-mature dissolution of Lok Sabha. This was what happened in the years 1980, 1991, and 1998. In some of these cases, the shifting combinations led to passing of no confidence motion against the govt. but an alternative combination, commanding majority could not emerge; the only option left was dissolution of Lok Sabha (this happened in the year 1998).
Widening Delinkage In Elections To Lok Sabha And State Assemblies.
In 1952 Lok Sabha and all State Assemblies had simultaneous polls. This trend continued, more or less, up to 1967. After 1967, the delinking between Lok Sabha and State Assemblies elections has been widening. Today, linking of Lok Sabha elections with State Assemblies is only nominal - with just about 6 to 7 State Assemblies having simultaneous polls with the Lok Sabha elections. Even elections to the State Assemblies are not held simultaneously - about 6-7 State Assemblies going to polls every year in the last decade. The country is thus in the election mode almost every year.
The main reason has been pre-mature elections to Lok Sabha i.e. before completion of normal five-year duration. With the Lok Sabha having shorter duration and going in for pre-mature elevations, the linkage with the State Assemblies was altogether dislocated.
The delinking of elections to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies has been greatly accentuated in the last decade. There were four elections to Lok Sabha; almost every year we witnessed elections in the states: