Electoral Politics in India

Indian political parties have always depended upon the public figures to keep relevant in the public domain. Usually the political parties in India have been contesting the elections in terms of their ideological moorings. All political parties reach out to the electorate with their specified undercurrents normally classified as left, right and centre. Broadly speaking, elections and electoral politics in India are about visibility and public connect. The candidates fielded by the political parties are mainly the people who are either the activists having an experience of working among and working with people at various levels. Be it the social level or for that matter the cultural level. There is no doubt about the fact that the religion has defined and shaped the political narrative of India in pre and post-independence India. Those who deny it are either telling a lie or are oblivious to the political undercurrents that have shaped the political discourse and narrative in India. This can be understood from the in depth study of the Indian political scene when India was nearing freedom towards the end of 1940’s.The selection of candidates by the Muslim League and the Indian National Congress was made on the basis of the connectivity with the public mood. It was the time when united India was a reality. But the seeds of partition were already sown. With the Muslim League making the arguments for the separate electorates and the Indian National Congress claiming to be the sole representative of the Indian masses. Fault lines were so deep that even the Congress that claimed to be a secular organisation had to field the candidates that were religious in outlook and identified with the Hindu aspirations. As the Muslim League had taken the extreme position of being the sole representative of the Muslims in India. This extremism led to the crystallisation of the partition of India. It then led to the counter of the Muslim League by the Hindu Maha Sabha led by the leading revolutionary and Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodhar Savarkar arguing for the Akhand Bharat. As the Congress failed to uphold the unity of India. After the partition of India and creation of Pakistan this politics of separation did not end. It entered the next stage. Post-independence electoral politics has retained the seeds of partition and secession. That gets reflected in election campaigns and the riots that affect the lives of the people. Colonial forces left India but sowed the seeds of balkanisation that have not stooped to sprout at opportune times leading to retardation of the national good and encouraging the regression. Though Indian democracy has evolved, it is facing new challenges. The choice of candidates has always been a challenge for the political parties. To groom a candidate needs time, energy and money. The Indian political class has developed its own novel way of getting ready-made orators. And who can be a better orator than an actor. Communication skills and public connect is what actually matters. Political parties from north to south in India have found easy recruits in the film stars. It has two reasons. One that they are familiar faces and can draw the crowds and two; they can connect with the public with their speech delivery. Another segment that appeals to the political parties is the cricketers due to their fan following. So the film stars and cricketers have been the popular choice for the political parties to lure the voters. Indian electoral politics is ever evolving.