Author:
Publication: Mumbai Mirror
Date: December 11, 2005
URL: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?sectid=14&articleid=1211200523433231212112005234152421
How the Left Front has remained in power in
West Bengal has been an enigma to many. Is there a science to even rigging
polls?
Former Chief Election Commissioner T N Seshan
added to the vocabulary of Indian electoral dynamics a new expression when
he used the word 'Rig Veda' to describe booth capturing and other forms of
manipulation during polls. The Election Commission has earned a unique credibility
among the general public for its independence and impartiality. And since
Mr Seshan's time, the EC is making a continuous effort to overcome innovative
tactics against 'Rig Veda.'
The recent Bihar elections which ended the
15-year Lalu raj in Bihar is another example of free and fair polls conducted
by the EC. Political commentator Neerja Choudhary recently observed: "The
Election Commission which has been functioning autonomously since the days
of T N Seshan came into its own in this election, in the sense it went deeper
into things to make it a truly fair and free election. It refused to take
on face value the data provided by the state government. It did its own home
work on "sensitive booths", where the paramilitary forces should
be deployed. It did detailed work on the revision of electoral roles and removed
lakhs of bogus voters. It provided paramilitary forces at a large number of
booths and installed cameras there. All this will have implications for future
polls in other states." She pointed out that the Left Front has been
in power for just under three decades in West Bengal and that there have been
serious allegations about how the CPM may have managed to perfect the art
of "scientific rigging".
Scientific rigging is a more advanced version
of the 'Rig Veda'. The continuing defiance of the anti-incumbency law by CPM
in West Bengal is an enigma. The CPM has also been in power in Kerala and
is part of a coalition. It also loses elections from time to time. What is
so unique about West Bengal? Is there something really called scientific rigging?
It will be worthwhile for the EC, psychologists
and students of political science to study how the CPM continues to rule West
Bengal. RJD's defeat was also explained by the anti-incumbency factor along
with caste arithmetic. Till now, there has been no scientific analysis to
explain the continuous retention of power in defiance of the anti-incumbency
factor by CPM in West Bengal.
Swaminathan Ankaleswari Ayer observed a few
years ago quoting World Bank sources, that when it comes to reduction of number
of people below poverty line and tackling poverty, West Bengal has a record
which is perhaps the best in India and beats even the government of India's
record. A senior West Bengal bureaucrat who is now retired, gave three reasons
for CPM's longevity. Firstly, majority of the bureaucracy, especially at the
higher level, is free from corruption. The same is also true of political
leaders of the Left. Thirdly, land reforms and poverty alleviation programmes
have been effectively implemented.
In West Bengal, it is said that migration
of population has virtually stopped. One reason for this could be the effective
implementation of the land reform and redistribution of wealth in rural areas.
Or more cynically, the continuous presence of the CPM has made the state so
unattractive for investment that no jobs are being created even in Kolkata
and hence there is no temptation for villagers to migrate.
There were press reports a few years ago that
the CPM ensures that right from the moment of the formation of the electoral
rolls, the party ensures that its supporters figure prominently in the electoral
list.
If this is true, the Election Commission must
take action at the appropriate stage. It is also possible that due to alleviation
from the "poverty line" status, the Bengali voter is so happy with
the regime that he doesn't want a change.
