At last the elections for the sixty eight seats of Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly were held on the 4th
of November peacefully – thanks to meticulous directions and instructions
issued by the Election Commission of
India and the elaborate arrangements made by the state for the smooth conduct of this quinquennial exercise. However there
is a long wait for the contesting candidates as the results will be declared
only after counting takes place on 20th
December.
Apart from the massive coverage by the print and visual
media , these elections will be
remembered for the mud slinging and the slanging game played by
the parties in the fray. Somehow there was grist for every mill and the political parties were on the defensive due to scams and irregularities unearthed at this crucial time. Many idioms,
phrases and proverbs learnt during schooldays
, but long forgotten due to disuse like “the kettle calling the pot black” , “ sweep before your own door “ & “the devil quoting scriptures “
at once came to mind .
During the election campaign, one saw rare ingenuity in slogans devised by the parties ; it is another matter that the slogans and claims seemed hollow in view of the ground reality . However it was interesting to see how 'dil se ' could rhyme with ' phir se '.
In exposing others one got exposed itself.One is left to wonder why the so called “ star campaigners "- including film and TV stars- from the other states with little knowledge of the state or its problems are thrust upon the public. They had nothing new to say or offer except blowing the trumpet of the party they were canvassing for and deriding the opposite party. At every point one felt that the voter had no choice except to choose what to him or her appeared the lesser evil.
During the election campaign, one saw rare ingenuity in slogans devised by the parties ; it is another matter that the slogans and claims seemed hollow in view of the ground reality . However it was interesting to see how 'dil se ' could rhyme with ' phir se '.
In exposing others one got exposed itself.One is left to wonder why the so called “ star campaigners "- including film and TV stars- from the other states with little knowledge of the state or its problems are thrust upon the public. They had nothing new to say or offer except blowing the trumpet of the party they were canvassing for and deriding the opposite party. At every point one felt that the voter had no choice except to choose what to him or her appeared the lesser evil.
It was
nice to read and hear about one Shyam Saran Negi from Kalpa in Kinnaur District who became almost a celebrity- TV channels
reporting about him and reputed newspapers writing articles about him and not without reason. He has voted in all
elections held since 1952 and though aged 96 now, age did not
deter him and his 90 year old wife
from casting vote and performing
this important duty. One hopes that political
parties will learn lessons for
future and form a government that is truly for , of , and by the
people and the elected representatives
remain accessible to the public -no
matter if it is the completion of “mission
repeat “ or “mission delete“.
