Politicians are generally bad losers though there are honourable exceptions. The common refrain of those who have bitten the dust at the hustings is that the polls were rigged against their favour. If a ruling combine at the Centre or State wins, the opposition invariably cries itself hoarse about the official machinery being put at the command of the rulers.
But of course, if the ruling party gets defeated in spite of being the ruling party with all that aforementioned official machinery at its disposal, then it is simply blamed on anti-incumbency. In that case, the winner neither complains of rigging even if there was rigging nor does he bother about the official machinery even if it was palpably misused. It is only defeat that brings out the best or rather, the worst in them.
The battle of Yadavs at Madhepura offers some funny insight into the mindset of politicians, though the happenings in Bihar stand no comparison with the rest of the nation. Really, rigging is the least of Biharâs electoral problems. It is a compulsory ritual of the electoral festival and if elections are not rigged then the counting would certainly be. Rigging is so rampant that one may even strike oil one day in one of those booths.
Even much before the electoral process started, Bihar was a nightmare for the Election Commission with political thugs, private armies and hooded naxals daring voters to reach the voting venue in one piece. And the nightmare turned into a reality as polling day dawned with unprecedented violence gripping the State and elections turning out to be more farcical than Rabri raj.
But once the counting of corpses, which normally precedes the counting of votes in Bihar, was over, the politicos forthwith got back to their business of democratic mud-slinging. Sharad Yadav, who is now in the communal camp, having retired from active secularism, along with the irrepressible George created quite a furore with the latter even getting entangled in unseemly controversies with the EC on the alleged printing of excess ballot papers.
Sharad on his part was dead sure that the ballot was rigged personally by Laloo, his current opponent and permanant bete noir. He even went on a fast demanding fresh polling in the entire LS constituency. Now he has won and there is no talk of a repoll, while Fernandes and Co remain as quite and tranquil as the Arctic. And they are now dead against Central rule even if the Rashtrapathi were to suo motto dismiss the Bihar government!
But it is now Lalooâs turn to cry wolf. When Sharad and Fernandes kicked up all that ruckus, the RJD leader just dismissed their allegations as delirious ramblings of impending losers. He claimed that he never misused the official machinery and technically, he was right.
Only his wife did. But if despite that Laloo …and his consort, have lost, it only goes to prove how efficient- or inefficient- the administration in Laloo land has been. They could not even misuse their power properly, let alone using it for the benefit of the cattle, pardon, people. All those goons, who were photographed punching the ballot papers and pinching ballot boxes, really got their symbols wrong.
Laloo has now announced that the elections in Bihar were rigged. Quite. Only that Rabri Prasad Yadav and Laloo Devi have finally ended up rigging Sharad and Fernandes to victory. In sporting parlance it is called same side goal, but you are free to name it the Big Bihar Boomerang. Psephologists may prefer the phrase Suicidal Incumbency instead of the familiar anti incumbency. In any case, it is happy tidings for the nation that the dangerous duo have been made to eat humble fodder.
After leading her party of yore to its worst ever electoral debacle, the very Indian foreign lady has called for introspection. And introspection, like charity, should begin at home, that is, 10 Janpath. For starters, she can try and figure out who is responsible for the poor showing of her party, before venturing into directing the index finger at all those scapegoats waiting for the axe to fall.
Under normal reasoning, the proverbial four fingers should be pointing inwards, but we cannot take Soniaâs âhandâ for granted. Instead, indications are that she may throw up her hands in nonchalant dismissal of her role and all the old hands may even agree in the true spirit of servility, in which case there is no salvation for the party.
All one can expect is that a new bunch of worshippers would now get promoted to replace the old guard to carry on the legacy of sycophancy. You see, only Congress has lost and not Sonia. It is win win for her, either way.
But then the silly Sardar is turning out to be an embarrassment. Stung by the defeat, Manmohan has forthwith sent in his resignation as leader of Congress Parliamentary Party in the RS and is even contemplating quitting the Upper House. Actually,the first thing he did on hearing about his defeat was to send a congratulatory message to his opponent! With more losers than winners in the Congress, the former FM is now setting a dangerous trend that his peers can ill afford to follow. For that matter, even his leader cannot. Tut, Tut, Manmohanji, take it cool; in Congress, live like a Congressman!
The left out Leftists, whose idle minds revel in creating devilâs workshops in foolsâ paradises, always live in their own Siberias, oblivious to the fact that their edifice is withering away. You tell them they have lost and they will theorise on how their loss is actually a victory for secularism. Surjeet will try to pull off yet another Third Front rabbit from his turban and the permanant prospective PM, Jyoti Basu, would lament on how the country is hurtling down the communal precipice while still rueing over the âHimalayan blunderâ. They are better left alone.
Surprisingly, there is no noise from the Swamy front. The man who started it all with that fateful tea party is probably counting idlies in that favourite joint of his, as he had secured very little votes that warranted counting. But his one time friend and several times foe, Jayalalitha, sees the ugly hand of the DMK-BJP riggers behind her defeat, besides the usual suspects– the opinion polls.
She has even apprehended witch-hunting against her. She also says that the AIADMK vote bank is intact and so there is no loss to her party. Well, may be so electorally, but politically, has she not lost? After all, she had everything going hunky dory for her last year around with her party ranking second, next only to the BJP, not to speak of the prime portfolios that her representatives were in charge of? What was the tearing hurry to convert that victory into a defeat? And ironically, she has only ended up making Maran a Minister!
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