OPINION
Dr. Arvind Kumar*
[This is a necessitated reform for a Democracy like India where the need for stable government would definitely bring Development prospects. The focus of respective parties should move beyond the rhetoric mere from winning elections towards good governance. This basically starts from redefining the time frame of elections held. A proposal to hold Elections every 7 years with equivalent gaps between 2 elections, as against the current 5 years can be a boon in disguise.]
The famous apothegm about democracy delineated by Abraham Lincoln as, “government of the people, by the people, and for the people”, as envisioned in a parliamentary or presidential form of government, over time has come to be construed broadly as “government off the people, buys the people, and far from the people,” and this transformation of democracy from being a vibrant system to a docile system afflicted with sordid state of affairs has taken place primarily due to the increasing role of money in the electoral process, especially in India where holding of elections, specifically for some state assemblies, has become a recurring annual phenomenon. According to estimates of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), during the 2019 Lok Sabha election, a whopping amount of INR 55, 000 crores (US $ 8 billion) was spent and this excludes the role of black money. This state of affairs prevalent in the Indian context call for urgent reforms that can help realise the real meaning of democracy.
Shouldn’t we envision a pragmatic scenario to streamline grandeur election expenses to be productively used to uplift the living standards of the 1.38 billion people of India? How far the flawless idea of holding Elections every 7 years, as against the current 5 years is a boon for India? How far can we justify providing a reasonably constructive approach for a decent and dignified living for the people and saving them from nonmilitary threats as well?
Elections in India display a splendour curtain of 3Ms i.e., Money, Mindset, and Muscle. They resemble the national festival of India with voters waiting for a development agenda and political parties swaying or hoodwinking the gullible voters through catchy promises in their respective political manifestos. This has almost become the ritual of Indian elections. With the ongoing state elections scheduled in February/March this year, the trajectory is on the higher wavelength deciding the projected outcomes of the election. According to a report by the ADR, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in India around Rs 55,000 crore, or $8 billion, was spent and it’s more than the U.S. presidential election of 2016 that, according to the Centre for Responsive Politics, saw an expenditure of about $6.5 billion. India’s polling exercise in 2019 involving over 90 crore voters, spanned 75 days and involved extravagant rallies, widespread advertising, and social media campaigns. And even now the same is being witnessed in state elections, and all of that comes at a cost. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific UN (ESCAP) estimates that the South Asia region needs to invest around US$2.5 trillion a year between 2013 and 2030 to achieve key sustainable development goals.
Deciphering the Electionomics amidst Corona scare
Have we ever realized the statistics of election expenditure? The total election expenditure in India is increasing by leaps and bounds. The election expenditures for the Lok Sabha elections have done up, more than 3 times from 1999 to 2014 (10.5 crores to 3870.3 crores). Moreover, the political parties are likely to spend nearly Rs 50,000 crore during the election campaign, according to estimates of CMS, a Delhi-based think tank. Even the interim budget 2019 introduced populist spending measures worth a startling figure of Rs 1.8 lakh crore ($25.37 billion). It is acknowledged that elections in India have become the most expensive in its history since the promulgation of the Indian Constitution. Recent parliamentary and state assembly elections have probably been the most expensive elections in any democratic country much beyond the combined US presidential and Congressional elections which cost USD 6.5 billion in 2016 but which more than doubled in 2020 amounting to $14.4 billion.
It’s an acknowledged fact that a lot of money and time being spent on elections could be put to better use, especially in the times of the pandemic, which has not just put a question mark on health infrastructure but on economic recovery plans also. The political rallies, public gatherings become the hub of the corona outburst playing havoc with the life of people. The present election system represents a tug of war between regional politics and appeasement politics. What is a more disturbing aspect of the dance of political democracy is that development activities come to halt due to enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), preventing the government to take bolder steps in the interests of the public. The bulk of efforts are wasted on creating publicity and hype about political parties and specifically, frequent elections also take a heavy toll on the public exchequer, wastage of time, money, and resources. In similar parlance, NITI Aayog has highlighted the occurrence of these frequent elections as a ‘fundamental problem’ in the electoral system.
The Election rules prescribe that a candidate can spend up to rupees 7 million, depending on the state they are contesting the Lok Sabha elections. However, the rule stands to exclude the expenditure of political parties. Here comes the actual turning point. With no visibility or transparency in election funding for parties, such loopholes often disturb the Checks and Balances of Democracy. How can we compensate for damages already done or strengthen our investment mechanisms for future economic growth and realisation of the SDG targets is certainly a million-dollar question? It is hence discernible that as per the ESCAP survey, an additional investment of $434 billion per year would be needed for clean energy and climate-resilient infrastructure. But where is the mandate of the Green political agenda included? Are the political parties even listening?
Working towards beyond rhetoric
The solution lies by clearly demarcating the link between election spending and development indicators. A huge country like India needs a stable government that pays attention to development for 6-7 years, not a mere four years. The last year in the five-year cycle is spent in ensuing election preparation, achieving the targets of the manifesto in a haste. It must be realized that India needs electoral reforms and the introduction of good practices in politics. On the other hand, India also needs to achieve the targets of its SDGs by 2030. Although IMF predicts a growth outlook for India in 2022-23 at 8.55%still,we must not shy away from considering the diversion of election expenses, political funding towards realizing the SDGs and securing the estimated growth and development trajectory of India. There is another sword hanging on the heads in form of the Corona Virus. Conducting an election in normal times is one thing, but doing so in the midst of a pandemic is quite another.
The focus of respective parties should move beyond the mere rhetoric of winning elections towards good governance. This basically starts from redefining the time frame of elections held. A proposal to hold elections every 7 years with equivalent gaps between 2 elections, as against the current 5 years can be a boon in disguise. This is an essential reform for a democracy like India where the need for a stable government would definitely bring development prospects. Moreover, the government functionaries involved in election duty will also prevent their diversion from their regular responsibilities because the voter demands not just fulfilment of their basic needs from the government but also the other requirements enjoined by the Constitution. The government has to fulfil not just the economic and social targets but also environmental targets that require time. Further, the rising political expenditure, diversion of funds towards non-developmental activities, vote-bank politics etc., being the main source of corruption and black money, shall be curbed to a large extent.
Taking note of successful functioning of international arena, Belgium witnesses five different kinds of elections where European elections and federal elections are held every five years, coinciding with each other, and even in Indonesia, the presidential and legislative elections would be held simultaneously from 2019. India could learn from these countries. Elections every 7 years would require the lesser deployment of forces and resources together, which presently is seen as a big challenge. Elections must envisage a competitive spirit where different developmental aspirations of citizens are discussed, debated and deliberated. An election mandate must acknowledge socio-political perspectives as well to transform India into socio-economic democracy, not just political democracy. Changing the discourse of political parties must be on top of the agenda. Our Constitution is flexible to bring amendments that strengthen democracy to bring citizen-centric governance.
Can the political parties pledge to deliberate the merits of holding sustainable elections every 7 years? How shall the citizen react? It’s not just the time to ponder but to comment and act as well.
*Editor, Focus Global Reporter
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