With public activities resuming to substantial levels, politics might soon be back in active mode. As the assembly polls in Bihar should take place by October, Home Minister, Amit Shah addressed a ‘virtual rally’ of party members via video mode on Sunday. What, however, is not clear yet is how the elections or the voting process can take place by maintaining social distancing norms. The Election Commission is yet to take a call on this.
Bihar is where a key battle between the rival political formations – UPA and NDA – will be staged first. BJP seems comfortable with a continuation of the alliance with Nitish Kumar, who has been around as chief minister for many years and might by now be a tired face before the voters. With RJD leader Lalu Prasad grooming his next generation in style to lead the party’s charge from the front, the Congress is bound to stand by the alliance because the party no longer has an independent existence there. Bihar is where the migrant labour matters in the coming polls. They had experienced the worst deal from the lockdown. Most of them back in their own homes, they, as a bloc could tilt the balance either way.
The assembly polls in Bihar will be followed by polls in Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala etc and these would, together, take on the form of a mini general election, gauging the mood of the nation across regions. Question is, how the polling exercise will be carried through in the present season of restrictions on public activities. The Covid scenario is progressively worsening in India, the nation going down to the fifth position from tenth a week ago, globally, and likely heading for an ill-reputation as the worst Covid-hit nation. While the pandemic scenario is well under control in most parts of the nation, regions like Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Tamil Nadu, Delhi etc are steadily pushing the rise in number of daily infection rates. It has crossed the 10,000 mark a day already. What this goes to show is that full resumption of public activities in the country will not happen in the near future. A vaccine for the virus will take its own time.
Obviously, with the political cacophony missing at least outside of the TV debates, life remained quiet for two months. If the people were breathing easy, the politicos on the other side were feeling suffocated. A round of elections in Bihar and elsewhere could put life back into the democratic process as a whole – for better or for worse.