Exit polls for the states that had gone to the polls recently have been the content of television channels since March 4. No clear picture emerged since exit polls are inherently speculative. However, it was clear that the Congress would not come anywhere near the 50 seat mark in Uttar Pradesh where the Gandhi scion, Rahul Gandhi spent maximum time and energy. Not even the media hype covering the campaign trail of his sister Priyanka Gandhi could get the Congress a respectable seat tally. But the greatest shock must have come to Mayawati, the Dalit leader who ruled like a Czarina and turned herself into a fortress. She acted like a petulant princess doing whatever she liked without a thought for the consequences. The elephant statues and images of herself that dot the UP landscape have drained the exchequer. It is a criminal waste of public funds in a state known for its developmental backlog and poverty. Mayawati became a megalomaniac and it was a matter of time before people saw through her rhetoric.
For the Samajwadi Party(SP) it’s celebration time. The SP must have been surprised at winning 224 seats although the credit goes to Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son Akhilesh. This young technocrat who is unaffected by his political antecedents is a breath of fresh air. He reached out to people in the most innovative way – on his bicycle, which is the SP icon and the poor man’s means of transport. What is worrisome however is that many of the SP candidates who have won, have criminal records. Will UP lapse into anarchy and the goonda raj that preceded Mayawati’s rule? According to Akhilesh, that would not be allowed to happen. But in politics it is difficult to predict anything, least of all the conduct of politicians which is dictated by their own priorities. But five years is all that people will give their representatives. After that they will opt for change if their aspirations are belied. The scams unearthed in UP just before the elections must have done Mayawati in. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) an innovative programme for rural health targeting especially women and children has worked well in many states. That a huge scam should happen in this Mission is unpardonable and people have voted with their heads. Several other states are slated for the polls in 2013. Will they learn a lesson from UP?