Editor,
Post the jubilant poll results announcement of the 17th General Elections for Lok Sabha in 2019, the Election Commission of India which was at the forefront spearheading the gigantic show needs to be applauded. ECI ensured that it was up and running to meet the increasing challenges to ensure a free and fair election.
The logistical and security arrangements made to ensure smooth and free and fair elections has met up with the voters expectations this time especially at the ground level. This comes at a time when ECI witnessed high level differences amongst the members, including speculations related to the appointment and tenure of CEC, dissent owing to Model Code of Conduct breaches, VVPAT challenges posed by the opposition parties, Supreme Court related judgments urging ECI to fall in line, effective EVM management till the end of polling process etc.
Several firsts were witnessed, amongst them being the formation of media monitoring committees, extensive voter grievance redress mechanism, consistent voter awareness drives including the launch of CVIGIL app and running of special Voter Express trains, launch of PwD friendly initiatives for special voters etc to name a few.
ECI’s move to conduct smooth elections was otherwise overshadowed by controversial speeches and actions by political stakeholders, owing to which the Commission remained a mute spectator leading to voters’ apathy. The desperation reached such a level that it led to dissent amongst the three election commissioners. Instead of meeting the voter’s expectations and voicing out a unanimous decision, the ECI was divided. However, ECI and its team at the ground level need to be appreciated for having conducted such a mammoth democratic exercise in the world.
Yours etc.,
Varun SD
Bangalore -72
Modi’s spectacular return
Editor,
The din and dust kicked up by the general election, 2019 has settled down, and the winners and losers have also retired to their places to resume their daily chores. And in the post election scenario, sadness and sobbing came to grip the minds of the losers. But Rahul Gandhi, a prime ministerial candidate for the election has had a mixed response from the people. In Amethi and in Wayanad where Rahul sought the people’s mandate too there was a mixed response. While Amethi gave him bricks, Wayanad gave him bouquets. He won with a record lead of 431,770 votes over his nearest rival, CPI’s PP Suneer.
Rahul Gandhi was not the only Congress heavyweight who faced defeat on Thursday. Stunning political pundits, Pragya Singh Thakur, who is out on bail and facing trial in the Samjhauta train blast case, trounced Congress’ Digvijay Singh from Bhopal and KP Yadav beat the other top Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia from Guna Lok Sabha constituency.
Licking the wounds inflicted by the poll debacle, Rahul has even readied to step down from the Congress president’s position owning up responsibility for the Congress debacle. As a motivating man, he said that the Congress would continue to serve people without compromising on its ideological stand. Rahul is very apprehensive of the BJP’s Hindutva policy as this policy has oriented the majority of the Hindus and consolidated them as a strong platform to give strength to the BJP party. The think-tank and the mastermind behind the landslide victory of the BJP, Amit Shah has done a tremendous job for the Party.
But in the South the BJP’s plan and the ploy fell-flat except in Karnataka and so the buoyant mood and enthusiasm of the party leaders fizzled out. And in Kerala too, it has not yet been able to open an account, which is an eye-opener for the BJP. For the BJP in Kerala, this was the most favorable situation but even then the Party could not translate this into winning a single seat for the Lok Sabha. As Kerala is the most literate and politically conscious state, the BJP leadership has to study why this state has refused to swallow the bait of the Party although all other states at least gave some seats to it.
Yours etc.,
T K Nandanan
Kochi – 15.