The Indian election
2014 is unarguably the most sensational and most interesting election to date to
have occurred in India. The massive election that involved the participation of
almost one eighth of the world population was no less interesting than any show
in the world. There are a slew of factors that has made this election as
electrifying as it has been, most people are watching this election as they
would have watched their favorite football team battle it out in the world cup
finals. The elections of 2014 has it's share of everything that would make it a
blockbuster any where any time, be it the stark contrast in personas of the
leaders, the fiery salvos being fired at each other, the blow by blow media coverage
of the election fiasco and even the angry restless supporters swearing at each
other in the various social media sites.
The major reason why
the elections are as hyped up as they are now is less because of the candidates
and their actions but solely due to the relentless work of India's free
corporate media that has learned the knack of making anything and everything into
a sensational marketable item. The more successful candidates were the ones
that were able to use and tap into this media frenzy for breaking news and use
it to their advantage. The rise of AAP can be attributed to this effective use
of media prowess and so can the painstakingly and precisely calculated brand
image building by Narendra Modi. They both used the media effectively, one for
carried away but that is a discussion for a later time and the incumbent
Congress was terrible at media management and that has affected them and now by
all predictions they are heading for an unceremonious demise (But there is lot
more to that than just that, Congress messed it up big this time).
When media has
helped the election and its campaign get covered in a never before way, making
this the first election to be televised extensively and where the media
dictated fortunes, the leaders of the many parties unwittingly turned this
election away from a federal one where party mattered to a presidential one
where the individual was the prime focus. Such a successful shift of election
style has helped BJP the Indian right wing party greatly and punished the
incumbent congress party; this is mainly because of the sharp contrasts in
personas of their prime ministerial candidates, where one is strong,
opinionated and decisive the other appears clueless, confused and undecided. This
contrasting persona has and will affect the election to an election that has
been turned into a personality contest in a country whose dreams of being a
world super power has been shattered and their ambitions violated. This is what
the campaign has all been about, to bring back the nation to the glory days and
to enable it to see the dream that appeared to be within grasp half a decade
ago.
This election has
stood out from the rest on the fact that this must be one of the first
elections to have bee selected on the plank of development and a prosperous
future alone. When usually elections deteriorate into petty minority politics
and divisive strategies to isolate and consolidate various vote banks, where
segregation along communal lines are a common strategy to achieve electoral
victory, this election has become a stand out. During most of the election the
candidates has distanced themselves from theses lines and is mostly seen as a
self-destructive strategy to adopt. Though there have been some lone salvos and
the some attempts to convert the election to old lines, they have remained
mostly unsuccessful with Narendra Modi showing great restrain.
What ever be the
result that comes out today, one thing is for sure, it will be historic and
fantastic for the future of the nation. A change is in the reckoning and many
expect Narendra Modi to deliver on his elaborate and embellished promises. I as
all curious Indians out there am currently glued to the television screen,
counting seconds before the first numbers to start trickling in. After all the
speculation, anticipation and projections there is no substitute for the real
thing. See you on the other side.
