The election in any democracy is a celebrated exercise where people demonstrate the massive power that they hold at the tip of their fingers. Indian elections, whether state or central, are the encapsulation of the ethos that a parliamentary democracy represents. An election is a reflection of the phrase, for the people, by the people, and of the people. The said phrase connotes the powers vested in an average citizen with respect to their political representation. It aims to safeguard the interest of the people which in turn means that the election process is an exercise to execute the will and fulfill the demands of the people.
However, in the backdrop of a global pandemic, to what extent does an election safeguard the interests of its citizens??? There is a trade-off that one has to make. Rallies in the middle of a global health crisis and elections which include massive mobilization of people to cast votes, in itself is a questionable practice. Delaying elections is compromising the political interests of a citizen, but safeguarding their right to life at the same time. On a balancing scale of priority, any rational man would submit that right to life overweighs political interests. However, this rationale was blatantly ignored by our politicians and other authorities.
The Possibility of a Second CO-VID Wave
Historically, it has been documented that pandemics hit us in multiple waves. Therefore, a second wave of the coronavirus should not have come as a surprise for our government. Even the Spanish flu about 100 years ago followed the same progression that we witness with the covid crisis. This brings up a peculiar question. Were our authorities so wilfully ignorant about the advent of a second wave or did they just assume that a vaccination drive would heal all wounds? Lack of scientific certainty cannot be an excuse for the mishandling of the situation. We were equipped with statistical precedents and repeated notification from medical institutes of mutant strains that showed higher contagious properties than its parent strain. Hence, we conclude that despite being equipped with all the information at our disposal, our political masters did not acknowledge the severity of the situation and initiated aggressive campaigning throughout the elections.
We had Rahul Gandhi campaigning in the south while Modi and Mamta had a faceoff for Bengal. The battle in Bengal was the event of the year for political enthusiasts. The aggression, the sledging, and the drama for Bengal’s seat was a show for the Indian audience in itself. The media houses got their TRP ratings and the citizens got distracted from the paralyzed health infrastructure and did not ask the right questions when it mattered the most.
The Aftermath of the nexus between the elections and the Second Wave
It is pertinent to note that a second wave was inevitable irrespective of how the government deals with the crisis. However, the magnitude of the impact of the second wave could be neutralised by appropriate measures at the right time. In the background of the Bengal elections and other minor elections at the village level, there are certain decisions that the people in power took to appease their vote banks.
For example, authorities blatantly refused to call off a weeks-long Hindu festival i.e. Kumbh Mela or the Pitcher Festival, held once every 12 years on the banks of the Ganga river in the northern state of Uttarakhand. It witnessed largescale gatherings of people and recorded cases at unprecedented levels. Restricting the Kumbh was not in the political interests of political parties in the background of multiple elections and therefore, they allowed the gatherings. This was complemented by political rallies that were outrageously ignorant of covid protocols.
Social distancing was treated as a joke, masks were not used and people acted as if the virus never existed. Today, we can conclusively say that it was the preposterous handling of the crisis that India’s health infrastructure has collapsed, the country is troubled with lack of oxygen, overcrowded hospitals, and the Indian Republic that exported drugs and vaccines now faces a shortage to treat its own people. India is a difficult country to govern with complexities that are beyond comprehension. But not taking steps to tackle issues that could be foreseen by any reasonable leadership is a point where they must be held accountable.
