Political parties struggling to find winning candidates and a strategy for the Lok Sabha polls due in April-May are already facing the heat?weatherwise. February is generally pleasant in almost all parts of the country with maximum temperature hovering between 28 and 33 degrees Celsius. However, this February it reached 35 degrees and the temperature in March-April will be worse with the mercury touching 37 to 38 degrees, according to the meteorological department. It is also worth mentioning that data of last continuous seven general elections held in the last twenty years (1984 to 2004) reveals that due to simmering hot weather of April, May and June, the voters? turnout has been lower by an average 6.515 per cent in each general election.
The general elections of 1984, 1989, 1998 and 1999 might have been held in comfortable weather due to extraordinary incidents such as untimely death of Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1984 and untimely fall of governments in 1998 and 1999.
Holding of general election in May and June of 1991 was the result of the late Vishwanath Pratap Singh'splan as per direction of his American personal friend Prof. Samuel P Huntington (the author of Clash of Civilizations). The late VP Singh implemented this American plan by triggering it off through implementation of Mandal Commission Report.
The general election was held in April and May of 2004 despite the fact that the then NDA government in power had recommended fresh general election much earlier.
The data of general elections held between 1952 and 1980 have not been taken into consideration here because there has been a sea-change in the last 20 years and the period before. Following are some of the changes: (i) The climate/weather was not as hot as it is today, due to global warming. (ii) The queues were not as long due to lesser population. (iii) Polarisation of votes was not so acute.
The aforesaid lower turnout of voters by 6.515 per cent is tremendously high, considering the facts that CPI(M) in the general election of 2004 (compared to its vote share in the general election of 1999), with a mere increase of +0.3 per cent in its favour increased its MP tally to 43 by winning 11 more seats. Trinamool Congress in the general election of 2004 (compared to the general election of 1999) with a reduction of mere (-)0.5 per cent votes reduced its MP tally to one, losing seven seats).
Hence by holding general election in the month of October 2009, an increased polling of approx 6.515 per cent by educated and hence non-manipulatable people of India might definitely change the fate of our country for better. Educated people habituated to comparatively slightly better living standards due to their comparatively better income resile from voting simply to avoid the extreme inconvenience caused by standing in long voters? queues in the simmering heat of April, May and June.
Poor people, manipulatable due to their poverty, are manipulated with gifts of sarees and country liquors and/or cash, and they turn out to vote in full capacity. Christian and Muslim minorities? fear psychosis is also encashed by certain political parties as the Muslims and Christians due to their fear and opposition to majority community also turn out in maximum numbers. There is no denying the fact that Muslim and Christian minorities have been used as vote banks by certain political parties.
Hence manipulatable poor people and Christian and Muslim voters turnout to vote in full capacity, and educated people of India do not turn out in similar full capacity. This is the clandestine objective of holding the elections in the simmering hot months of April, May and June by manipulating the dates of school board'sexaminations such as CBSE, ICSE etc.
That old, sick and physically challenged people also come to vote. Making them come and stand in long voters? queues in simmering heat of April-May is inhuman. Hence, the general elections should normally be held during October, 2009 because this time period is the most comfortable time for holding election. Marriage season also begins after this period.
The governmental cost of conducting general election of 2004 was estimated to be Rs. 1300 crore, which definitely shall be higher for the general election of 2009. And if the expenditure by all the parties and candidates is also included then it comes to about Rs. 6000 crore. One is sure, the guardians of law and justice would never like to allow such wasteful expenditure of public money (wasteful because due to manipulation in polling dates the general election becomes false). One is also sure that the authorities concerned would never like to preside over something so false and so huge in size.
Root cause of misery in our country is lack of true democracy perpetrated through such electoral frauds by political parties/politicians on the people of India. Hence by aborting this electoral fraud the authorities concerned shall be credited with changing the lives of we Indians, for better.
(The writer can be contacted at 161/290, Shahi Marg, PO Pradhan Nagar, Siliguri, West Bengal.)
