What the 2019 elections reveal
Democracy in India is safe, but it is not in perfect health
As the 2019 elections draw to an end, it is time to look back at what has worked — and what has not — for Indian democracy. One of the fundamental features of the democratic political system is periodic elections. From the founding of the Republic, barring the interregnum because of the Emergency, India has not only had regular elections, but also a peaceful and smooth transfer of power from one party to another. To understand how remarkable this is, just compare it to Pakistan, where it was less than a decade ago that the first peaceful transfer of power after elections since 1947 happened. But every election is also an opportunity to look at the evolution of democracy.
The good news is that irrespective of the outcome, 2019 was a fiercely fought election. This shows that political power can be challenged, and both incumbents and opposition had to invest in communicating their views to the people. Party organisations sought to involve people in their campaigns. Voters were highly aware of the big issues and they asked tough questions to their candidates. All of this shows the resilience of representative democracy. At the same time, this was an election that often descended into crude rhetoric, indicating a general decline in discourse. Instead of substantial issues — jobs, the farm crisis and managing the transition from agriculture to industry, urbanisation, the nature of the welfare State — the campaign veered off towards issues that are irrelevant, such as Rajiv Gandhi’s record, or outright divisive, like discussing the minoritydominated nature of the Wayanad constituency or open appeals to Muslims to vote for a candidate. All parties are to blame for this but the Bharatiya Janata Party has to bear a larger share of the blame for the politics of divisiveness and distraction.
But the really disturbing element has been the questionable role of the Election Commission, which, from being perceived as an institution of independence came to be seen as a tool in the hands of the political executive because of a spate of decisions and omissions. It will take a long while for the institution to recover its credibility. The 2019 election has, therefore, shown that while democracy is safe, it is not in particularly good health.