The Latest Indian Election - A Win for the Common Idiot?

We've finally reached the end of another Indian election, and by damn was it a mammoth. The results were predictable, except of course none of the pre-polls had the guts to actually predict to this degree. Congress won a lot of seats. Again. BJP lost. Again.

Being an atheist, one would think I'm happy that a non-secular party has again wormed its way to the top. And that's even true. To some extent.

Yeah.

I am happy.

On the overall results.

Heck, I'm even happy about the overall results in West Bengal; I mean, Mams (M.B., or the crazy lady as I call her not-so-affectionately in my mind) won a lot of seats (don't even bother to say that it's the TMC party that won 'em, guys, you and I both know that the party as a whole possesses all the brain power and free will of a dead, dried-up worm... it's their leader they follow blind and deaf and mute towards any purpose but hers). All nineteen - twenty of 'em (with her ally piling up another six), while the Left got a measly 15. Even BJP got one (and that too riding on the dangerous beast of partitionist sentiment - it'll bite them in the crotch soon enough, mark me).

But even though I deplore Miss B.'s lack of anything even vaguely resembling a vision (unless you count putting C.P.M. to pasture - then she could put even Su Chi to shame by her willingness to do anything, break any promise, trample any ethical concern to achieve that particular purpose), I'm happy.

Don't call me crazy yet. There're reasons for this.

There're other reasons for why people call me crazy, too, but that's different.

Reasons, ahem.

A. Not as if CPM was gonna win anything resembling a majority. The third front (or fourth) that Karat was frothing at the mouth about was, well, a pipe dream. To put it mildly. Or sheer insanity brought upon by lack of the littlest shrivel of intelligence, since I don't feel like being mild.

Therefore, Cong was going to form the government anyway. And CPM would've supported from the outside. Again. Because keeping that support hostage is the only way they would have thought they could achieve something. Even though it didn't work last time - the nuke deal still got its own way. Even though Karat did speculate about joining the govt, even if they did the unthinkable, they wouldn't have lasted. CPM as a party lacks the flexibility needed to survive as part of a coalition. Not unless all the other parties spouted Marxist propaganda and gave way to CPM as the only maker of decisions. That attitude would've made them get the frak out of there soon enough.

So it's all right for mams. May she support the Cong and may she weasel her way into a Ministerial seat. May she shower upon our state some much-needed waivers and shit.

B. The people have vent their steam in this election. Unlike some, I don't think this is the start of an avalanche that will only grow bigger and flatten CPM in the state elections. The possibility exists, yeah, but I think not. And I hope. Because if TMC comes to power....

Say killings and atrocities over CPM workers, just the things that are done on the TMC workers these days, but even wilder and without the control CPM exercises due to fear of the media and the populace. A party that's gotten the scent of blood, been waiting for it for a decade... madness. Riots. Basically, a I expect them to become a mirror of what CPM is today, but without the self-imposed restrictions.

It's an image I don't like to think about much.

So I hope the Common Idiot in Bengal has vented his anger and frustration. May CPM come to power again, I say. Not by a landslide - that'd defeat the purpose! By a narrowish margin, so that they feel the need to self-examination and - to call a cliche - pull up their frakking socks.

The Common Idiot in general, though, has made a good show this time. I remember the last election - and the election before that! Regional parties grabbing what they can, greedy leaders snatching what money or power they could lay their hands on. India seemed an illusion, a superimposition of innumerable sections, each of them at best indifferent to issues that plague all the others. And, like everything made this way, much less than the sum of all her parts.

Now, though. A blow for secularism I won't call this result, because obviously the Muslim votes have congregated - against the rise of Modi as the number-two in the BJP. Understandable, really; if I were a Muslim I wouldn't want him at the helm of the nation either. Not after what happened in Gujrat. So the Muslims have voted in Congress' favour - instead of being picked up by small-timer regional parties. Rightly have they done so. Those bit-players couldn't be trusted to keep to their tunes and not side with the likes of Modi. Congress, however, can be taken at its word - in this particular case. In the interest of survival, it cannot let its secular image erode.

Add to that the five years we've seen, and the picture becomes clear. This mandate was obvious, even inevitable (maybe the next time those anchors would ask me to the poll reviews). Last five years have been stable - that's the main point. Even though terrorist attacks really spoiled the days near the end, we've seen a thoughtful but energetic response from the national leaders. A stable response - in sharp contrast to what we see going on around in the countries around us.

Except China -- but then again, nobody knows what happens in China anyway.

Add to that the youth factor - Rahul is an asset that Congress needs to keep on cultivating - and the Cong has gotten more than they had ever dared to desire.

Good one for the Common Idiot. Carry on.

I'll even apologize. You weren't the idiot I'd taken you to be... sometimes you can even think for yourself.

What a surprise that was.

Here's one for India. Jai Hind.