The threat of the 13-day Devendra Fadnavis Government in Maharashtra going the way of the 13-day Vajpayee Government has passed. And how! The Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday reposed its trust in the new BJP Government through a voice-vote. Despite pro forma protests, internally no party could be unhappy with the widely expected outcome. For the BJP, the voice-vote saved it blushes because depending on the NCP, or as Prime Minister Modi said during the Assembly campaign, a `naturally corrupt party,’ would have given its rivals a talking point. For the Shiv Sena, the voice-vote prevented the chinks in its own legislative unit from being exposed to the people. For the Congress Party, the voice vote ensured that its complete isolation was not put out on display and, besides, it saved it from being bracketed with the `rabidly communal’ Sena. Above all, for the NCP, the voice-vote was manna from heaven; it killed two birds without the use of even a single stone, as it were. It established its newfound equation with the ruling BJP, both at the centre and in the state, while helping it retain the fig leaf that it did not actually vote for the Fadnavis Government. And last, but not least, for the BJP, winning the trust vote helped it gain considerable breathing space, during which it can firm up a reasonably durable arrangement for sustaining itself in power in the state for the next five years. The biggest loser, without doubt, was the Sena this Wednesday. Uddhav Thackeray botched up the negotiations with the BJP, not only before the poll when he allowed the alliance to be broken for a few extra seats, but, more crucially, post-elections when he failed to realise the determination of the newly-ascendant BJP to strike out on its own, unless its allies behaved reasonably. Thackeray’s brinkmanship even when he was outflanked was his undoing. Yet, one can see that he is now keen to tone down the aggression. The agreement, which allowed the unanimous selection of Haribhau Bagde as the Speaker of the Assembly was an earnest expression of his desire to cooperate with the Fadnavis Government. Once his leverage was gone, with the ready offer of the NCP to back the BJP Government, Thackeray ought to have made a virtue of sweet reasonableness in the interest of, as the NCP said while extending suo moto support to the BJP, `providing a stable government to the people of Maharashtra.’ Politicians somersault easily but cloak their expediency in the larger public interest. The Sena had justifiable ideological and political grounds to get back in bed with its erstwhile partner, but it miffed those chances, overplaying its hand at every turn and thus exposing itself in the process as power-hungry and highly inept. Hopefully, the passage of the trust vote in the Assembly would help both the BJP and the Sena to try and reach an understanding, so that the shadow of uncertainty is lifted from the new government and it finally settles down to fulfil the people’s aspirations. Not only does the mess left behind by the previous government need to be cleared, but the bread and butter issues of the long-suffering people need urgent attention. Maharashtra cannot wait a day longer for the new government to try and find solutions to its enormous problems of poor infrastructure, agrarian stress, lack of employment opportunities, broken civic infrastructure, etc. The BJP and the Sena should learn to work together for the sake of the same Maharashtra, instead of being at cross purposes. This is the least the voters expect from them.
Not by coercion
The Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Act, which seeks to make voting in local body elections compulsory, is a retrograde step. However well-intentioned, punishing people for not voting is simply unacceptable. Despite the low turnouts in these elections, the solution for greater participation does not lie in coercive voting, but in greater political and social awareness. Instead of penalising people for not voting, they ought to be made aware of the greater stake they have in representative democracy at the civic level. Freedom not to vote is also part of the fundamental rights of citizens. Yes, some countries have compulsory voting, but those are essentially totalitarian states. We can do better by ensuring that every citizen feels that he has a stake in these elections. This can come with greater transparency in public life and through a more open party system, which encourages well-meaning citizens to be actively involved in civic affairs. Besides, if the voters remain unenthused about local bodies’ elections, political parties cannot escape blame. They must play their role to motivate voters. The compulsory voting law must be withdrawn immediately before a judicial challenge results in its nullification.
