Time for every secular democrat to be on guard

Exit polls on Indian elections including those to parliament and the state Assemblies have gone wrong several times in the past – for instance in 2004 when they predicted a BJP win and in 2015 when the forecast on the Bihar polls again went off the mark.

So there is no reason why they should prove right this time when most exits are predicting a spectacular win for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the parliament polls and substantially lesser seats for the Opposition INDIA alliance.

In fact the poll predictions, based on the opinions of only a miniscule proportion of the actual voter base in each constituency, have left citizens wondering what has happened in Opposition ruled states like West Bengal, Karnataka and Telangana.

Is the BJP really sweeping the two southern states, which till barely a year ago, had given the Congress party a resounding mandate? And more so in Karnataka where the Congress got double the Assembly seats the BJP could win, riding on a wave triggered by the five guarantees?

These are no doubt trying times for every secular democrat, who believes in the great traditions set by our founding fathers like Gandhi, and Nehru who had proclaimed more than once that democracy and secularism would be the cornerstones of our great nation.

If the NDA gets the kind of sweeping mandate which the exit polls are predicting, there could be monumental changes in the offing; one cannot rule out constitutional changes keeping in mind the reported agenda of the BJP. Leaders and organisationns which have withstood the onslaught of right-wing forces, may also be in for challenging times.

Several leaders of the Aam Admi Party are already behind bars including their Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and it would not be surprising if this targeting of opposition forces continues in the days and months to come.

And like it has happened in the past, toppling games could start in right earnest with Opposition ruled state governments coming under the scanner of the BJP. One recalls how in 2019, then Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy who was heading a Congress-JD(S) coalition government after a fractured verdict in the state Assembly polls, had to quit after a section of Congress and JD(S) legislators jumped ship and backed the BJP led by BS Yediyurappa.

This incidentally happened after the BJP-led NDA rode to power in the 2019 parliament polls. Congress governments in Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka have a task on their hands retaining their legislators in their fold and also keeping a watch on poaching efforts.

One also cannot rule out the same when it comes to regional parties which are in power in several states and have withstood the overtures of the BJP and its allies to join their fold so far. Indian elections, whether to parliament or the state Assemblies, are a reiteration of the basic principle that the people’s will matters the most and they have the absolute right to decide who lords over their destinies.

The nation needs a strong government no doubt but it also needs an equally strong opposition to ensure that all crucial decisions pertaining to our future - whether it be political, economic, social or otherwise - are thoroughly debated and implemented.

 The battle is never lost till the last vote is counted and this is a fact which every citizen who has an abiding faith in India’s parliamentary system should remember.

Electoral battles may be won or lost but our unwavering commitment to the principles of secularism, religious harmony, justice, equality and freedom should remain as steadfast as ever for these are principles cardinal to the survival and progress of this great democracy