Elections every 2 years please!!

As the 2014 Lok Sabha elections approach, there is a palpable sense of excitement - RaGa gives a legendary interview, NaMo jets around the country espousing the Gujarat model, Kejriwal has a new stunt everyday and eminent people like Nandan Nilekani have jumped into the fray. Arnab of course is on overdrive pulling up all and sundry. What entertainment each evening! If it was possible to make an amendment to our Constitution, I would ask for a Lok Sabha election every two years.

Apart from the entertainment, there is another strong factor in favour of this change. A lot gets done in a very short while. Here is a list of improvements in Bangalore in the last two months - the long overdue airport expressway opened, many small roads in the city including the garbage filled road next to my apartment resembles an autobahn and the second Metro line has started. The govt even extended the nightlife till 1am for the suffering denizens of the city!! I see this new found efficiency lasting till April 17th when the state has its LS poll. Of course not every city is as lucky as Bangalore and the reason for that is we have a Cong govt. They are trying hard to swim against the tide and win some LS seats in Karnataka.

Today there are 11 states ruled by Cong, 5 by BJP, 12 by local parties.  Other than some good CMs like Pawan Chamling & Raman Singh who work for the betterment of their states, all we see is corrupt govt & municipal bodies preventing any work from being done.

If the LS polls are held every two years and we assume that the anti-incumbency factor will apply, anywhere from 5 to 11 states will benefit (Cong or BJP-ruled) from improved infrastructure. That means 20-40% of the country will benefit big time every two years. This will deliver more prosperity than our standard Five-Year Plans. I will take this scenario any day despite the cost of elections. I only have one small request, don't make the elections clash with the IPL!!

Hum AAPke honge kya?

I remember landing in Chennai one morning in 2006 and chuckling at an ad by a hotel as I drove out of the airport. It said "Our room rates are lower than Bush's IQ. You can't go lower than this." Replacing "Bush's IQ" with "Indian political standards" is apt at all times but never more so than in the last few months. Even by their own rock-bottom standards, our politicians have plumbed new depths - using a pepper spray in Parliament, brandishing a knife, clamouring to free the killers of an ex-PM (surely the only politicians globally to do so), writing a brilliant essay about Australia after a "study tour", a Home Minister wanting to crush the electronic media - to name just a few accomplishments.

Into this scenario of despair stepped the AAP. Their main poll plank is correct - corruption is without doubt the biggest issue in our society today. The catch is that they were just not ready for success. It reminded me of a common statement in corporate offices- "Be careful about what you ask, you just may get it". After winning the Delhi polls, they realized that running a government involves many mundane tasks and is not just about the headline grabbing stunts. In 47 days time, they were back to doing what they are best at - activism. This period showed that they need to build a point of view on many important national issues like Kashmir, FDI in Retail, khap panchayats etc which is fine for a young party. What was however disturbing was the reluctance to accept any wrongdoing by their members like Somnath Bharti and the brazenness in offering sops to their "supporters", the case in point being the free power given to those who did not pay their bills between Oct 2012 and May 2013. The full story is at http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140213/jsp/nation/story_17932627.jsp#.UxIfI-OSzYk . Imagine if every elected government started behaving like this. "The govt is please to announce welfare scheme X only to those who voted for us in the last elections. To avail the benefits, please reveal who you voted for and remember that the government's decision is final."

The fact that they continue to attract many high-profile people is proof that their appeal is still strong . Their biggest risk today is their leader himself. If you saw Kejriwal's interview with Barkha Dutt soon after he resigned, it is apparent that the guy is sharp and his heart is in the right place. He is however making it difficult for his party members to defend his adhoc actions. Everyday he comes up with a new stunt to grab attention (questions to Modi, gas pricing, Ambani).  He has developed this habit of "Hit and Run". Is he expecting someone else to prove the corruption charges against the high and mighty? In a short span of 3 months, he has taken the country from the heights of optimism to the depths of despair. I just hope he sees some sense soon. They can be a credible Third Front unlike the many Third Fronts that were cobbled together in past elections and could make all regional satraps irrelevant on the national stage.

Let AAP prove themselves in one or two states, act as a responsible oppostion in the LS and maybe 2019 will be their time. Till then, my vote goes to the BJP for the simple reason that they are the only alternative to the UPA and the dynasty.