Tread with caution

The Election Commission of India has brushed aside all speculations around the conduct of assembly elections in five states of India — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. Outcomes to all these assembly elections hold immense significance in one form or the other. Reaching out to this decision must have been a challenging task for the ECI. On one hand, it had to proceed while keeping the life and safety of voters into consideration, on the other hand, it also has the moral responsibility to enforce election schedules — a sacrosanct democratic exercise that must be deferred in only the extreme cases. The task of the Election Commission would have been made more tough against the backdrop of notoriety and allegations it had attracted during the second wave of the pandemic. The body undoubtedly deserves applause for showing the intent to balance the situation in a professional manner this time around. The message is loud and clear that the Constitutional entitlement of the people to choose their representatives cannot be subjugated easily. The apex election conducting body has rightly gone the extra mile in announcing safety protocols for what could be called a massive election schedule. It has banned physical rallies till January 15 after which it will undertake review to decide on further course of action. Health experts have, however, suggested that the third wave of the pandemic may peak only after the next couple of weeks. Even if the physical rallies are allowed in future, those will have to follow certain constraints. Number of attendees will have to be limited and candidates will be required to submit an affidavit in this regard. The onus of implementing these guidelines will rest upon the shoulders of district magistrate, the state chief secretary and the Election Commission officers. The fact however remains that these are just plans on the paper and how they unfold on ground will be a different matter altogether. History doesn't testify well in this regard. Flouting of EC's guidelines during the second wave of the pandemic is believed to have caused much of the damage. While scraping the elections outright would not have been a feasible idea in the present case, any compromise in safety of polling exercise will only signal the incompetence of concerned authorities. Apart from the safety aspect, the question of parity of the contest has also come to the surface. Certain leaders have rightly pointed out that the party in rule at the Center might have an edge over the other parties in terms of availability of resources. The BJP has the experience of carrying out virtual rallies during the 2020 Bihar assembly polls. Add to it the impeccable record of the saffron party in terms of using its IT cells. Leaders have urged the ECI to create a level playing field in this regard. The novelty of such a demand should not render it insignificant because it can be said to be in consonance with the spirit of free and fair elections. It must be noted that the ECI has extended the expenditure limit of candidates from Rs 28 lakh to Rs 40 lakh, given that the physical rallies are curtailed for the time being. While the Election Commission is expected to take note of these concerns, non-BJP parties do face a challenge to bring the best out of the limited resources they have. It can safely be said that however hard one may try, absolute parity is not possible. The parties may require some out-of-the-box thinking to make optimum use of resources at their disposal. Doers, after all, don't find excuses. This is in no way meant to undercount the need for positive intervention by the Election Commission. The forthcoming assembly elections have been touted as 'semi-finals' to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Both the prominent national parties are defending their strongholds — Congress in Punjab and the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, the claims and aspirations of regional leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee on the national political landscape are also to be tested in these elections. Accounting for 80 Lok Sabha seats, Uttar Pradesh is undoubtedly the boiling pot of politics as of now. The BJP appears to be banking on the Uttar Pradesh model of governance throughout the country. The outcomes of the UP polls might influence the flavor of national politics as well. In light of these aspects, the ECI must give its hundred per cent in giving all parties their due chance. Even if these aspects were not to be accounted for, maintaining the sanctity and impartiality of electoral exercise are enough reasons to exercise due diligence.