The word 'integrity' has at least three meanings. It refers to completeness (as in 'the government should protect nation's integrity). It also means unimpaired quality (example: a chemical's integrity). The third meaning refers to adherence to a code or dharma as in moral integrity or business integrity.
The by-election in R.K.Nagar assembly constituency may make us wonder what has happened to political integrity. A simple analysis of the campaign process and the result assures us that political integrity is intact, safe and secure.
It needs to be said upfront that political integrity demands symmetric behaviour from both the contestants and the voters. This election has come up trumps in this respect. As reports go, AIADMK donated Rs.6,000 per vote and TTV Dinakaran Rs.10,000. We do not know how much was gifted by DMK. The electorate proved their integrity by ensuring that AIADMK secured less than 60% of votes captured by TTV. This simple arithmetic shows that DMK must have given only Rs.3,000 per voter.
Let us now analyse TTV's integrity in all three dimensions.
Completeness: He has proved he is Jaya's only political heir by winning the election hands down. So he totally represents Jaya's party. Name and symbol have been wrongly allotted to the pretender faction of EPSOPS.
Unimpaired quality: Many attempts were made to change TTV. IT, ED raids are just two examples. But TTV was not ready to alter his innate quality of being a benefactor to voters. Lots of cash might have been seized during raids. This did not disable TTV's liquidity. You may set fire to gold, does it ever lose its sheen?
Adherence to democratic code: This is where TTV has astounded the sceptics. The model code of elections which is strictly enforced in our democracy mandates that no cash can be distributed to voters in the constituency. What did TTV do? He took the voters out of the constituency and made arrangements for cash distribution only in neighbouring constituencies where no election was held. Some voters missed this opportunity. TTV did not let them down. The model code does not disallow noting of numbers of Rs.20 currency notes the possessors of which can receive cash after the election when the code ceases to be operative. Would TTV break the promise now that he has won? No way. If he reneges now, how can he win the general elections which may not be far away?
Why did the electorate massively vote for TTV? The answer is twofold. The symmetric expectation requires their compliance with the Rs.10,000 pact. The voters wanted to prove their integrity. Secondly, RK Nagar voters are lovers of democracy. They want to exercise their only democratic right of casting votes as frequently as possible to secure their livelihood. With ED cases awaiting finality, TTV may lose his Assembly membership anytime soon. TTV's representative will contest the soon-to-be held by-election and take care of voters' cash needs.
The by-election in R.K.Nagar assembly constituency may make us wonder what has happened to political integrity. A simple analysis of the campaign process and the result assures us that political integrity is intact, safe and secure.
It needs to be said upfront that political integrity demands symmetric behaviour from both the contestants and the voters. This election has come up trumps in this respect. As reports go, AIADMK donated Rs.6,000 per vote and TTV Dinakaran Rs.10,000. We do not know how much was gifted by DMK. The electorate proved their integrity by ensuring that AIADMK secured less than 60% of votes captured by TTV. This simple arithmetic shows that DMK must have given only Rs.3,000 per voter.
Let us now analyse TTV's integrity in all three dimensions.
Completeness: He has proved he is Jaya's only political heir by winning the election hands down. So he totally represents Jaya's party. Name and symbol have been wrongly allotted to the pretender faction of EPSOPS.
Unimpaired quality: Many attempts were made to change TTV. IT, ED raids are just two examples. But TTV was not ready to alter his innate quality of being a benefactor to voters. Lots of cash might have been seized during raids. This did not disable TTV's liquidity. You may set fire to gold, does it ever lose its sheen?
Adherence to democratic code: This is where TTV has astounded the sceptics. The model code of elections which is strictly enforced in our democracy mandates that no cash can be distributed to voters in the constituency. What did TTV do? He took the voters out of the constituency and made arrangements for cash distribution only in neighbouring constituencies where no election was held. Some voters missed this opportunity. TTV did not let them down. The model code does not disallow noting of numbers of Rs.20 currency notes the possessors of which can receive cash after the election when the code ceases to be operative. Would TTV break the promise now that he has won? No way. If he reneges now, how can he win the general elections which may not be far away?
Why did the electorate massively vote for TTV? The answer is twofold. The symmetric expectation requires their compliance with the Rs.10,000 pact. The voters wanted to prove their integrity. Secondly, RK Nagar voters are lovers of democracy. They want to exercise their only democratic right of casting votes as frequently as possible to secure their livelihood. With ED cases awaiting finality, TTV may lose his Assembly membership anytime soon. TTV's representative will contest the soon-to-be held by-election and take care of voters' cash needs.
1 comment:
Nice blog. For the updated news you can also take help from the Live Now India to get the updated news regarding national, international and technological updates. You can also get the updates regarding ongoing elections and upcoming elections.
Post a Comment