End the culture of resort politics

Bolster laws to curb the trend of poaching lawmakers. Free and fair elections may mean little if there’s no accountability after polls

A fiercely fought election season comes to a close on Thursday with the declaration of the results in five states, but not without some drama in the dying hours. As soon as polls closed in the final phase of Uttar Pradesh, and exit polls predicted a close fight in Uttarakhand and Goa, political parties rushed senior leaders to these states to corral candidates in a bid to thwart any poaching attempts. Leaders said that candidates were vulnerable to bids from rivals, and that it was necessary to stow them away in secure locations (usually oldish resorts) to “save democracy”.

The sight of legislators or candidates being packed off in buses to luxury resorts where they are held under the surveillance of senior leaders may have become commonplace but it doesn’t stop the trend from being any less harmful to the health of our democracy. (Deepak Sharma/HT Photo)

Resort politics is not new in India, nor is the defection of election candidates. Both have been in the lexicon of politics for decades, and despite feeble attempts to check them, have only become more pronounced. The latest round in Uttarakhand and Goa, playing out even before results are declared, indicates that even the fig leaf of ideology and party loyalty has been abandoned. They also show how widespread the phenomenon is now — from state and national polls to presidential and Rajya Sabha elections. This is not good news for a democracy, where people choose their representatives as much for their party affiliation as their individual record. The anti-defection law, designed specifically to discourage such machinations, has been found wanting as lawmakers and political parties have, time and again, found their way around it. The threat of disqualification, which was supposed to be a strong deterrent, appears to have little impact.

The sight of legislators or candidates being packed off in buses to luxury resorts where they are held under the surveillance of senior leaders may have become commonplace but it doesn’t stop the trend from being any less harmful to the health of our democracy. It shows that lawmakers have scant respect for the decisions of their constituents, who have chosen to repose their faith in a candidate. It shows that parties and leaders too, have little faith in the integrity of their legislators and nominees, who they believe can be bought off by money, perks or threats. And, it highlights how vast troves of unregulated money used in elections can be directed to nefarious purposes, and how little political will there is across the spectrum to counteract this financial hegemony. Free and fair elections may mean little if there’s no accountability after polls.