Politicians using public as election pawns
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: October 27, 2021 -

INJURIES suffered by a youth in an election-related clash in Heirok assembly constituency on Monday evening and burning down of the house of the alleged attacker in retaliation signify that the voters would be reduced to simply pawns for the political class in the upcoming polls.

Expectedly both incumbent MLA Th Radheshyam and his predecessor M Okendro have appealed to the people of Heirok to exercise restraint and uphold the democratic principle centred on free and fair election.

Howevef, it is most unlikely that the ardent supporters would subscribe to the idea that peaceful conduct of the elections is essential for enriching the democratic institutions.

The Heirok incident is not the first pre-poll violence reported in the state and wouldn't be the last as there are enough evidences that more violent showdowns are in store.

With tension running high and election campaigners not restraining themselves from making provocative statements against the rival camps, it is obvious that the political workers would be most eager to impress upon their chosen candidate with the ultimate aim to have their voices heard and propositions accorded importance after election.

It's known to all in Manipur's context of the election that the wealthier supporters contribute financially to the most prospective candidates while the commoners make their presence felt through physical involvement in election activities, including exhibiting their wilder side to silence detractors of their favoured future representative.

For almost all the politicians, commoners are considered most essential to reach the goal as they serve as both publicity material and warriors to intimidate the opponents' supporters.

At any election, the trajectory of violence seems to be clear and it could be safely predicted that the same trend would continue in the state but in a different dimension certain to be dominated by ferocious intolerance as could be comprehended from frequent reports of stone-pelting among the supporters, prohibiting entry and campaigning of candidates, attacking assembly constituency level politjcal offices, etc.

All these incidents experienced so far indicate that as always, violence is imminent in the run-up to elections and even during and post-election.

No doubt, the election-conducting authorities would soon serve advisories to the law enforcement agencies to instill confidence among the masses so that the upcoming election is conducted without any blemish.

However, no amount of sanely words would be sufficient for the political actors as it would be business as usual to them.

As the stakes are very high in election this time, politicians and their invisible backers would go to any distance to definitely turn the democratic exercise into battlefields, which, in extreme cases, might result in avoidable loss of human lives but the perpetrators will not be held accountable.

Failure to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators has not only been a major deterrent to fair and free conduct of elections but such leniency will also embolden criminal elements to come out in a more daring fashion.

As such violence and electioneering would remain simply inseparable in the state while the public continue to face the consequences for at-least five-yearly cycle even though it should not be the case for a state desirous of development and courting respect.