Represent the people, not only party : Waiting for May 23
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 15 2019 -

May 23 is The Day. The Day in the sense that India will know which party or which front led by which party will rule the country for the next five years.

Difficult to say which way the wind will blow, but if poll pundits are to be believed the fight this time around will be much tougher than 2014 when the BJP led NDA practically decimated the Congress led UPA front.

Apart from the close fight that has been projected it is also interesting to note that this is perhaps the first time, after the era of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Behari Vajpayee that an individual has been pitchforked in the limelight with many seeing the election as a fight between the BJP led front under Narendra Modi and the Congress.

This is what has made this election all that more interesting with no one really looking at the BJP minus the persona of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Perhaps it is the charisma of the Prime Minister or a question of the BJP unable to pitchfork itself as a party with a pan India appeal, but from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari and from Gujarat to the North East, no one sees the BJP minus Narendra Modi.

Again significant to note that while it is an individual who seems to have lorded over the BJP on the other hand there is the case of a family name riding over the Congress.

This is the difference that the common citizens see between the BJP and the Congress and this is where the uniqueness of either side lies.

Election to the Lok Sabha will wind up on May 19 and all eyes will be on May 23, when the result will be announced and the coming of the new Government will mean so many things to different people.

Different things to different people, but basically what people want is for the representatives to work in the interest of the people.

It should not matter whether the BJP comes back to power or whether it is the Congress or any other front, but what people want is governance.

This is where question may be asked to the political leaders whether they see themselves as leaders of the BJP or the Congress or leaders of the people.

This is what election is about. Elect leaders who will represent the people and not the party. This should be the bottomline.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is no doubt heading the BJP led NDA Government but when he speaks he is speaking on behalf of the people and not the BJP.

This yardstick should apply to whoever becomes the next Prime Minister.

On a smaller scale, Chief Minister N Biren represents the people of Manipur and not the BJP, though he is from the saffron party.

Such a line of thought will make the understanding of a multi party democracy like India all that more meaningful.

US President Donald Trump is a Republican but how many actually see him as a Republican leader than the President of the United States ?

Once one is elected and goes to represent a Constituency, a State or the country, one should break free from the identity of the party to which one belongs to and represent the people.

This may sound far fetched but this should bring the people one more step closer to the understanding of a people’s Government.