Understanding public opinion : Leave mandates to the public
A Layman's Insight Into the General Dynamics of the Recently Concluded General Elections in Manipur

H Dayamoi Meitei *

Election result scene across Imphal on eve of election result day on March 06 2012 :: Pix - Victo Singh

As a layman and this article being intended for all laymen alike, taking resort to intellectual jargon and never-fully-correct statistical analysis have been avoided. Broadly speaking, three and only three words can aptly explain the phenomenon that was the 2012 General Elections in Manipur. 'Integrity' : Congress and some others, 'Integration' : NPF, and 'Disruption' : Varied factors.

Many might have thought that 'anti-incumbency' factor will do the trick and the Congress would be ousted from Power this time. It's not only the general public who might have been stunned by the results but the Congress Party itself and its stalwarts also must have been definitely more stunned and dumbstruck by the same! It must have been beyond the wildest dreams of the Congress that they'd romp home with such an unprecedented and record-breaking and with literally a landslide victory!

How could it be so? That's the question everyone must be asking themselves - the general public and the political pundits alike.

My question is why could it not be so?

The Poll Plank of 'Development and Stability' definitely might not have played as much a role as would be pointed out by the Congress Pundits or as they'd like us to believe. 'Integrity', was the winner! 'Integrity' definitely won over 'Integration'!

This is not to discredit or downplay the important role played by other leaders and their contribution, but, to the then incumbent Honourable CM, Shri O. Ibobi Singh - however flawed his method of preserving the 'Integrity' was or must have been - we must give due credit that he and he (the word alone has been knowingly omitted ) was the one synonymous with and the 'symbol' of 'Integrity'! But was it the sole factor?

That law of Newton's, slightly changed, that 'there is always an equal and opposite reaction to every action', was the very obvious but knowingly or unknowingly avoided factor! By extension, the more the force of the 'action', the more and equivalent is the 'reaction'!

Many a disruptive factors were at play, this time too and as usual. But this time, the disruption and the area covered by it, both in the valley and in the hills, was far more intense and widespread!

The general public, however gullible they might be to genuine campaigns or to obvious populist policies, they reacted and reacted equally strongly!

And though I don't have any right to say who deserved to win and who did not, it will be obvious to any informed and right thinking individual in Manipur that many might not in fact had deserved to win ! They won only and only because of the natural result of previously unimaginable sympathy generated amongst the public as the sole reason of their 'strong reaction'!

Or it might not even have been 'sympathy' but something else which may be understood as asserting one's opinion.

All in all, this time the winners deserved to win and win with such an incredible majority!

And this is the right time for all those people settled within the Territorial Boundary of the state called Manipur, those who are 'within' the 'Legal Establishment' and those who are 'without' - that however contradictory their ideologies or aims may be and however true they might think their conflicting aspirations are and however fallible the workings of a Democracy is the right to choose their own representatives should always be and is - best left to the 'general public'!