If we look back at the electoral history of india, we find that the results of first two or three general elections to parliament were the direct outcome of the euphoria of getting independence(I would not use the word ’snatching independence’ from the Britishers.) The vote was the vote of liberated millions, breaking in free space without the burden and yoke of foreign rule, declaring to the whole world, we are a glorious nation again as we always were. The emotions were in a way the substratum of the electoral results. Naturally the party which has been largely associated with the freedom struggle of India reaped political dividends.

There after the emotive issues like the war with China, two wars with Pakistan which we won , the later more decisively, The victory in East Pakistan, the birth of Bangladesh, the ‘garibi hatao’ slogan, the mandal commission, the demolition of Babri masjid, the kargil war, the death of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi etc became electoral issues and have the desired effects of affecting the outcome of the electoral  general franchise in the country. The other factors that influence the electoral outcomes are like vote bank politics, the muscle power and money  are too obvious to be denied. But these are ‘always there’ factors.. the emotive issues are on the other hand are spikes which deflects the hands of measuring bars to extreme ends.

But of late for the first time economic issues like mass corruption  and double digit inflation(particularly consumer goods) have been flagged  by public as strong enough issues to influence the electoral results. The good governance has overtaken even the factors of development as defining electoral issues. That is a happy development for this great country and for its spectacular history of democracy in India.

This electoral development is likely to have far reaching implications for this country; for us all. The democracy is at work indeed. The dividends of this development would be seen and felt in times to come.