Political parties being the prime institution of democracy and representing the citizen's choice at
bigger platform than also the situation of our country is not improving. In this epidemic situation when
migrant workers are leaving and no help is available. They being the vote bank of the political parties, why
no one is helping them. Comment.
Answers
Answer:
For better or worse, as the world takes leave of everyday normality, conventional means of transacting politics and rules of governance seem set to change. Sooner or later, the lockdown will end. People will step out of the spaces they have been confined in; and even as they heave a sigh of relief, the anxiety and fear of contracting an infection will endure. Governments with authoritarian tendencies will be unwilling to shed the extraordinary powers they have given themselves in this moment of national and global crisis.Much, of course, remains uncertain as the scope of the virus and its intensity are yet to be determined. However, given the extent and depth of the current devastation, one can reasonably surmise that our political and public spheres are unlikely to return to normal – whatever normalcy meant until March – anytime soon.The social domains where large numbers of people usually gather to give some shape to political and public opinion stand empty today. Public spaces – cafes, restaurants, clubs, congregational halls where, till the other day, people met, talked, and organised – are likely to remain desolate for months to come, even after the lockdown is lifted or partially released. Corroded by COVID-19, the world will surely renew itself. However, the paths to that renewal are scarcely clear from where we stand today.
The twin strategies of isolation and lockdown, aimed at creating physical distance among people to prevent the spread of infection, brings into question the continuance of mass, collective politics, and the endurance of the public/democratic spheres in the near future. We recently saw the importance of the politics of peaceful resistance during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) mobilisations, which witnessed significant spontaneous mass gatherings, energising a Republic and stalling (even if temporarily) the march of majoritarianism. But everyday politics is more than mass protests.The realm of politics includes a range of transactions at local, national, and even global levels. In a post-COVID-19 lockdown world, hitherto familiar ways and means of conducting politics are also likely to mutate and transform. Important as they are, elections are only one critical part in the political life of democratic nations. Given the uncertainty over when a vaccine will be ready for public use, electoral processes – campaigns as well as modes of voting – may need to change significantly.
While assembly elections are scheduled in Bihar later this year, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Jammu and Kashmir all go to the polls next year. Postponing those polls does not appear to be a viable option, even if the virus crisis were to endure or return in that timeframe. On the other hand, physical distancing will not permit long queues of voters outside and inside polling booths. As recently as last week, we have seen the disastrous consequences of forcing people to vote under such conditions in the US.