India’s elections make room for NRIs and all
The “dance of democracy”, formally known as the Indian general election, is in full swing, as it hit the halfway mark this week. I’ve always found this phrase fascinating; it is only when you witness it in its elements that you grasp its true essence. With nearly 970 million registered voters for the lower house of the Indian parliament, over 50 national and regional parties, and countless independent candidates, the dance floor might look frightfully crowded to the uninitiated. And yet, much like the Indian spirit, the beauty of the Indian democratic infrastructure is that there is always room for all. As a non-resident Indian (NRI) who exercises his universal adult franchise each general election – this is my fourth in 15 years – I came to India to not just enjoy this democratic festival, but also to participate in influencing its outcome, albeit with just one vote.
The NRI with a keen eye
NRIs like me have been subconsciously keeping an eye on the progress that our country is making. Where mainstream media appears noisy and unabashedly biased, the two reasonably accurate sources of information about ground realities are the WhatsApp calls with our families and friends, and more reliably, our annual trips to India. With the euphoria of the general election added to the mix, this trip couldn’t be more insightful.
Personally, the bonus this year was how a nightmare called Air India turned into a delight, with the dreaded 16-hour flight from San Francisco to Delhi on those decrepit aircraft now becoming a thing of the past. But then, the drive from Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi) to the satellite city of Gurugram – on spanking new highways, breathing in the tears-inducing pollution, and snaking through discipline-agnostic traffic – yanked me back to reality.
The hoardings for various political parties and real estate companies adorned the skies, each promising a bright future, even as the pillars that they stand on are immersed in strewn garbage and used as public urinals by the motorists. Herds of cows, sacred to millions in India, chew on garbage and are at the mercy of the motorists.
By the time I reached my sanctuary in Gurugram, mindful of the sleeping stray dogs ably fed by my devout neighbors, my zeal for this election had taken an unfortunate beating. The drive from the airport felt like a battle, one that I am not used to fighting anymore. I wondered, if operational efficiency and health are impacted so severely every single day, what good is the macro growth to the average voter?
NRIs are a microcosm of domestic voters
We NRIs are an eclectic bunch, called creative names by our domestic brethren. Some call us selfish and opportunistic for leaving India for greener pastures. Some call us hypocritical and pseudo-nationals for professing our love for the motherland, yet only visiting her on special, typically personal, occasions. And some call us delusional and misinformed, living with an archaic picture of the ground realities of the time we left home. Frankly, these epithets don’t offend me, as there is some truth to them all. Yet, the irony is that most of these epithets could as easily be assigned to the domestic voter. For instance, countless voters leave their hometowns and head to metropolitans in India for better work opportunities; I wouldn’t call them selfish. And surely we all know that one person who gets their feed on ground realities from mainstream media and professes to be an expert on all electoral issues. I’m fairly sure we all know at least a few armchair intellectuals, or have a friend from Delhi. So, in essence, the NRI diaspora is a microcosm of the domestic voter landscape.
Election outcome not a done deal, yet
As a former South Delhi resident and a recovering Leftist, I now get some semblance of ground reality on my trips to India. I’m one of those hyper-engaged NRIs who chirps all the way from the airport to their homes, with the same thematic question for all: who do you think will win and why? And I simply sit back and listen.
From the Uber driver to our domestic maids, sales staff at the high-end stores to the local grocer, the gym instructor to the building security guard, and finally, friends and family, I don’t spare anyone from my prosaic survey.
What truly baffles me this time is the diversity of predictions that seem more varied than the 2019 general elections. Five years back, my limited sample size unanimously expected a cakewalk for the BJP, and no one was surprised that the outcome coincided with their opinion. This time, opinions about the election’s outcome seem to be a lot more circumspect and fractured.
That said, I have been impressed with the current government’s accomplishments. In my opinion, the construction of the Ram Mandir, abrogation of Article 370, abolishment of instant triple talaq, handling of the pandemic, foreign and defense policies, digital transformation, and infrastructure development, are all significant milestones for the country. But clearly, not all agree. I attribute this to the lagging trickle-down effect, but I am also cognizant of the fact that I come from a position of privilege, so I might not be the average voter by a long chalk.
The opposition plank this time is primarily about raging unemployment, lack of transparency in electoral bonds, and the perceived heavy-handedness of government institutions towards opposition leaders. While some voters I spoke with expressed concerns about curtailed press freedoms and some others about heightened communalism, most agreed that the opposition – the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) – has just not been able to pull its act together. It appears as a loose coalition of multiple wishful Prime Ministerial contenders, none of whom can match up to Prime Minister Modi’s popularity.
Then the heat — and indecision — came calling
The elections, unfortunately, are not the only hot topic at the table these days; soaring summer heat waves also make for killer conversations, until one knocks you out of action. I got the NRI treatment last week, and I am laid up with a heat stroke. Will I make it to the booth when my constituency, Gurugram (Haryana), goes to vote on May 25 ? Do I even want to ?
I have been reflecting over my electoral choices ever since my arrival. On the one hand, general elections are a matter of national importance, and should be above regional or local preferences. With that in mind, I applaud the current government at the center on its many accomplishments . On the other hand, it’s hard to ignore the infrastructural and societal decline of Gurugram, a stone’s throw from the national capital city, New Delhi.
To ink or not to ink, that is the question.