Open House: Is it not necessary for the Indian Election Commission to take action to prevent party switching?

These days, a practical democracy is predicated on the idea that while an individual may occasionally be wise and logical, the electorate as a whole lacks agency and is always willing to be guided along the garden path by deceit, pretenses, gifts, and unfulfilled promises. As a result, after winning or holding onto office, politicians just care about themselves and their own interests, for which there is no shortage of unethical tactics and dishonest behavior. These days, switching allegiances and leaving parties are the norm.

Differences in ideology are not at issue. Their primary motivation is money. In actuality, politics has developed into a lucrative field with lifetime pensions as well as a wide range of benefits. Furthermore, when family members choose different parties, they stand to gain nothing. The fundamental idea is to oppose every action taken by the government, therefore if the husband belongs to the governing group, the wife may be in the opposition. The one thing they can always agree on is to destroy any effort to implement any administrative, police, or electoral changes that may disrupt their delicate balance.

Propaganda, on the other hand, has led people to accept and even like their situation. The politicians know that they will never rebel. The desire to rebel itself has vanished. The people continue to feel content in their delusion that they have the freedom to choose. In the end, they’ll choose the one who can confuse the most people or creates the most noise. The unfortunate thing is that the illogical tendency is now gaining traction everywhere, including in the United States. Perhaps India is paying the price for consuming too much democracy.

Voters get confused by party jumping

The allure that formerly surrounded party loyalists is being diminished in the modern political period of party flipping. The party’s veteran members who are still active in their organizations are not happy. Additionally, voters are becoming less confident as a consequence of this approach. The general public is becoming so irritated and perplexed by these methods that they may even consider not casting a ballot this election season.

Put leaders who are defecting in their proper position.

Modern politicians are so-called opportunists rather than authentic representatives of a democracy. Their political career is considerably more essential to them than upholding morality, loyalty, or ethics. How can they be able to comprehend the suffering of the average person, I wonder, if they are not faithful to the political parties that are providing them with opportunities? All they are concerned about is their own survival.

How are they going to speak out for the people who cast their important ballots for them? When these erratic and disloyal politicians are given authority that they really don’t deserve, the fundamental basis of democracy is destroyed. Then, their self-centered intentions are evident. Voters should not give these “Dal Badlu” leaders another opportunity. Strict measures must be implemented to prevent these leaders from abandoning ship in order to fulfill their hidden agendas. In the next Lok Sabha elections, only the electorate will respond and challenge them.

EC need to take action against Gaya and Aaya Rams.

Some politicians are seen to abruptly change their party allegiance, regardless of the mandate of the people. Such turncoats are often welcomed on the opposing side, where they are given prominent positions or invitations to high-profile parties right once. They dismiss even the most severe incidents of accusations of corruption or abuse of power against them if they join the ranks of other parties.

The present state of political morality is so poor that financial trades themselves may be tempting. Sincere adjustments in our political processes are necessary since the leaders and parties that engage in immoral behavior severely damage the feeling of the electorate. In order to protect the principles of good governance and service ethics, elected officials must also exercise a kind of jurisprudence similar to that which the Supreme Court demonstrated in its decision about electoral bonds.

Furthermore, the Election Commission of India must have the authority to deal with politicians who defect from one party to another, violating the will of the electorate just before elections. These “Aaya Rams, Gaya Rams” should face the worst punishment possible under the Anti-Defection Law, even if it is the responsibility of the electorate to teach these candidates a lesson during the elections. To preserve public confidence in our political process and democratic principles, they need to be prevented from running for office for at least one term.

There are advantages and downsides to switching parties.

In Indian politics, political defection—also known as the “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” phenomenon—refers to the practice of politicians switching parties, especially before to elections. This is becoming a common occurrence in Indian politics. Such defections provide voters with a multitude of alternatives, on the one hand. Voters may discover new parties or candidates to support when politicians change parties. This pushes politicians to think about other choices and helps avoid mindless loyalty to a single party or leader.

It also lessens the likelihood of tyranny inside the party system. On the other hand, chronic party switching also calls into doubt the honesty and dependability of politicians. Voters may sometimes lose faith in politicians who switch allegiances, such as the current MP from Jalandhar, and this may damage the public’s confidence in the democratic system.

Politicians lose the trust of the public when they put their own interests ahead of their beliefs. As a result, party discipline is weakened, which makes it more difficult for parties to keep their positions together. A democracy’s foundations might be jeopardized when defections happen often. Furthermore, persistent defections ridicule democracy and promote misconduct and corruption in public service.

Defections are a reality in Indian politics, but their effects on voter trust are still not well understood. Voters must become more engaged and watchful, and they must hold politicians accountable for often switching allegiances in order to further their own agendas. For India’s democracy to continue to thrive, it is just as important to address the causes of defection and take action to fortify the democratic system.

Sincere party workers are treated poorly

In my view, politics in a democracy is like to the game of chess, in which it is impossible to foresee what will happen next. Currently, political parties are attempting to fortify both their base and their organizational structure by assimilating and modifying key leaders from other parties. This is mostly being done to fortify the party and provide a path towards winnability. New leaders from other political parties must be given preferential adjustment in important positions while still receiving security equivalent to Y or Z.

It’s important to highlight that although newcomers get enhanced security coverage right now, senior party officials who have served for four to five decades have a problem when it comes to receiving it. Do stalwart, devoted senior party leaders who have struggled since the 1980s have less protection? Do these top executives’ feelings not suffer from this kind of differentiation? The majority of senior leaders who have served in various positions within the same political party throughout the 1990s have either been ignored or marginalized.

These party guys used to be serious and devoted to their obligations; the reason for this is unknown. Parties’ allegiance and ideology cannot be guaranteed by periodic shifts in allegiance and ideology. Currently, it is a power struggle that ignores the idea of embracing the social service and philosophy of that political party.

Sincere party employees who have been employed for years do not agree with the philosophies of other political parties and feel better about staying home than traveling to publicize their ideas and programs. Voting may be highly important in a democratic system, and Indian people are quite informed and aware of this. Voters need to cast their ballots with optimism as they will determine the course of the country.

The elected should make a commitment.

The common practice of political party flipping by elected officials has caused uncertainty and disillusionment in the minds of many devoted citizens. The representatives’ preference for their own personal gain and advantages above the interests of their people has disappointed and let down the voters who had great hopes and expectations for them.

Many faithful voters now feel disenfranchised as a result of this political system. It is recommended that the elected officials accede to this matter and promise to serve in the same political party as they were elected to represent in order to resolve this specific problem. This oath should require them to stay in the party for a minimum of 1.5 years, and during that time, they should make sure that the public is happy with their choice of leader and that their constituency have no reason to dispute their judgment.

This strategy aims to create a more trustworthy and stable political climate so that the public may grow to trust it. The selected representative is showing his commitment to his constituency and his readiness to work in their best interests by agreeing to serve in the same government as they were elected to represent. Consequently, this will strengthen the ties that bind the people and their elected officials, encouraging a feeling of solidarity and confidence in the democratic system. Regarding the current situation, however, voters are undoubtedly becoming more demoralized by the current bandwagon jumping.

Increased political consciousness is necessary

Voters have been irritated by the immoral habit of switching political allegiances in order to further one’s own, limited interests ever since the nation’s elections began. Regretfully, however, it continues unapologetically, and politicians who want power continue to prosper. Since the people are the ultimate electors in a democracy, the only way to completely eradicate immoral, unethical, and undemocratic acts is for the populace to become more politically conscious. For the sake of genuine democracy and clean politics in the nation, such politicians who switch political parties in order to satisfy their lust for wealth and power must be removed from office during the elections.

Switching parties is neither unlawful or undemocratic.

Generally speaking, party hoppers become involved in elections. For a number of causes, leaders abandon their mother parties and change allegiances. Politic groups also embrace leaders that have a large following and a winning/competitive nature. It is thus a quid pro quo agreement.

A leader who alters his attire severely undermines the cadre’s trust. In addition, it has a detrimental effect on the party’s electoral results. In addition, voters feel duped. But switching parties often might be a little “morally” unsettling. However, it is neither unlawful or undemocratic. However, because this behavior has undermined democracy, it has to be curbed. A party’s manifesto needs to be placed within the legal purview. It will contain party goers once it occurs. Furthermore, it will propel democracy to unprecedented heights.

Choose leaders who understand social concerns.

All that opportunistic leaders seek in the state are tickets to contest elections. They hardly comprehend the actual challenges facing the state, such as the declining level of groundwater, climate change, agricultural diversification, young unemployment, border city concerns, the demand for power for industry, drug addiction, etc. They don’t subscribe to any party’s political ideologies.

These self-serving leaders only want to have their pictures displayed on signs placed across the city. They often switch sides without even taking other people’s opinions into account. These politicians often bring up topics that directly affect public opinion in the run-up to elections. These leaders are completely devoid of social action.

These leaders have also never advocated for a public cause and have little legal understanding. People need to shun these self-serving leaders and choose only devoted social leaders. Furthermore, our laws include a lot of provisions that need to be altered over time, which is why we have a parliamentary debating system. In order to solve the social issues brought on by these outmoded laws, it is important that inspirational, committed social leaders debate them in the media as well as propose modifications in assembly or parliament. The Sessions Court, High Court, and Supreme Court have a significant backlog of cases. All this pendency demonstrates is the lack of morals in our culture. When people don’t get justice, they often turn into criminals. In our state, the RTI Act’s implementation is languishing.

There is little information exchange between government agencies. While Lok Adalats are a positive beginning, our inspired social leaders should also take the initiative to settle these issues and educate the public in order to help our system progress toward a value-based society. Even if defections are hotly debated, leaders who just use opportunism have no answer. The time has come for people to wake up, abstain from voting for these politicians, and choose only legitimate leaders who really care about social ideals.

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