Opinion | Voting, Exit Polls And Aftermath: Savour Democracy In All Its Forms

Everyone loves a good exit poll. A good exit poll is, essentially speaking, a controversial one. The period between the last minute of the polling in the general elections and the early morning of the counting day is punishing. This is when all the existential doubts take root and the fear of irrelevance flowers. Pollsters, therefore, do a good job of saving all the stakeholders in the election process from existential crisis. Everyone is kept busy. Everyone feels important. Even those who took off on the long weekends instead of exercising their right to vote.

Let's discuss 2024 exit polls.

There is a unanimous projection that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will return to power with an even bigger margin. The opposition has, pro forma, rejected it. It's only a matter of hours before the verdict will be released from the EVMs. All the projections, captured on non-stop live programming on TV channels, newspaper headlines, and social media posts, are going to be irrelevant the moment the counting begins. Bigger irrelevance, however, ought to be reserved for those who pruned and preened their 'analyses' to suit the numbers.

A Single-Agenda Election

This general election will go down in India's political history as a single-agenda election. Do you want Narendra Modi to continue being the Prime Minister of India? The voter responded to this simple question. Nothing more, nothing less. If the exit poll numbers are correct, the nation has responded with a resounding yes. Not just the number of seats, the BJP is also projected to claim a historic vote share.

Read | PM Modi Hat-Trick, Powered By South, Bengal, Odisha, Predict Exit Polls

What does it mean for the future of Indian politics? Simply put, the voter is likely to put more trust in the known devil than the unchartered waters of the deep sea. People have either given the incumbent government their approval or have made peace with them. A curious mix of optimism and fatalism. At this point, we must remember that electoral contestation, however vigorous and vibrant, is not an antidote to authoritarianism. Elections are not a panacea for all socio-political ills in any society. They are, most certainly, a managing mechanism for the malaise of authoritarianism.

From rigging to religious fundamentalism to reconfirmed faith in the Prime Minister,  theories abound. Only the perfect hindsight of history will tell us the truth behind the 2024 verdict. The only thing left to be done immediately by everyone involved is the commitment to accountability. A lot has been talked about the accountability of institutions and systems. Let's shift the focus to the citizenry.

Democracy Is A Love Affair

Political scientists Juan Linz and Alfred Stepan see democracy as a vulnerable system unless both masses and elites develop favourable attitudes towards it. Robert Putnam takes it a bit further to insist that it's the actions and not the beliefs of citizens that strengthen democracy. So, do we the people really want democracy? If yes, do we act like we do? Democratic processes are just like love affairs. Words and beliefs, though important, mean nothing if not followed by congruent actions in both cases. Thus, accountability.

Even if people claim to espouse the cause of democracy in letter, spirit, and action, the question remains - do they champion universal democracy or a restricted one? There is a tendency, especially in the elite, to deny agency and even intelligence to anyone except 'people like us'. Thus qualified democracy is a Trojan horse. This is how authoritarianism creeps back. 

People's Achievement

Despite India's unstable socio-political and economic history, Indian democracy has been fairly stable, even if imperfect. This feat has not been achieved by the system alone - there's nothing endogenic in democracy to support its longevity. It is the people who continue to insist on democracy, often at a dear personal cost, that make it work and last. It is easier to lose faith in the system of democracy than to get down in the trenches to make it work.

Read | How BJP, Confident Of Big Lok Sabha Polls Win, Is Planning Celebrations

The verdict of each election, therefore, is a celebration of those who do not cease to believe in this system. The outcomes may not please some, but that's the inherent beauty of this system. If unfavourable outcomes are enough for the citizenry to lose faith, it is a sign of the sure death of democracy. Every single citizen of this country raising questions about the toothlessness of the Election Commission in the face of one of the most acrimony-filled electoral campaigns deserves credit for her unwavering faith in democracy. If not to seek, demand, and insist, what else is democracy there for? Every voter turning up at the booth braving hostile weather, neighbour, or family member is a flagbearer of this system.

Those who have stayed away, either cynically or condescendingly, also can be seen dissecting the exit poll numbers. And that's the beauty of democracy-even if you don't deserve it, it doesn't disown you.  

(Nishtha Gautam is a Delhi-based author and academic.)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author