Thoughts - 2009 lok sabha elections

Over the weekend, the Indian electorate returned the UPA back to parliament with a thumping majority. My roommates can attest to the fact, that I sat gleefully glued to the TV for the better part of Saturday absorbing every bit of political punditry there was to offer.

Things I liked
Congress crosses the 200 mark - This is clearly one of the biggest macro surprises of this election. No political horse trading for support! No salacious coalition building exercises!
No one, not even the Congress, expected to do this well. Not sure what that says about the Congress, but I was ecstatic to see the Congress win at the cost of the Left, BSP, SP, RJD, and BJP. What a rout for the regional parties! I am not convinced, like some people, that this is the end of regional politics (more on that later). Singh, the quiet statesman has proven that in this era of coalition politics someone of his temperament and quiet resolve is what we need at the helm.
Left is decimated - The Left's citadel in Kerala and West Bengal has been breached. It's ironic, that this is because of pursuing capitalist policies for bringing development back to the state. To be free from the clutches of the communists is a blessing.
Congress in UP - It was when the Congress faded out in it's erstwhile power bastion of Uttar Pradesh, did the regional parties rise to prominence. And with the Mandal report, you had people voting on caste and religious lines, further strengthening regional politics at the expense of national interests (Nitish Kumar openly bartering his support for anyone who gives special status to Bihar is a case in point). The UP Congress' resurgence supposedly signifies the end of caste in politics. I think it's mainly to do with Rahul Gandhi. He criss-crossed the state, doing 200 plus rallies in a month. He is the game changer in UP.
Rahul Gandhi - The hidden strategist comes to the fore. It was his decision to go it alone in the Hindi heartland. It was his decision to bring in gen next Congress candidates. It was his star power that translated into votes. I was hoping he would stick to working on organizational Congress issues and stay out of the cabinet, and he has done just that. What a commendable move. He has done a fantastic job rebuilding the Congress organization from the ground up (as results have shown), but clearly the job is not done and he isn't going to leave it unfinished. As for running the Govt. there are many more qualified people who are good at that, and he seems to understand that and letting them do what they are good at. Politically, he too is "renouncing" the spotlight like his mother. And we all know how deep a chord that strikes with the Indian voter. The seasoned BJP strategists got it wrong, and the "aquariums fish" gets it right.
Maya's myth busted - The "dalit ki beti" is licking her wounds and now giving unconditional support to the UPA. Her PM ambitions have been shattered, and I only hope that all the grandiose statues she has built of herself around Lucknow and UP will fall next.
Nitish Kumar - Nitish Kumar is the poster child of busting the anti incumbency myth. Good governance in Bihar (and friends of mine who work in development can attest that Bihar government is changing measurably) has resulted in a thumping victory for the JD(U), the only NDA partner who is sitting pretty today. Though there is an alternative school of thought. JD(U) got 39% of the vote share, Lalu took home 25% and the Congress got another 10%. So if the Congress and RJD had fought the elections together, they would have had 35% of the vote share, potentially resulting in many more seats. But in a first past the gate system, vote share does not necessarily translate into seats.
Sanyal lost - The much hyped independent candidate from Bombay, Meera Sanyal, lost. I have respect for Meera Sanyal, but I am still glad she lost. She is clearly very accomplished, but is not the kind of change making leader we need. She lost me when she stated that she was on sabbatical and planned on going back to work if she lost. Honest and practical no doubt. But really, if you truly are inspired to have an impact and work for your city and country are you going to give up if you don't make it on your first try? Is that the kind of go getter attitude that brought Sanyal all that professional success? I doubt it. At a minimum though she has raised awareness, and if that was her goal, then I think she did a good job.
Modi on the backfoot - Finally you get to see Modi play defensive. He did well in his home state of Gujarat (people of Gujarat what does this say about you?). The star BJP campaigner. Each state, except his home state, he campaigned for the NDA the NDA did poorly. He didn't campaign in Bihar, and look at those results. He was expected to sweep Gujarat, and instead he brought in 1% less in vote share. Lets see what happens now that the Supreme court has reopened the riot cases.

Things I disliked
Bombay's voting share - A measly 43%. All those candle light vigils, for what? It makes me sick. This is your future we're talking about. Don't you dare complain tomorrow how the government you have sucks.
MNS plays spoil sport to Sena's dreams - The "Marathi maanos" campaign worked. They came 2nd in all seats in Bombay. I'm not sure what my reaction should be. How many people that I interact with in Bombay want me out of "their" city? The only consolation is seeing Thackeray meow in the corner of how hurt he is at this betrayal. MNS proves that regionalism is not dead.
Criminals in parliament - Today we have 153 new "tainted" MP's. BJP leads with 43 (19 have serious charges), Congress follows at 41 (12 have serious charges).
Mohammed Azharuddin - He won the Moradabad seat. This is the man who betrayed his country on the international cricket pitch. I'm not even a big fan of cricket, so why do I care of this particular crime more than some of the others that MPs face? Because this was a huge scandal, and cricket is a religion to many people in this country. Inspite of this, they voted him in. Why? Moradabad has a 70% Muslim population. To all those people who say that there is no longer voting along caste and religious lines, take note.
Varun Gandhi - won a resounding victory (margin of 200,000 plus). Even though it sickens me, his brand of politics pulls in the votes.
Pollsters get it wrong again - This is not so much as a dislike but more of a WTF. 2 elections in a row, they have gotten it incredibly wrong. CNN-IBN came closest by predicting 215 seats for the UPA. What is so complicated about the Indian electorate that makes them so hard to read? Or do we just have poor statisticians?