Commodification of votes, if unchecked, would sound the death-knell of electoral democracy. It is often argued that voting once in five years is not the whole of what is called democracy. Now, even that is made a mockery. We have known rigging, muscle power and stuffing boxes by driving away voters (which is called both capturing). But slowly and steadily, election commission could bring in more sanity and voting became much more free and fair. We now have the process of 'purchase of votes'. Our neighbouring Tamil Nadu has perfected in doing this in a scientific manner.
In the 1970s , Justice Sarkaria, who had headed an enquiry commission on corruption charges against the DMK government, coined the term 'scientific corruption'. Bulk purchase of votes of recent days is also called the 'Tirumangalam Model'. It was in Tirumangalam by-election that the opposition party did not contest and the then ruling DMK got a huge victory margin. There were widespread allegations by the opposition that voters were paid and made to take oath by touching the heads of younger ones in the family that they would be faithful to the money received, while voting. This has continued since then.
I had the opportunity of being an election observer in a by-election in Tamil Nadu in 2013. There were two more observers, one an IAS officer from Rajasthan cadre and another, an IPS officer from Kerala cadre. This time, the team of district officers was excellent and impartial and the observers were active. Still, money distribution started and being by-election, the entire pantheon on Cabinet ministers of the then AIADMK government were on a door-to-door campaign. The main opposition party did not contest. When the monitoring became tight, money distribution became difficult. In one village, there was pandemonium, as the distributor in charge had pocketed a part of the money. By then, a feeling had sunk in that the cash is the right of the voter and why should the middle man swallow it?
The local district leadership of the party came under fire from party bosses (as one of them told us) that they were not handling observers properly. One leader came and asked how he could take care of us. He was politely told to take care of electoral laws and campaign. It is an irony that the same thing is repeating in R K Nagar. But this time, it is a hotly contested by-election and the ruling party at the Centre does not seem to be favourably disposed towards the State's ruling dispensation. So far so good. An income-tax search has taken place, even on the premises of a State Minister, and the so-called scientific practice stands laid bare. Tirumangalm to R K Nagar, the leading political parties in Tamil Nadu are putting democracy in a coffin and are driving long nails on it.
