End of Long and tortuous | West Bengal Assembly Elections |

End of multi-phase Assembly polls is a matter of relief after the surge (तेज़ी से चढ़ना / लहर; a sudden and great increase) in COVID-19 cases

End of | Long and tortuous | West Bengal Assembly Elections |

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With the eighth phase in West Bengal on Thursday, a long and tortuous (कष्टमय; full of twists and turns) election process has concluded in four States and one Union Territory to the relief of most electors and candidates.

The election spectacle (चुनावी तमाशा; a situation/election that attracts attention) was overrun (बढ़/फैल जाना; to spread over an area quickly and in large numbers) by COVID-19 towards the end of the agonisingly staggered (हद से ज़्यादा टेढ़ा / पीड़ादायक; extremely annoying, shocking or surprising) phases of voting.

The current cycle has added to a growing list of concerns that have emerged regarding elections in India in recent years. If electoral bonds for making contributions to political parties emerged as an opaque (अपारदर्शी; not transparent) instrument well before the current round of elections, a serious cause of worry through all the eight phases has been the persistent doubts over the fairness and autonomy (स्वशासन; the ability to make your own decisions without being controlled by anyone else) of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The ECI made unprecedented seizures (बरामदगी/ज़ब्ती; the action of taking something by force or with legal authority) of cash and other items that were meant to be used to influence voters. In the absence of a party-wise break up of such preventive measures (निवारक उपाय; methods for dealing with something before it happens), parties opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have alleged (आरोपित करना; to state that something bad is a fact without giving proof) that they were specifically targeted in search operations.

The selective (चयनित; intentionally choosing certain things or people) eagerness of central agencies in investigating crimes turns up the heat on non-BJP State governments and parties, and during elections, this raised the possibility of tilting (झुकाव; a sloping position) the balance in the contest.

Free, fair and periodic elections (आवधिक चुनाव; election, happening repeatedly over a period of time) are an essential feature of a democracy. Elections are the ultimate opportunity for the people to hold their elected representatives accountable. Election cycles are usually not disrupted, even in challenging situations, for this reason.

Ironically, elections can also be easily manipulated (हेरफेर करना; to control something or someone to your advantage, often unfairly) into an easy escape route from accountability. This set of Assembly elections in the midst (के बीच; in the middle of) of a pandemic did not generate any meaningful debate on public health or accountability.

By denying the crisis (संकट; a time of great confusion, or suffering) in action and messaging, political parties contributed to the current surge in infections. The BJP was particularly irresponsible organising huge rallies, with people violating the mandatory health protocol.

The spike in infections from that is already beginning. Considering the unprecedented (अभूतपूर्व; never having happened or existed in the past) situation of the pandemic, these elections should have been a quick affair, with limited campaigning. What happened was the opposite.

Massive rallies continued even after COVID-19 numbers began to grow exponentially (तेजी से; more rapidly). These Assembly elections would most likely be remembered for worsening a health crisis than for heralding (घोषित/सूचित करना; to make something publicly known) political change.

The nature of the results, to be announced on May 2, will likely pale (पीला/फीका पड़ना; having less colour than usual, not bright or strong) before the magnitude of the unfolding crisis. 

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