India Votes - Expose 3: When money does the talking

(The cartoon above is an example of everyday occurrences in India. If your travelling without papers or your helmet, you can easily be charged. Although for a smaller fee, you can escape punishment altogether)

Campaigning using an auto rickshaw was just one of the unique ways this election is being conducted. But over light conversation, I managed to get an insight into the truth of how some "votes" are banked...


HSR Layout - Bangalore - "It was hush-hush though, but an open and transparent secret", says Jeetabarta. "The senior leaders paid the probable voters". "Whats the probable voters?" I asked. "Those people who wanted money would never go to the booth straight away to vote. They would hover around the area looking for workers who were desperately hunting for votes and promoting rampantly. These workers were loaded and when they met those scums (those hovering waiting to vote), they would hand the cash out, secretly of course and then those that hovered, all paid and happy, would go and cast their vote with whoever the workers asked them to vote for".


Jeetabarta looked angry, but composed, but I sensed his anger was shared by millions of other Indians in this vibrant yet quite clearly, corrupt democracy. "They didn't give a s*it about who will rule and blah blah. They got money for a few drinks and some food that's it. And there are a lot of these kinds. The rate fluctuates - it increases when time is running out and so on. It was one big drama. I just watched from the crowd".


The words of my fellow colleague is just an small insight into how "special" tactics are used by some politicians and their parties to gain more votes. In India, its simply not enough to have a strong amount of grassroots support. There is a group of the nation - what I like to term the "don't vote, don't care crowd" that would probably sell their own mother for a extra rupee. Without seeing the repercussions of what voting can do for your country, and even better, your own predicament, these bands of people continue to plague Indian politics. But it's not their fault when the incentives on offer from those that are supposed to be elected to office with your authority, try and buy these people out. Corruption in India is like traffic lights in England - it just keeps turning red.


If anything, Jeetabarta's words echoed much of what I had heard from my grandfather and father over the years. India, with all its vastness and greatness, is one big political mess when it comes to elections. But what would be regarded as scandalous in most western democracies is quite frankly "acceptable" in India.


Narayan, the "helpwalla" so to speak, at my former office, told me a few weeks back that he would be leaving for a day to vote in his home state, Andhra Pradesh, in the April 23rd, Phase II elections. Out of interest I asked who he would be voting for, and why. He replied, in his rather squeaky, almost feminine voice, that he would be voting Congress. His family, he said, had always voted Congress. However, he went on to add, the BJP workers had given him and the people from his village 200 rupees each to entice them and make sure they vote for BJP. You may think 200 rupees is nothing, but that can feed a man for 5 days. I was amazed. A political party, aiming to take governance, had been buying votes off the common "admi", who even without the slightest bit of political inclination or acumen, simple takes the money and votes without knowing what they are voting for. I guess the irony is that the BJP gave him and many others (possibly thousands) tip-offs, only for them to go and vote the direct opposite with Congress.


Money is definitely doing the talking, and many newspapers have reported of police raids on offices and premises that house lots of unlicensed liquor and lakhs of funds that were being channeled out by political parties for the electorate. In an recent investigation by the Electoral Commission, it was claimed parties were enticing voters by giving them vouchers that they could trade at the local liquor store. These stores or bars are staunch supporters of the political parties and probably receive their own backhanders to carry out such incentives.


In today's India, much like yesterdays, I guess its still a case of money talks. Whether it's making sure the police don't fine you for driving without a helmet, whether it's to quicken a bureaucratic process, or whether its to ensure your vote is rewarded, the rupee is still the common variable. Well of course of it is, we Indians (at home and abroad) have always been good with money, haven't we?


Jeetabarta believes that the "dirt starts from ground zero, from polling itself". Corruption, in his opinion, is not a factor only for the politicians, but the people are deeply involved some way too. "Some people are aware, some unaware. It's just a matter of how much dough is taken and at what stage. Those in higher positions get the cheese whereas the lower settle for the crumbs".


One shouldn't be surprised then that when the eagerly-awaited election results come out in May, the money spent by parties and groups to entice voters will be a rather high figure. Even with these tactics, it was sad to see that my local constituency, Bangalore South, only recorded an 45% (depends what paper you read) voter turnout.


Money may talk, and voters may (or may not) turn up, but this election is slowly becoming an lesson in how to fail the electoral process.


Stay tuned as Ravin updates his election thoughts. If you've got a comment to make, or want something to add, please free to use the comments section at the end of each blog post.