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Mainstream, VOL LV No 6 New Delhi January 28, 2017

The Great Poll Drama

Tuesday 31 January 2017

#socialtags
How does the poll drama unfold,
when it’s time to be at the hustings?
 
First, idealism, dug out, dusted,
put in a cover artfully printed,
is pledged to arouse cynical masses.
 
Then, slogans, banners, scripted afresh,
pitch attuned, visuals focussed on,
serve as a ploy to attract attention.
 
Promises galore are showered next;
they spring from an alluring text
for swing on caste and religious lines.
 
The campaign, peaking up, declines
into acrimony, mud-slinging;
masks falling off, nexus emerging.
 
Doubts hover, gripping the air.
Is anti-graft stir an issue that matters?
What will ultimately secure votes:
 
jingle of bottles, whirr of notes
or choice of voters, undeterred,
and the watchdog standing guard?

Ajit Kumar Das

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