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Mainstream, VOL LV No 6 New Delhi January 28, 2017
The Great Poll Drama
Tuesday 31 January 2017
#socialtagsHow 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 textfor swing on caste and religious lines.The campaign, peaking up, declinesinto 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 notesor choice of voters, undeterred,and the watchdog standing guard?
Ajit Kumar Das