Vote bank politics

The supporters of the bharatiya janata party always talk about the vote bank politics.

It is a general concept talked about with great passion and conviction and zeal.

One wonders whether those talking about this can tell about the particular general election or assembly election where this was first implemented and also how this was done.

The KHAM formula was devised in gujarat where the muslims were one of the components among kshatriyas,harijans and adivasis.

The elections of 1951,1957 and 1962 were in the Nehru years.

1967 was in the aftermath of tumultuous events in the form of the 1965 war and the death of lal bahadur Shastri.

1971 was after the leadership struggle in the congress and the bangladesh war.

The concept of a vote bank takes it granted that certain sections would not vote.

The percentage population of the muslims varies from about 10 % in Andhra pradesh,Karnataka and Maharashtra to 15-17 % in the states of Bihar and Uttar pradesh.

Kerala and West bengal have about 20 % population of muslims.

The numbers are below 5 % in Madhya pradesh and Tamilnadu and negligible in Orissa,Himachal pradesh,Haryana and Punjab.

If 60 % of these populations were taken to be in the voting age,and if every single one of them were taken to vote for a single party,10 % of the votes cast will accrue to that party in uttar pradesh and bihar,12 % will accrue to the single party in kerala and west bengal,6 % would accrue to the single party in Karnataka,Andhra pradesh and Maharashtra.

That would leave more than 50-60 % of the remaining voting populations out of the picture of the so called vote bank politics.

It is obvious that the candidate will be from the majority caste or group in most of the constituencies.

Our country has gone through various crises through the years in election years.

Would certain communities have been known to not vote in a particular election.

What were the supposed inducements offered to the muslims to ensure that they voted as a bloc.

The rath yatra began the mobilisation of the muslims to vote together.

The vocal and confident supporters of the bharatiya janata party offer the shah bano case and recently,the sachar committee as inducements to the muslims.

A common man will realise the need for the muslims to be helped into the mainstream and that is being done by the implementation of the sachar committee recommendations.

As in the case of the ram sethu where the bharatiya janata party ministers approved the project from the various alignments and are now bringing in the name of rama,the supporters of this party seem to be willing to be fooled easily.

The vote bank politics has said to have stalled the development of the nation.

It is one of the many misinformations perpetrated by the bjp.