manas

manas
Will &Verdict
of Political Kerala
-SAJO
Kerala celebrates elections.
A festive ambience adorns public places. People seem more communicative. Even strangers discuss poll trends during travels.
Elections are joyous and serious in Kerala. Like her land, language, and living the legislative of Kerala is distinct. Like her evergreen land is visibly separated from the rest of India by high range mountains, like her home speaking language, Malayalam which is the most flexible among Indian languages - based on which the state now geo-politically identifies, and like her people’s high living standards, the legislative of Kerala that is pivot of her politics is unique. It has an illustrious past. The present legislative is a culmination of three courses of development in the three regions of the state -Thiruvithamcoore·, Kochi and Malabar. Among these Thiruvithamcoor was the earliest among the Indian states to establish a Legislative Council, way back in nineteenth century.
In a way, Kerala’s unique pattern of political development is as much a product of its history as it is of its geography. With a totally literate population she has the most democratic society among the Indian states. Kerala is the first state in India that introduced universal adult franchise in the very first election in 1948. She is the first state in the World that elected a communist government into power, apart a tiny principality, San Marino of Italy. All the social institutions as schools, universities, co-operative establishments, political parties, trade unions, cultural organisations, civic bodies and legislative house conduct elections to recruit the office bearers.
Kerala has attained this high-ranking political literacy through the consistent struggles for dignity, freedom, franchise and other rights by her people over the past many centuries. Now, as in other major social democracies, elections have become central to her politics. These involve most of the adults, with equal participation of women and men. One traditional democratic view is here as elsewhere in the world that, elections give ultimate power to people. Cynicism also exists here that it simply enchants voter a choice among the competing elites. Both perspectives persist. Fact remains that, it is the elections that all participate and choose their representatives. Everyone respects the will of the majority that comes out as verdict and greets winners to set the next agenda and govern.
Undeniably, general elections to the State Legislative Assembly are very important social events. Polling turn out in Kerala is the highest in India and is not less than that in Britain. Even though Kerala has the largest number of political parties contesting elections, all these parties forge alliances resulting in a two party situation. In all the eleven elections held since the formation of the state,(except the third)either of the two major coalition fronts had got mandate to form a government.
During the election days, hectic political activities as deliberations, discussions, debates, canvassing and campaigns are all around. Host of many factors as affiliations, commitments, issues, trends, kinships, charismatic images all jointly or separately crystallise into a decision-making. No one votes casually. It’s a serious affair.
To understand any election it is necessary to set it against the past. The organised presentation of election data in this volume intends to provide electoral geography of Kerala till present. Political behaviour usually follows consistent rules, but not always. Correlations using statistical tools need not necessarily be the exact explanations. There exist sensitive human realities behind the figures and also the complexities of political relation between the voter and the voted. It may be as complex as human existence and essence depicted by ancient Indian writers as follows:‘Fetch mea fruit of the banyan tree’
‘Here is one sir’
‘Break it’
‘I have broken it, sir’
‘What do you see’?
‘Very tiny seeds, sir’
‘Break one’
‘I have broken it, sir’
‘What do you see now’?
‘Nothing sir’
‘My son’ the father said, ‘what you do not perceive is the essence, and in that essence the mighty banyan tree exists. Believe me my son, in that essence is the self. That is the tree that is the self.’ Chhandogya Upanishad, vol.13, trans, A.L.Basham, The wonder that was India (pp 250-51)
Election figures contain a lot of latent information, like those sleeping banyan trees inside the seeds. These figures are unique political decisions of people in certain historical time spots. This is history depicted by the people of an entire state. This book is essentially a story on votes and voting behaviours of the people living in a geographically defined territory.
Election figures of Kerala from the very beginning of elections in the state is sorted and classified. Sorting winners and losers apart, the election figures may contain their specific meanings that can be attributed only by the reader. This volume covering the entire election history of Kerala, intends to provide the general public some basic facts and figures that would act as a foundation for their democratic participation.This could be viewed as a sequel to the INDIA DECIDES,1 an election compendium by the celebrated psephologists, David Butler, Asok Lahiri and Prannoy Roy. Other works, which were much helpful to acquire rudiments of election analyses are: Elections and Voting Behaviour in Britain by David Denver, Geography of Elections by R.D.Dixit, Communism In Kerala by T.J.Nossiter and Kerala Society and Politics by E.M.S.Namboothiripad. Other books, documents and websites referred to are listed in the Bibliography
· Also known as Travancore which was the erstwhile princely state
in the South West coast of Indian Penninsula.
1.The authors have suggested for asilar compendium at the state level