The Great Indian Politics: 'Politics Of Puja, Puja Of Politics'

By M H AHSSAN | INNLIVE

Durga pandals appear all set to play a big role in Bihar elections. When Indira Gandhi helped to liberate Bangladesh, she was hailed in India as the warrior goddess Durga, and images of the deity in puja pandals in what was then Calcutta bore a striking resemblance to the Congress leader, emblematic silver streak in the hair and all.

Once again what might be called the politics of puja ­ or should that be the puja of politics? ­ is all set to stage a comeback in pollbound Bihar where the assembly elections are widely expected to have national repercussions. The high drama of Battleground Bihar will be heightened as the five-phase elections will coincide roughly with Durga puja season.
Political parties across the board are expected to make full use of the puja pandals to showcase their candidates, who will pay homage to the goddess and invoke her blessings for success in the polls.

Durga's slaying of the asur, or demon, is symbolic of the triumph of good over evil, which our political class as a whole would have voters believe finds a parallel in the electoral process. The problem is how to settle conflicting claims as to which particular candidate, or candidates, represents the devi and who the devil.

Thanks to the Election Commission and the vigilant watch it keeps to ensure that there are no violations of the code of conduct, contestants can't use the pandals as platforms for their puffery and speechifying.

However, by making competitively conspicuous shows of obeisance to the goddess individual candidates can try to demonstrate that they're the ones who are on the side of the angels, as distinct from their adversaries who collectively are a hellish lot.

Political observers might also see in the many-armed goddess a representation of the multiple acts of jugglery that have to be undertaken in terms of caste considerations and seat allocations for the sake of maintaining the fine balance of coalition dharma. It was with such mythological metaphors in mind that the Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi said, “When we have to undertake `Ravan Vadh' (demon killing) ... 

It was for the BJP to decide whether it wanted to give me Brahmastra (ultimate weapon) or agniyastra (missile).“ Chirag Paswan, the son of LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan, is said to be less than happy about the seat allocations given to Manjhi's party and might add that the HAM chief is not just a missile but an unguided one to boot.

Political pundits are right in more ways than one when they say that the outcome in Bihar is in the lap of the gods. Given the widespread apprehension that policy making might grind to a halt at the national level if NDA loses Bihar, the imminent polls there promise to be not just the mother of all elections but the Ma Durga of all electoral frays.