a humble family (son of a tea
vendor), he has had a remarkable
career. During the election campaign,
some politicians suggested that a tea
vendor could never become the
Prime Minster of India. It will be
difficult to make such statements in
the future. Hopefully, debates in the
coming months will focus on the
leader‘s performance, ethics, and
vision, and not on his family
background.
5.
The rise of AAP as a major
political force in the national capital
is remarkable. AAP has demonstrated
its mass appeal; it won in
constituencies populated by the
affluent as well as the underprivileged. It effectively tapped into
public anger against corruption.
While AAP is a beneficiary of the
protest vote, it remains to be seen
whether it will retain its support base
in
the
April 2014 elections, as well as
extend its influence beyond Delhi.
Political Science at the University
of Washington, Seattle, and the
Walker Family Professor for the
College of Arts and Sciences. He
is the founding, General Editor of
the Cambridge University Press
Series on Business and Public
Policy and the co-editor of Journal
of
Policy
Analysis
and
Management.
14
Aseem Prakash is Professor of
Page
voter turnout: 75% in Rajasthan, 70%
in Madhya Pradesh as well as
Chhattisgarh, and 65% in Delhi.
Polling hours had to be extended in
many states because a large number
of citizens waited patiently outside
the polling stations to cast their
ballots. This is a healthy sign for any
democracy.
2.
Elections in India are
organized by an autonomous Election
Commission.
The
Commission
deserves credit for conducting
peaceful elections, and without any
allegations of vote fraud or rigging.
Electronic voting machines were
extensively used without any serious
complaints. Free and fair elections
strengthen democracy and empower
citizens.
3.
The Congress party has
received a very strong drubbing. It
has been rejected everywhere; the
rejection is perhaps the most stark in
Delhi where it has been pushed to a
distant third behind the BJP and
AAP. Already, there are indications
that Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan
Singh will be blamed for Congress‘
poor performance and replaced.
4.
The NaMo factor seems to
have worked in BJP‘s favour,
although it is difficult to estimate its
precise contribution. Had the BJP not
performed well, the rise of NaMo as
a national leader would have received
a serious setback. With its strong
performance in these elections,
NaMo has emerged stronger. Born in