New Delhi: Moves like asking Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to file affidavits, and asking him to file “vote chori” complaints under oath may not be of much help to the Election Commission (EC) because the message has spread, convincing a large section of the population that something is seriously wrong in the electoral system and has been giving undue advantage to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Random surveys in and around Ramlila Ground where thousands of people had assembled on Sunday (December 14) afternoon from different parts of the country indicated that suspicions about the entire electoral process, from making of voters’ list to EVM counting, had become the overriding concern, pushing aside mundane livelihood issues and primordial political loyalties emanating from caste and religion. What should strike an alarm for the establishment is that a majority of the people felt a mass movement was the only remedy because normal democratic pressures had stopped working.

Many people mentioned Bangladesh and Nepal revolts, conceding that easy solutions appeared unrealistic now. Though majority of the people attending the rally were associated with the Congress, even apolitical persons who came in large numbers echoed similar sentiments. Deepak, a student who had come from Delhi’s Mangolpuri with several of his friends, told The Wire, “Democracy can’t be saved unless [Narendra] Modi’s power is destroyed completely. He has rendered every institution meaningless. Police, CBI, ED, Election Commission, Parliament, media…everything is under his control.”

The message is clear: Gandhi is no more the only person who speaks this language. When this student was arguing that a Nepal-like revolt was the only solution, a much older Rampal who had come from Haryana intervened, “Modi will crush any revolt with brute force. The opposition parties should learn from farmers’ movement and sit peacefully in Delhi until a satisfactory solution is found.” He declared, “Nothing else will matter. These rallies, press conferences, social media – everything will prove futile. Surround Election Commission for a year. And wait for the declaration that elections will be held on ballot paper.”

Gandhi was saying the same thing from the dais. “We won’t use violence. But we will bring an end to Modi-[Amit] Shah hegemony peacefully.” Everybody in the crowd didn’t agree. Ajit Singh, who had come from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh, said, “Modi-Shah would have surrendered if the media showed the truth. But under present circumstances, we will have to slowly scale up the agitation. The only option is public struggle; a kind of non-cooperation with the government. Citizens’ rights are being snatched. There will be no democracy if we remain mute spectators.” His friends burst into a chorus, “Protests and rallies mean nothing. What happened in Bihar? Now we need action.”

The perception that the young generation which relies on Google for basic information lacks a serious understanding of politics appeared fallacious as the conversation threw up profound ideas. Many young boys articulated strong views on Modi-Shah’s undemocratic politics, explaining lack of response to protests and grievances during the last 11 years. They pointed to several instances, from Gandhi’s press conferences to athlete’s protests, and argued that the primitive concept of might-is-right had returned as governance doctrine. They also disapproved as “perverse” the BJP’s campaigns on issues like love jihad, eating habits and religious practices. “We have Muslim friends; they are like us only,” most boys said, insisting that divisions were created artificially by political design.

The middle-aged Mukesh Jat from Rajasthan’s Bhilwara, wearing that colourful traditional turban, was screaming the slogan “vote chor, gaddi chhor (vote stealer, leave the chair)”. Asked what convinced him that elections were not fair, he said, “Modi’s 2014 victory was perhaps fair. But he captured the institutions, including the judiciary, and mastered the art of winning elections. Before Gandhi exposed them, we were convinced elections in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra were stolen. There was no evidence on the ground to suggest that the BJP’s mandate will grow bigger. Earlier we thought Hindu-Muslim agenda was working, Pulwama or Ram temple worked. But now we are convinced Modi can’t win if the Election Commission is independent and fair.”

Ajay Gurjar, who came from Rajsamand, said, “Modi-Shah whip up emotions and divert people’s attention. But that is not enough for the results we have seen in Haryana, Maharashtra and Bihar. Something is wrong with voting and counting. Now after SIR [Special Intensive Revision], the electoral rolls will ensure the opposition parties can’t win. Take it from me in writing – BJP will sweep Uttar Pradesh.”

He added, “Jab raja dusht ho jaye tab koi kya kar lega (What will anybody do if the emperor turns wicked).” When asked if they trusted Gandhi to lead this battle, pat came the reply, “Only Rahul; only he can fight.” Around a dozen people hearing the conversation burst out: “Rahul akela (alone). Most Congress leaders are unwilling to fight.”

All conversations were disrupted by small groups of people passing by, singing, “vote chor, gaddi chhor”. A large number of people had come from Karnataka. Asked if they too believed in the "vote chori" charge despite the victory in Karnataka, they said, “Yes, of course! We can’t brush aside tell-tale evidence. If the Election Commission is not complicit, it should join hands with the opposition parties to remove doubts. Why are they acting like commanders of the BJP?”

The voices in the rally indicate that Gandhi has indeed psyched up a section of the population to believe that elections are being manipulated. They are also ready to take up the fight, arguing that there was no option left now. Asked if boycott of elections was one option, a majority of the attendees said tactics can be decided by the leadership but the decisions have to be taken in the spirit of non-cooperation. Several people at the rally portrayed the election commissioners as the "main villains of democracy". It was also noteworthy that Priyanka Gandhi named all the election commissioners – Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi – in her speech.

Sanjay K. Jha is a political commentator.

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