'...In the just concluded elections, however, the Election Commission has been found wanting. It has pulled off the actual exercise without much trouble, but many of its decisions have been questionable, even troubling. The perception has grown that it is biased and, even if this may be not totally true, it is a worrying sign that voters and citizens have come to believe that the organisation has favoured the incumbent party.
'The Election Commission was recently criticised by the media, transparency activists and opposition parties for its delay in not taking action on complaints of Model Code of Conduct violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Thereafter, it was also accused of deliberately not uploading the complaints or its orders on them on its website. The matter was even raised in the Supreme Court. Earlier this month, the poll panel finally relented and uploaded the details on its site.
'As India passes the halfway mark of the general election, Narendra Modi’s personal popularity remains high – bumped up to 43%, according to one study, thanks to the optics of the Balakot air-strikes. Such effective campaign messaging, however, would be impossible without funds, and the BJP’s funding advantage has been the most under-examined factor in this election. The ruling party’s ability to spend on publicity – supported by a host of unofficial or secretive efforts – has sharply tilted the playing field, though at the cost of legal and ethical norms of transparency...'
'Even as it handed over its fourth ‘clean-chit’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday for his speech in Nanded, where he had said that that Congress was running away from majority-dominated areas, the Election Commission hasn’t been updating the details of its orders on Modi on its website. This stands in sharp contrast to its approach with respect to all other complaints, for which it uploaded the details of the model code of conduct violations on its web page.
'From questioning the Pulwama terror attack to praising Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, from criticising the effectiveness of the Balakot strike to making “political” statements against the ruling establishment — at least seven state government school teachers have been suspended by the Uttar Pradesh government for posts like these on their Facebook page or WhatsApp groups. Also suspended is a Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), a Group-A education service officer.
'The release of a biopic drama on Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been brought forward by a week, to April 5, raising many eyebrows. The film will now premiere just before the start of voting for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The blunt and unimaginatively titled PM Narendra Modi is a fawning rendition of Modi’s life, and could have an impact on voters or even be seen as campaign material. Yet a number of former election commissioners told The Wire that the film’s release passes the litmus test of legality and does not violate the model code of conduct...'
'The landmark 1969 musical, director Richard Attenborough’s debut film – a satire on the First World War, and on war and war – has even the Dalai Lama blessing the war effort in the early part of the epic comedy, so pious seems the project, so plainly just. In India, the storyline has not been dissimilar. The messianic effort by the ruling establishment that has gone into underlining the justness of the cause and the absolute necessity of the Balakot airstrikes – in weeks before a national election – has had many mesmerised...'
'Launch a ‘masterstroke’ of questionable effectiveness, make exaggerated claims and then attack those who question your claims as being ‘anti-India’... It was fascinating to view the wave of public approval that greeted the government following India’s airstrikes on Balakot. Celebrities vied with each other in extolling the move. Social media erupted in frenzied jubilation. The media eulogised the firm and decisive nature of the prime minister. Wild claims were floated in the media based on anonymous sources and ‘educated guesses’.
