Vote banks and de-candidatisation in elections

The saying goes that “money is the root of evils”. However the opposite or counter idiom, converting to the saying that “money is root of all prosperity”, is the clarion call of the present Union government, in its sudden demonetization exercise. This has become the topic of the day, running in close heels to the run up to the byelections, in six seats in the Khasi Hills District Council and a single seat in the Jaintia Hills District Council, the polls schedule fixed on December 13.

- U Sumer Sing Sawian

It is an open secret, that in all elections in democratic India, money power plays a pivotal role, in the race for political power. The crucial question this time, is whether monetory notes, would continue to play the usual game, specially in the absence of one thousand rupee notes and shortage of five hundred rupee notes, though new two thousand rupee notes have been introduced for circulation. This is a major assault on black money, as the old notes have become just worthless scarps of paper, which banks would no longer accept.

Around thirty candidates are vying for being elected in the up coming elections. Question is having vote banks, whether these vote banks would remain intact, or instead follow the decandidatisation in the shifting of their alliance? Political parties who are backing up their respective candidates still remain confident that their vote banks will remain intact. However the transactions of the vote banks are unpredictable.