The study of a plant and sunshine

This time around the TN elections have been extra interesting, unlike the usual mechanical exercise of wiping out the ruling party and welcoming the opposition with a thumping majority. No landslide victory now. Though the predictions are tilted in favour the DMK-front, you just have to give a call to anyone in the state to be informed that it was a neck and neck fight. No one is talking about a chunk of 180 or 200 seats to a group, out of the total 234 seats. Looking at the narrow gap expected between the winner and the runner up (going by many exit surveys), it may also happen that the difference in the number of seats won by the two leading parties may reduce pretty low, perhaps to even single digit figures. Or what if the EVMs decide to play dice and throw up exactly the equal number of seats to the top two parties tomorrow? ADMK 116 seats; DMK 116 seats. 

It would be a state and country-wide amusement show, like a cricket world cup final match that results in a tie. Soon, the attention would be on the two assembly constituencies where the polling has been postponed by a week. The entire band of Delhi and Mumbai news channels, would camp in Aravakuruchi and Thanjavur till next Monday; all the leaders of both the parties would be made to round up every single eligible voter alive in these two places. (It is a different story that only because of extremely intensive campaigning by the parties, the ECI had postponed the polling in these two places). Perhaps the political parties might even assist terminal patients getting treated in the ICCUs to exercise their democratic right and bring them to the booths in the safety of 108 ambulances; Perhaps the parties might even resort to man-to-man marking, and the parties may allocate a dedicated party worker for every single eligible voter in the vicinity. And if both the parties do the same thing, every voter in these two constituencies would end up being stalked by two people in dhotis of two different border colours. Some of the voters may also start enjoying the limelight, the heightened attention. The entire country would be watching them, waiting for the suspense drama to unfold and more importantly, to conclude. Stress level of the party workers is bound to go up, and it may affect their normal lives. 

It is like one of those decider balls in a cricket match. The equation would be: the party that wins both the seats forms the new government. But - if the EVM decides to play dice one more time? What if each one wins just one seat? The result: ADMK 117 seats; DMK 117 seats. 

It has never happened in the history. In the past.

Soon there will be some sort of commotion, squabble, altercation, quarrel, fist fights, petrol bombs, and a degree of enjoyable suspense too, everywhere. The elections would turn into a case study in Indian democracy and hot topic for thesis students of psephology. And if even after the Governor's intervention the exact 50:50 ratio continues, there is no other way but for the ECI to announce elections afresh. Afresh! Yes, there seems to be no other provision in the Constitution, Supreme Court decisions, ECI Regulations, etc. to handle such dramatic possibilities. At least I am not aware of them. But are we really okay with fresh elections? I don't think so. It is a massive exercise that puts a lot of lives out of gear, especially the lives of all the state government functionaries and the common men and women dependent on them. Sample this - there is this old, widow waiting for the government to release her old age pension; it has been put on hold due to the elections; already a delay of more than a month; she is getting increasingly frustrated and helpless. And this - the schools, colleges, offices, teachers, police, and all other associated premises and people, are to be disturbed again; to be pulled out of their routine work and lives. And this - the election gossips and results forecast in the media, and among all of us would continue for some more weeks, without allowing us to focus on anything else, anything else seemingly more productive. And this - conducting elections in a free and fair manner is a costly job; it also takes really a lot of efforts. And finally this - one of my friends is said to have flown down from Honk Kong to cast his vote; I'm sorry, he has to come again. 

So what remedies we got? 

• Perhaps we may go in for a tie-breaker. A constituency may be chosen randomly and with maximum vigil a repoll may be conducted there. Whoever wins the seat, gets the mandate to form the new government. Or just to be sure, instead of in just one assembly seat, the exercise may be conducted in five randomly chosen seats. Randomisation exercise may be performed by a mainframe in IIT Chennai or in a karumaari amman temple by way of throwing 234 lots and picking five of them right in front of the deity's eyes.
• The winner may be decided on the vote share garnered by the two parties. Assuming, if even that is going to be equal at the state level, again the method of random seat selection may be  resorted to, and the vote share may be compared in those seats. 
• The parties may be asked to rule the state together for five years. God save us! Or one of them may be asked to rule for the initial 2.5 years, and the other one may be asked to follow. Or to give a level playing field, the government may be formed on a monthly basis, alternate parties. Can't you sense the odd-even formula staring at you?
• As it is the time of unified entrance exams, and rigorous selection processes even for the children, the winning candidates from both the parties may be administered some kind of a test (intelligence tests or aptitude tests or even blood tests), and the party that scores the highest may be allowed to form the government.
• The winning margins (number of votes) of the candidates belonging to the two parties may be summed up and the party with the more number of votes (winning margin) may be given the baton. It is simple maths; no statistics. So, it is safe.
• The top five leaders of the two parties may be invited for an open debate among them (on social and governance issues only), to be held before a 1000-strong crowd of school kids of Class XI and XII, picked from schools across all the 234 constituencies. Just immediately after the debate, like they do in some TV dance contests, the school children may be asked to register their votes. The party that finds favour with the kids gets to rule the state. Let them get a chance, I'm sure the kids will do a better job.
• Finally, and most importantly - the people may be asked to explain why they did it.

These are some of the indicative methods to avoid reelection and save the associated time, money and efforts; while some of the options may look like the cup of tea they serve in our trains, and a few others may incur the wrath of Constitutional luminaries - what is required is a new government without any more suspense. And it will be a bonus for the people if the government performs too.

But for all that you may know, tomorrow could be just one more day.