Dynasty Politics......Congress has company

Congress versus BJP has always been a topic of hot debate between my grandfather and myself. He, being a strong BJP supporter, and me being a Congress supporter. Over the time I realised that it was not true. He was actually an anti Congress man and me an anti BJP woman. His stand aroused from his anger against the Congress during partition which made him leave his land in Pakistan (erstwhile Punjab in undivided India) and my stand was largely due to the unsecular stand of BJP. There were many points on which we fought, but one of his points often stopped me in my tracks. The accusation of Congress being a dynasty party. I had to agree with it because it was always shamelessly demonstrated by the party.

But nowadays I do have a counterpoint. BJP itself is turning to dynasty for finding leaders at state level and it is absolutely clueless at the centre to find a heir. If one looks at the recent elections in Maharashtra, every single party boosted of family connections. The Congress CM, Ashok Chavan is the son of a former CM, BJP is a family affair with the Munde family, Shiv Sena of course is a party split up between two brothers, NCP is a stronghold of the Pawars and Bhujbals. And ironically Rahul Gandhi, the poster boy of dynasty politics, is trying to usher in the era of democratic elections within the party(so says the media atleast).

Coming to Maharashtra elections, I feel Congress has not won due to good governance (that would be the understatement of the year) nor due to the MNS factor but because of lack of formidable opposition to the ruling party. Over the years I have realised, that most of the people don't vote for a particular party but against one. No wonder that most of the elections are won due to anti incumbency factor. One of the few bucking this trend in India is Narendra Modi. You may hate the man for a variety of factors but you cannot deny that he has been voted again and again in power because of his good governance in Gujarat. That is a vote in the favour of good governance not the one just rolled out in Maharstra.