A Maha fall from grace

Like it or not local body elections in Maharashtra make one feel like the state is drifting toward some kind of ldquoJungle Rajrdquo The warning signs are too loud to ignore even if some political parties or leaders might pretend otherwiseA state once held up as a model in governance is now being compared to Bihar and not in a good way The cash chaos and controversy in the recent local body polls have earned Maharashtra a dubious distinctionThings are so bad that a woman candidate needed police protection just to file her nomination papers She walked in with nearly halfadozen armed guards to complete the basic nomination filing procedures Another candidate required a security squad to simply submit a form for a process that ideally should have been a routine one This scene looked less like Maharashtra and reminded many of BiharIn some interior areas of Maharashtra polling booths resembled battlefields with scenes like armed guards flanking candidates and shouting party workers blocking entrancesAt times it felt less like an election about ldquoRoti kapda makaan and basic civic needsrdquo and more like a scene from ldquoGangs of Wasseypurrdquo mdash chaos everywhere and everyone fighting to prove they are the one in chargeThis contrast hurts because for years Maharashtra was seen as a progressive and forwardlooking state known for cooperative movements industry and stable government The state was always referred to as No 1 and a role model for othersElections here were usually smooth and predictable But many people feel the situation has slipped badly The comparison with Bihar is stark Last month polling in that state was relatively peaceful with no deaths repolling or reports of major violence Meanwhile Maharashtrarsquos local body elections kept making headlines for all the wrong reasonsAnd the chaos did not stop after voting After EVMs were shifted to the strong room political party workers in some areas were seen creating a ruckus near the storage facilities meant to secure the machine until December 21 the vote counting dayThere were even complaints about attempts at bogus voting though it was foiled in time Likewise allegations of cash being found before and even on the polling day fights near booths and even one furious voter smashing an EVM were reported from ground zeroThe situation worsened with a lastminute decision to defer polling in some areas from December 2 to December 20 with counting for all local elections to be postponed to December 21Adding to the chaos was the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena a key ally in the socalled ldquoTriple Engine Sarkarrdquo As per media reports one Shinde camp MLA was accused of violating the election code of conduct Another Shinde Sena MLA openly accused BJP of using money power So was the case with the BJP and Ajit Pawarled NCP workers In many areas Mahayuti leaders and workers were seen blaming each otherOn their own each incident might look like a minor Election Day problem Taken together these incidents point to deeper problems in the system and society Clearly it is telling a much more worrying storyChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis too acknowledged that these incidents reflected a failure of the system a rare and serious admission of how badly things have slippedThe mood on the ground and the outcome of the latest elections has only strengthened the feeling that when it comes to peaceful elections nowadays Bihar is a better place than MaharashtraLocal body elections are often seen as mini assembly polls The entire unfolding of events reveals the statersquos underlying political currents and hints at where governance is actually progressingThe ongoing situation also brings back memories of a time when the officers and ministers prioritised discipline and reputation over shortterm gains Personalities like Julio Riberio in the police department TN Seshan in the Election Commission and ministers former chief minister like Yeshwantrao Chavan stood out for their uncompromising commitment to rules and integrity Unfortunately today society lacks such officials and politiciansBut for this deteriorating situation one party alone cannot be blamed Both ruling and Opposition share responsibility Over the years weak alliances coalition with parties of contrast ideology and lack of accountability has contributed to the current unhealthy situation in the stateIn fact instead of fierce battle and rebuttals the Opposition lowering the guard was the primary reason that infighting was seen within the allies Shindeled Shiv Sena BJP and Ajit Pawarrsquos NCPBefore we talk about building smart cities the first priority should be to set our own house in order Clean up local governance ensure transparency and strengthen civic systemsSmart cities are not just about technology infrastructure they require free and fair democratic process and more importantly accountable leadership Only then can dreams of smart cities move beyond slogans to real progressDemocracy needs ballots and rules not muscle and mayhemAnd Maharashtra can no longer afford to treat these warning signs lightly The statersquos democracy and institutions deserve urgent attention before the next election cycle After all the worry is not just about one election or few incidents of law and order issues itrsquos about the future of democracy and more of Maharashtra regaining its tag of peaceful forward looking role model stateSanjeev Shivadekar is political editor midday He tweets SanjeevShivadekSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper