R.K. Sinha
The country is witnessing a new trend– gradual decline of number of Independents seeking election and the victory achieved by them. Whether it is good or not is another matter and needs a separate debate. Two reasons immediately come to mind for it: one, rising cost of campaigning and two, voters’ preference to candidates attached to one political party or the other.
Whatever may be the reason, we are certainly into a different time. The first Look Sabha results will tell you the difference. It will offer a study in contrasts. Against three in the outgoing, as many as 36 Independents had won the first Lok Sabha election. Some of them had earned name and fame before in different fields. The list is long. It includes veterans like V. K Krishna Menon, Acharya Kripalani, S M Banerjee, Meenu Masani, L M Singhvi, Inderjit Singh Namdhari and Karni Singh.
In addition to other things, their credentials might be playing in the minds of voters. There was a time, of course, in the past, when mafia dons who were seeking elections as Independents were reaching state Assemblies and parliament with ease. Uttar Pradesh is notable in this connection. What is more surprising, they were later backed by political parties. Two parties, SP and BSP, have done most of the favours for them. However, both the dons are dead. However, there are yet to keep totally away from such elements. Bihar has not acted differently. There too RJD had backed at least one noted criminal. Pakistan, unbelievably, has rejected son of Hafiz Sayeed, mastermind of Mumbai terror attack. But that might be an exception.
The story in early years was completely different. Youngsters might be unaware but in the first Lok Sabha, Independents were the second largest group after the Congress. No non- Congress party had matched their performance. Cut to 2019 and the change becomes crystal clear. In the outgoing Lok Sabha the number had dropped to three. A total of 202 independent candidates have so far reached the Lok Sabh.
Cost escalation is not something new. Prices of materials have gone up everywhere. Labour and other costs have also shot up. Contesting Lok Sabha elections on one’s own strength has become far too difficult now.
Keeping all this in mind, it appears that if any one wins a Lok Sabha seat as an independent now he is different. He must be popular for some reason or the other and must have done something different from rivals.
To keep the record straight, after the first Lok Sabha elections, the number of Independent winners in the second, came down to 34. Elections were held in 1977 after emergency was imposed in the country. Then only seven independent candidates were successful. The number was reduced further to four in 1980. In 1984 and 1989 for different reasons nine and eight independent candidates were successful in the Lok Sabha elections.
Besides muscle, money power plays a role in elections not only in Assembly but in Lok Sabha polls. But not in every case. Personal influence and perception also matters. Kripalani, for example, was the President of the Indian National Congress in 1947 . He was one of the most enthusiastic and faithful disciples of Gandhi. He also served as the General Secretary of the Congress for almost a decade. Men like Laxmi Mall Singhvi are also born in centuries. He was a renowned jurist, constitutional expert, poet, linguist and writer. He used to write a lot on legal matters in a popular Hindi weekly, “Dharmyug”, when I used to write other stories, lead stories. He was born in Jodhpur. He was a member of the third Lok Sabha from 1952 to 1967. Whether he was an MP or not, he had never taken more than one rupee as salary.
S.M. Banerjee was another such person in Kanpur. People will tell you all about him there. He was a famous labor leader. He had come to Kanpur from West Bengal to work. He had made Kanpur his workplace. Banerjee won the election by contesting as an independent candidate in 1957 and repeated the feat in 1962, 1967 and 1971 . Kanpur may be the only city which has elected an independent as an MP four times.
He was not alone. You will find several others in the past who did not hail from the place but was successful and had reached the lower House. It was made possible by connecting with the people there and becoming a part of their joys and sorrows. Kripalani came from Sindh (now Pakistan). He became MP from Bihar. Inderjit Singh Namdhari’s family had come to Bihar from Pakistan during the partition of the country. He was also the Transport Minister of Bihar for many years. After the division of Bihar, he became active in Jharkhand. Namdhari became the first Speaker of Jharkhand Assembly.
Karni Singh also deserves mention in this connection though the present generation may have little knowledge about him and some others. He was the top shooter of the country. A stadium was named after him in the capital which may be the first of its kind.Usually this does not happen. Dr. Karni Singh Range was constructed in 1982 for the shooting events of the 9th Asian Games. Singh belonged to the royal family of Bikaner. He was the first shooter in the country to be honored with the ‘Arjuna Award’ in 1961. It is said that although he came from a royal family, he easily mixed with common people and shared their joys and sorrow. He was MP for five consecutive terms from 1952 to 1977. With 70 to 71 percent votes in two elections he was matchless. No other party candidate has bagged such a high percentage of votes. Singh holds another record as well — of being MP from Bikaner for five consecutive terms.
Campaigning has been intensified and the first phase of polling will be completed next week. Votes will be cast on six more days. There will be gainers and losers. The expenses made will be counted. Losers will analyse the reasons behind defeats. In June only it will be known how many Independents will be sworn – in in the new House. One only hopes that more and more deserving Independents and others join the fray and make a mark in temple of democracy.
(The writer is a senior editor, columnist and former MP)
