The countdown phase of the nation’s election process for its 17th Lok Sabha to take shape has moved to the countup phase, if the term merits to be coined. The vote-seeking aspirants for the privilege of membership of the august house have begun the all-too-familiar five-yearly tamasha of first wangling a ticket as a nominee of the respective political party and take to the course of consulting astrologers in camera to be advised on the auspicious time for filing the nomination papers in the Office of the Returning Officer. Thanks to the introduction of Model Code of Conduct, the nominated contestant is required to behave taking care not to violate any of the restrictions stipulated in the code, particularly in the matter of resorting to money-power, muscle-power and liquor-power. Psephologists of all hues are having a field-day predicting the outcome of the poll in Constituencies where the different social factors, specially caste affiliations, count. The rest of action falls into place with the poll machinery doing its part.

Amidst the over-charged rhetoric by the top guns of the major political parties, dominated by mutual mud-slinging, much to the amusement of the followers of reports in the media, the manifestos of the various parties are used to create an impression in the voters that all will be well again unlike the miseries that are bugging them no end.

The portfolio of expectations on the part of aam janata from successive governments getting longer and wider year-on-year, the issues of unemployment, run away cost of medicare and shrinking stock of water required for agriculture and daily life continue to be getting out of hand, even as the vote-seekers who make it to the gaddi of high posts in the government are salivating in the thought of making merry with public funds. The steady rise in the number of unemployed in the population has been talked about in both circles of the informed and outfits pursuing their cause with no sign of concrete action to arrest its further worsening.

The desire of people at large boils down to find avenues for earning income sufficient to lead a decent life along with value for the money. These points seem to be hiding in the text of manifestos published by the major parties. That marks the wide gap between the desire on the part of people at large and reality at the end of the day.