Summer, Elections and Economy

The 2019 summer in India has seen the temperature rise beyond electioneering. The mercury has almost breached the earlier recorded maximum in many places even before peak summer.

Some people who went on election duty, the real heroes, had to take leave for a day or two on their return because of exposure to heat and exhaustion.

This rising temperature adds to the drought like condition faced in more than two-fifths of the country's agriculture. An unfortunate fallout of this, on account of model code of conduct that remains in force for an extended period because of the seven-phase elections, is the delay in policy decisions (not that the decisions would have come without that and that the decisions, if any, would have been farmer and farm friendly).

A lot many youth had their employment prospect increase in the week before voting as they were engaged in work related to campaigning for candidates. Some of them could earn enough to buy an air conditioner such that their families could escape the rising mercury. However, in the week immediately after voting these temporary opportunities were no more there and they were left in a state of unemployment or, if employed, without this additional source of earning.

There were a few candidates who arrived at a compromise with their opponents. As a result, they saved themselves the trouble of campaigning during these troubling times.

Along with soaring temperatures, the cash and liquor seizures have surpassed the previous amount and we are just at the half-way mark. It is said that the reported seizure is the tip of the iceberg.

The temporary employment, the freebies, the compromises, and the cash seizures (particularly, those that have not been reported) have led to an increase in demand for consumer durables even in rural areas. Quite an achievement for the rural economy reeling under drought.

In spite of all these, the popular discourse is falling short when it comes to climate change, state of agriculture, unemployment, or unaccounted for money. Well, at least the economy, in the first quarter of this fiscal, is showing buoyancy. 

I was about to sign out with long live demo#$&!*, but my fingers faltered. Instead, I end with the dictum, 'it's the economy, stupid!'