Congress Defeat in Amroha a Case Study in One Party Dominance Bashir Ahmed Considering the Various Factors That Operated During the Amroha Bye-Election
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THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY May 22, 1965 conclusion that emerges is that it is not 2 The lead of the Opposition can 4 See the "Bye-Elections Committee issues but the organisational compe didates over the Congress: 50,454 Report", All-India Congress Com tence of a political party in mobilising in Amroha; 57,588 in Farrukhabad; mittee, New Delhi, a wide range of support that is the 14,151 in Rajkot. critical factor in electoral behaviour. In 3 Of the 10 bye-elections held to 5 For a theoretical interpretation of India, the conclusion is important for the Lok Sabha since the third the Congress dominance system, both the Congress and the Opposition. general elections upto July, 1963, which was also used as a point of the Congress won in 4 as against departure for the bye-election 8 in the general elections. Of 49 studies, see Rajni Kothari, The Notes bye-elections to the Legislative Party System, 'The Economic 1 Amroha: 19 May, 1963; Farrukha- Assemblies, the Congress won in Weekly, June 3. 1961; and "The bad: 19 May 1963; Rajkot: 26 28 as against 26 in the general Congress 'System' in India,'' Asian May '63. elections. Survey, December 1964, THREE BYE-ELECTIONS-I Congress Defeat in Amroha A Case Study in One Party Dominance Bashir Ahmed Considering the various factors that operated during the Amroha bye-election. Acharya Kripalani's victory hardly appears to have been a verdict for or against the policies or record of the Congress, For, not only did an issue like the Chinese aggression fail to evoke much interest among the majority of voters but even those policies and actions of the Congress Government that adversely affected the interests of the people failed to have a bear ing on the way they finally voted. Even communalism with all its psychological and emotional overtones played no more than an accentuating role in the elections inasmuch as it merely reinforced the existing opposition to the Congress. For the Congress it self however, it did bring in more votes from the Muslims but this accretion of electoral support was not of material importance to the outcome of the election. The outcome was decided, if anything, by the opposition the Congress had been facing over the years from the influential elements in the social structure whom it has failed to accommodate in the organisation, The vote against the Congress in the bye-election was, therefore, no more than another expression of the struggle against the incumbent leadership in the Congress that these influential elements have been waging at successive elections in the district. The Congress continues to be the focal point of political power in the district and its reverse in Amroha underlines precisely this dominant position in district politics, [The study of the Farrukhabad bye-election by Ramashray Roy will appear next week and that of the Rajkot bye-election by Rushikesh Maru the week after.] THE selection of the Congress can- three of the five other Independents minute choice of such a senior leader didate and the struggle for posi who had also filed their nominations and the keenness shown by Menon and tions within the Congress party from Amroha, The Congress party, his close ideological associate Malaviya, dominated the bye-election in Amroha, however, took, a long time choosing Union Minister for Mines and Fuel, one of the two parliamentary consti its own nominee. who after Menon's departure from the tuencies in the Moradabad District of Government had become a major tar Uttar Pradesh. The election was held Finally on April 7, the Central Parli get of opposition attack, save a new in May 1963 following the death of amentary Board of the Congress pick significance to the Amroha bye-election the sitting Congress M P Maulana ed Ram Saran, a local leader, whose and turned it into a prestige contest Hifzur Rehman. One of the first to name had been recommended by both for the Congress. announce his candidature for the elec the DCC and the PCC as its candidate. tion was Acharya J B Kripalani who But it changed its mind on the day the Apparently the Congress chose Am defeated in the 1962 General Elections nominations were to close and re roha for a major trial of strength be by V K Krishna Menon in the well- placed him with Hafiz Mohammed cause Acharya Kripalani, one of the known North Bombay contest, WAS in Ibrahim, a member of the Union Cabi most prominent of its critics, had de search of a seat in Parliament; Though net and the Central Parliamentary cided to contest the seat. It was pro contesting the election as an indepen Board. Lest delay or irregularity be bably believed that his defeat, at a dent, Acharya Kripalani had the sup committed in the filing of the papers time when the opposition was subject port of all the opposition parties ex leading to their possible rejection, the ing the Government to the most severe cept the Communist party. The Repub responsibility for completing this for kind of criticism, would silence such lican party, which had earlier entered mality was taken upon themselves by criticism or at least make it less effec the contest, retired from it in favour Krishna Menon and K D Malaviya both tive. Conversely, the Congress victory of Acharya Kripalani after the last of whom personally went from Delhi to against Acharya Kripalani would vir date for withdrawals was over, as did Moradabad for this purpose. The last tually amount to a popular vindication May 22, 1965 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY of their stand and policies. At least, For this purpose we selected some of Similarly the Gold Control policy of this was how Mrs Indira Gandhi posed the major planks of Congress policy the Government of India which had the matter before the electors. Addres and record that had constituted the provoked one of the major controver sing a public meeting on the eve of main focus of attack from the Opposi sies of the period hardly evoked much elections in Moradabad, she said the tion both inside and outside Parliament concern among the voters. In the rural Congress believes that Hafiz Mohamm immediately preceding the election, and areas the issues failed 'to have an im ed Ibrahim's success was necessary for had been brought before the electorate pact on a majority of the voters for re India's political future, its domestic in Amroha during the course of the asons which were best summed up by and foreign policies and for democracy, election campaign. We then interview a voter in Deeppur village when he said: while Acharya Kripalani's victory would ed voters in towns and the rural areas ''How does it matter to us whether mean upsetting of everything for which to see how and to what extent policy there is gold control or not In the the nation and Congress had stood and issues and the record of the Govern first place we could never buy gold striven for so far. ment became part of the frame of re even when it was available in 'pure' ference within which they made up form. But when in the past some of The opposition also formulated the their mind to vote the way they did- us could and did buy it, we were al issue in similar terms. Two of its We present below the evidence we col ways cheated by the goldsmith. Now spokesmen issued a statement in which lected as also an analysis of the factors at least with 'impure gold in the mar they argued that the "enthusiasm that influenced the outcome of the ket none of us will be tempted to buy shown by Mr Krishna Menon and Mr elections. it and will be saved from being cheat K D Malaviya in sponsoring the candi ed.' In the urban areas again neither dature of Hafiz Mohammed Ibrahim is II the reaction nor the reasons for it were proof that it is not really the Congress very different. Deep resentment ever that is contesting the election but Mr Issues Affecting the People the Gold Control Policy was found Menon and his group . Our retreat Considering the severity of criticism only among the goldsmiths concentrat during the Chinese invasion was the that Nehru Government's failure to ed in some of the towns but forming result of the policies of Mr Menon. secure the country's frontiers against on the whole an infinitesimal part of Every vote for Hafiz Mohammed the Chinese had provoked from the the electorate in Amroha. Ibrahim will, therefore, be a vote for Opposition and Menon's association Mr Krishna Menon's policies'. By with the policy leading to it, we assum The rise in prices and the shortage approaching the Amroha election in ed that much of the vote against the of food and other commodities, how this manner both the Congress and Congress would reflect the peoples re ever, had a more widespread impact the Opposition, therefore, chose to fight action in this regard, particularly since particularly since its consequences were it on the basis of the Government's re Menon had also chosen to identify him felt directly by the people in their day cord and national policies. self so closely with the Congress candi to day existence. Most adversely affect- date in Amroha. But we found that ed were the people in towns who form Consistent with such an approach only the educated in the Constituency 21.5 per cent of the population in the towards the election, Acharya Kripa- were agitated about the military de Constituency, while for the 78.5 per ianfs impressive victory over Hafiz bacle on our North Eastern borders in cent of the population in rural areas Mohammed Ibrahim by a margin of 1962 while the event failed to figure as the ill effects were somewhat mitigated 50,454 votes, in what was virtually a one of the important considerations in by their ability to produce part of straight tight (see Table I), came to be the voting decision of the other voters.