Despite all its flaws, democracy remains the best form of governance. It is important that steps be taken to check the backsliding of democracy and shift focus to the quality of leaders, operation of political parties and the role of citizens/civil society. Politics should not be seen as the refuge of the scoundrels writes Sunil Kumar, a former IAS officer.
A front page news item[i] related to the recently held Gujarat Panchayat polls caught my attention. Defeat in the Jambusar Taluka Panchayat election from Kavi-2 (Dehgam) seat in Bharuch district infuriated the BJP candidate so much that, using the clout of his father who headed the water committee, he had the drinking water supply cut for four days till the police intervened. The post poll act of vindictiveness poses a serious threat to future of democracy itself in the country. It does not matter whether acts of retribution (political violence) happen in West Bengal in the east or Gujarat in the west.
Some time back a daily newspaper[ii] had reported that the Pradhan of Dhaskari village in Bhadohi district of Uttar Pradesh was arrested by the police for murder of a resident of the village who had lodged a complaint against the Pradhan and others alleging corruption and, after inquiry, the District Magistrate had suspended the Pradhan’s financial powers. Likewise, one periodically comes across news items reporting corporators and contractors coming to blows over their ‘share’!
These may be dismissed as isolated, unfortunate incidents. However, looked at differently, these indicate more serious issues regarding nature of politics and crisis of leadership. These problems assume a more personal dimension at the local government level.
Take the issue of caste-based politics. The impact of caste based politics at the state and union level is perhaps not felt directly[iii]. But in the Gram Panchayat, caste based discrimination is a living reality. Incidents of Dalit Sarpanches not being allowed to sit on the chair and even prevented from hoisting the national flag on Republic or Independence Day continue to get reported from all parts of the country. No State is an exception. Caste based discrimination is a living reality in India.
Role of money in local government elections too is increasing with each passing year. Candidates are willing to spend a few lakh of rupees in the election of Sarpanch/Pradhan of a Gram Panchayat. Corporators are not far behind. In case of indirect elections of Presidents of Block and Zilla Panchayat or Nagar Parishad and Nagar Palika and Mayors of Municipal Corporations, the expenditure by candidates and political parties could run into crores. In essence, the local government elections have come to mimic elections to Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha. Expenditure ceilings set by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the State Election Commission (SEC) are observed more in the breach than otherwise.
Politics in India is increasingly becoming more costly. Recent Vidhan Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu is reported to have set a new record and has been described as the ‘most corrupt’ elections where money was spent like water for alluring the voters.[iv] It was reported that the ECI singularly failed to curb sale and purchase of votes notwithstanding its tall claims regarding seizure of cash. It is reported that in one constituency voters publicly protested as no political party/candidate came forward to distribute cash to them! Even in Gram Panchayat elections, voters look forward to feasts (’Murga Party’) being hosted by different candidates. No wonder, increasingly political parties are giving greater weightage to the ‘deep pockets’ of candidates rather than their record of social service.
In the recent elections to urban local governments in Gujarat, the BJP reportedly looked at the social media profile of potential candidates. All ticket seekers were asked to upload ‘reels’ of work done by them, provide detail of followers on Instagram etc. as these were considered more important in attracting young voters. In Tamil Nadu Legislative elections too, political parties focused their election campaign around Instagram and political leaders became ‘actors’ so to say!
Obviously, in this brand of politics, ‘live public issues’ tend to recede into the background. Politics is increasingly becoming the playground of neo-rich with access to and expertise in digital technology including artificial intelligence (AI). Elections are fast becoming events organized at periodic intervals where both the ‘voter’ and the ‘leader’ seem to be playing roles and after the event is over, democracy takes a backseat and elected leaders rule like despots wielding unbridled power. If the elections themselves are rigged, where votes are ‘bought’ and ‘sold’, then the issue of accountability of leaders to the voters become weak and virtually non-existent. In the absence of a functioning and effective accountability mechanism at any level, quite a few elected public representatives feel that they can amass wealth with impunity. No questions are asked even when their self-declaration in election affidavits reveal that their wealth has increased manifold. The backsliding of democracy is being witnessed across countries and India is no exception. The cartoon below is a telling commentary on the state of elections in India.
In my view, the two major problems plaguing Indian democracy are that (i) politics is divorced from governance and (ii) the educated middle-class, in particular, is steeped in apathy about questions of political accountability, governance and the rule of law. Elections have become an end in themselves and nobody correlates success in elections with either past delivery on governance or future accountability and vision for governance. This inevitably corrodes democracy.
Despite all its flaws, democracy remains the best form of governance. It is important that steps be taken to check the backsliding of democracy and shift focus to the quality of leaders, operation of political parties and the role of citizens/civil society. Politics should not be seen as the refuge of the scoundrels.
In my view the most practical and effective point to commence action is at the level of local government. Politics in local government must stop being a mirror image of the type practised by the MLAs and MPs. This would call for going back to basics and developing a ‘new leadership’ that looks at politics and understands the unwritten compact with citizens differently. Politicians and political processes would need to have all the elements outlined below if democracy is to be experienced as thriving, robust and resulting in governance for and by the people. This would be ‘new politics’.
First, undertake critical self-examination. What is their level of commitment to truth? Do they subscribe to the Gandhian view that “means are ends in the making” and that “our progress towards the goal will be in exact proportion to the purity of our means”? Would they be ready to sacrifice principles for purpose of electoral gains? I wonder how many political parties and/or political leaders even grapple with these thoughts even in the innermost recess of their minds forget in full public gaze. There is no question of practising ‘new politics’ at any level if the answer to these queries is in the negative.
Second, ascertain expectations from politics. Are they in it for quick gains, material riches or the prestige and recognition involved with public service? If they want to get rich quickly they should opt for some profession other than politics although the opposite seems to be true in present times. People seem to join politics and switch parties at will in order to safeguard their wealth and privileges. Such leaders, whether MPs/MLAs or elected representatives of local governments, cannot be practitioners of new politics.
Third, focus on establishing close personal contact with the people. This would mean being with the people 24 by 7, understanding their issues and getting them resolved. Politics is not episodic or periodical. It is always on. In the Mayoral elections of New York in November 2025, we have witnessed the meteoric rise of Zohran Mamdami, who first secured win in the Democratic Primaries against tremendous odds, including opposition from established party oligarchs and, then, winning the Mayoral election despite U.S.President Trump throwing his weight behind the Republican candidate. This was largely achieved through the old style campaigning strategy adopted by Mamdami with sharp focus on establishing public contact, door to door campaigns, asking for and accepting small contributions from the public as opposed to depending on large moneybags for electoral funds and raising a large group of committed volunteers who supported his election campaign rather than relying on paid workers among others. It proved how ‘big money’ and ‘party oligrachs’ could be humbled even in present day America. Thus, there is no substitute to strong personal connect of the leaders and parties with the voters.
Fourth, try and understand the pulse of the people. It is important to understand the issues that concern and resonate with the citizens/voters. Given the complexity of modern society, the concerns of different sections of the population would be different depending on their caste, class, religion, linguistic group and region. After understanding their concerns, leaders and parties would need to evolve the language and idiom which appeals to different sections and then make it part of a coherent ideology and action plan which they can then uphold. While critics and academics proclaim ‘end of ideology’, it is ideology to which both political parties and leaders would need to return when they seek answers to pressing issues of modern times.
Fifth, develop a good understanding of the functioning of institutions – the four pillars of democracy viz. the legislature, the executive, the judiciary and independent media. This is necessary for political parties and political leaders to correctly diagnose the problems and their likely solutions. Champions from each sphere would need to be identified, brought together and, by engaging in free and frank dialogue on public forums and ‘in camera’, consensus can be built over a period of time. After all, all stakeholders would need to adhere and abide by the rules of the game which would need to be rewritten afresh.
Sixth, unwavering loyalty and commitment to the Constitution and constitutional values is the sine qua non for new politics. It would mean respect for rule of law, effective separation of powers, a robust system of checks and balances, internal democracy in functioning of political parties and effective mechanisms for citizens to voice their concerns, ensure the governments pays heed to those voices and have an effective say in governance among others.
How can this be achieved? Is it not all too utopian especially at a time when materialism and hedonism seem to be the principal guiding force for the population at large? As I see it, the task is difficult but not impossible provided one is fully committed and sincere. The challenge is to build an effective coalition of social and political groups who are committed to core principles highlighted in the aforementioned paragraphs. In a country like India, the best way to strike an emotional rapport with the masses and establish political connect is to undertake ‘padyatras’ – big and small, in and across villages and cities, districts and states, by individuals in small and big groups who aim primarily to re-establish the missing citizen connect. After groundwork has been done then leaders can undertake pan state and pan India padyatras like the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ of Rahul Gandhi in 2022. These padyatras would galvanize the masses, provide a ray of hope to the poor and the middle class and create a momentum towards building a new India. The building stones for ‘new India’ would be vibrant local governments, states and eventually the country itself.
But are politicians and political parties alone enough to usher in ‘new politics’ in the country? Why should they do so when the ‘old politics’ continues to deliver power and pelf to them? This brings to the fore the critical ‘demand’ element in politics. New politics would be practised only when politicians and political parties sense that returns from old politics are fast diminishing.
The public seems to be disillusioned with existing leaders and political parties as has been seen in Punjab in 2022 and Tamil Nadu in 2026. They seem to be waiting for right candidates and new political parties to emerge who are willing to challenge the status quo and dominant narrative. However, this is not going to be easy. Not all new parties succeed. In my view, it would be much easier, both in terms of human, financial and physical resources, to initiate the process from the local governments rather than plunging straight into state and national politics.
The backsliding of democracy can be arrested only if people demand accountability from politicians, the government and public institutions. Academics, intelligentsia, the Press and other interest groups would need to be vigilant about public policy, debate issues and ask questions which would lead to the formulation and articulation of public opinion. The onus of restoring democracy is ultimately on us, the people of India. We cannot, for a healthy democracy, leave politics to politicians alone. People’s engagement with issues of public policy and governance has to be a continuous process, punctuated by periodical and regular free and fair elections. Elections in a democracy have to be a buyer’s market not a seller’s market, as they currently are in India. People get the government they deserve is an old cliche and, like all cliches, it is a statement that has an element of truth in it. Strengthening grassroots democracy and focusing on the quality of political leadership, political processes and dynamic citizen connect seem to be essential for checking the backsliding of democracy.
(Sunil Kumar is a visiting Senior Fellow associated with the Centre for Cooperative Federalism & Multilevel Governance in Pune International Centre and a former civil servant. Views expressed are personal.)
[i] BJP candidate, father held for ‘cutting off village water supply after poll loss’; The Indian Express, Pg.1, New Delhi, May 3, 2026
[ii] UP man dies in hit-and-run; pradhan held for murder; The Indian Express, December 13, 2025, New Delhi edition
[iii] The differential treatment meted out to Bangaru Laxman & Dilip Singh Judeo by the BJP based on their caste identities finds mention in the book ‘Caste Matters’ by Suraj Yengde; Penguin Random House India, 2019
[iv] ‘Tamil Nadu ke chunav mein is baar ajab gajab nazare dikhe’ – S.Srinivasan, Pg.8, Hindustan, 28 April, 2026, New Delhi edition
