By elections in Karnataka: Who’s responsible?
Election commission has declared elections in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, along with three Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka. Mandya, Ballari and Shivamogga districts will have to face an unexpected election before they go to polls again in the next five months owing to this decision. The elected representative will last for a term of only a few months before the new one is chosen. Isn’t this a little expensive to use resources just so that the whole process has to be repeated again? As per the EC, three Lok Sabha seats have been lying vacant since the last few months so conducting the election is inevitable. But the question that arises right now is the usefulness of a candidate who’d be elected for a matter of few months.
Many political parties and politicians have voiced their opinions regarding this. How committed would this few months’ MP be, in his/her service to his voters? No sooner does he/she begin the work, there would be a poll code for 2019 elections. At best, this election would be a preparation ground for the forthcoming one. And officers would rule the roost for all that while in these constituencies. Two visits to Delhi and the MP would be home again ending his/her term. Isn’t this an insult to the democracy? Voters and the entire ecosystem would be taken for granted with this. Who are those people who made the elections inevitable at this moment? Instead of blaming something as hazy as a ‘system’, we need to identify persons who used the system to their convenience and pushed people into this inevitable phase.
When elected representatives meet with a sudden death, an election is understandable. But in this case, the elections have been imposed on people owing to vested political gains. Those who wanted to continue in state politics, why did they contest for Lok Sabha seats at all? Why did they assure their voters things that they could never fulfil? When they resign after such long drawn process, isn’t that much like cheating on his/her own people? Whoever wins these effectively temporary seats may contest again in the 2019 elections for sure. This irresponsibility has to end with immediate effect.
One candidate should not be allowed to contest from two seats of different or same houses so as to avoid investment of men and machinery later, to uphold democracy. If a candidate makes a decision of vacating one seat owing to his fancy, the EC has to make him pay up the expenses of conducting elections unless there’s a tangible reason to his vacating the seat. Because when people contest the elections that they made inevitable, and contest for the same seat in the same phase from two parties, he/she is mocking the democracy and nothing less. This has to be controlled and stopped to ensure candidates don’t get away with their powerful whims. Else, such operations will cost a lot of resources for the state and the agencies in repeated instances in the near future.
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Australia 67/7 at stumps in reply to India's 150 on Day 1 of first Test
Perth, Nov 22: Australia suffered a stunning batting collapse as they managed 67 for 7 at stumps in reply to India's 150 in the first innings on Day 1 of the first Test here on Friday.
India, who were all out for 150 from 49.4 overs at the stroke of tea, grabbed seven Australian wickets in 27 overs in the final session of the day.
Alex Carey (19 batting) and Mitchell Starc (6 batting) were at the crease at stumps, as Australia trail by 83 runs. Seventeen wickets fell on the day on a lively pitch at the Perth Stadium.
Australia's abject surrender could be seen from the fact that Carey was their highest scorer while Travis Head and debutant Nathan McSweeney made 11 and 10 respectively. All the other Australian batters could not reach double-digit figures.
For India, captain Jasprit Bumrah (4/17) was the pick of the bowlers while Mohammed Siraj (2/17) and debutant Harshit Rana (1/33) also chipped in.
Earlier, electing to bat, India lost six wickets in the second session to be all out for 150.
Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy top-scored with 41 off 59 balls while Rishabh Pant chipped in with 37. Opene KL Rahul got out to a controversial caught behind decision just before lunch after scoring 26 off 74 balls.
For Australia, Josh Hazlewood (4/29), Mitchell Starc (2/14), Mitchell Marsh (2/12) and captain Pat Cummins (2/67) were the wicket-takers.
Brief Scores:
India: 150 all out in 49.4 overs (KL Rahul 26, Rishabh Pant 37, Nitish Kumar Reddy 41; Josh Hazlewood 4/29).
Australia: 67 for 7 in 27 overs (Alex Carey batting 19; Jasprit Bumrah 4/17).
