Winning is easier five incoming governments face big challenges from debt to jobs politics as usual won’t do

Winning is easier five incoming governments face big challenges from debt to jobs politics as usual won’t do

The five-state assembly elections that began on February 10 are finally getting over. The parties or coalitions that win don’t have much time to savour their success. Desperation over the present economic scenario was writ large in many voters talking to reporters on the field. Just as the pandemic was giving way to a nascent economic recovery, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has upended all calculations. Fuel prices kept in check by the long election cycle are poised for a sharp rise unless Centre cuts taxes amid high inflation becoming the big new worry.

Uttar Pradesh with its 20 crore population and 80 Lok Sabha seats counts for a lot, not just in Indian politics, but also for India’s developmental prospects. Niti Aayog’s recent poverty estimates revealed that nearly 38% of the state’s population languished in “multidimensional” poverty. With access to higher education improving – UP alone produces 16 lakh graduates and postgraduates and diplomates every year – the clamour among youngsters preparing for competitive examinations and skilled employment is rising. The stray cattle problem, which is hurting agri incomes, will haunt the victor, irrespective of party colours.

Other states are no less stuck in their policy quagmires. Paddy cultivation in Punjab isn’t ecologically sustainable but the political leadership is struggling to provide an alternative model to the entrenched Green Revolution. Facing a tough election, chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi waived off electricity and water dues amounting to several thousand crores even as Punjab’s debt to GSDP ratio is the highest among big states in India. Goa’s loss of mining revenues and Uttarakhand’s frustration at unrealised tourism potential are reflective of the challenges many states are facing to preserve both ecology and development gains. After 20 years of stable governments, Manipur must turn its back on AFSPA during the tenure of the next government like Tripura in the last decade.

GoI and state governments are approaching a crucial phase where politics as usual is producing sub-par results. Caste census, flagging Hindu-Muslim divides, populist handouts, welfarism and unlocking government jobs were among the dominant rhetoric in these elections. Unlike these distractions, the needs of the private sector, which has contributed to creating the most jobs, growth and wealth since 1991, found scarce mention. Now that elections are over, governance must take priority again. Too many policy knots need untangling even as bad politics creates fresh problems.