Elections2014 - Not all those who lost are defeated

No battle is won without losing a few brave soldiers. Elections aren't very different when it comes to victory and defeat. With the outstanding victory BJP registered, there were few candidates who lost too. Out of many, the most shocking was the news about the defeat of Shahnawaz Hussain and Arun Jeitley. Smriti Irani even with a defeat, made her fans proud. It is important to analyse the reasons for the loss of these Stalwarts.
  

Shahnawaz Hussain lost from a narrow margin of 9,000 votes! now that takes away the pain from the sting a bit. no?

Arun Jaitley on the other hand became a victim of BJP and his own mistakes and his opponents' effective strategies. First the Navjot Singh Siddhu's issue and then when finally his candidature was confirmed, Congress decided to pull out one of its Big Guns - Ex-CM Capt Amrinder Singh. While Capt Amrinder Singh focused on local issues, Arun Jaitley focused on National issues, which ofcourse helped people to find a connect with Capt. Amrinder Singh and not Arun Jaitley. Capt. Amrinder Singh in addition raised the issue of Jaitley being an 'outsider'.

What impresses me about Jaitley is that neither during election campaigns nor in defeat, did Arun Jaitley ever abandon his Gentlemanly behavior. During the campaign in Amritsar, the two opponents were seen greeting each other warmly during a morning walk. After the results were declared he made sure to greet Capt. Amrinder Singh for his victory - something other Politicians need to learn from Jaitley. 

Last but not the least, Our very own 'India's Bahu' - Smriti Zubin Irani! what a brilliant Lady - Her Poise, Her Grace and her command over language! While AAP kept trying to make the battle in Amethi look like 'RaGa V/s  Kumar Vishwas', as soon as Smriti Irani entered the battle field, it was only Her against RaGa. Kumar Vishwas was no where in the scene, which was even reflected in the poll results when Kumar Vishwas lost his deposit! Kumar Vishwas had managed to secure only 25,527 votes - a humiliating defeat. The margin between Smriti Irani and RaGa was 1.08 Lakh - not a Huge gap, considering previous margins registered by the Gandhi scion. 

Not all those who have lost are defeated. So, along with the victorious, let us not forget the dedicated soldiers who gave a tough fight to their mighty opponents and who made sure that a huge part of the resources and efforts of the other party were concentrated in defeating them. In many ways, they served as a mighty shield that helped keep others safe. A huge Salute and a round of applause for them. 

Elections 2014 : a lesson from Mahabharat for indecisive minds

As we draw closer to the Lok Sabha Elections 2014, a lot of people still seem to be confused as to who deserves their vote. A new party raises its voice against corruption and enters into politics claiming itself to be honest, but soon loses its credibility. The ruling party tries to appear Honest, secular and pro-development but its track record speaks otherwise. The opposition's PM candidate though has a track record that speaks for itself, the party also has few members that face corruption charges. Other parties that aspire to rule the Nation as 3rd front, have their own closets full of skeletons. In short, no party is spotless. 

Those who plan to vote based on religion and caste, or for some other personal gains, have little confusion. Ignorance is bliss, right? And equally true is the corollary - 'He who increases knowledge, increases sorrows.'  The ones that know the true value of their vote and are aware of every party's blots are left disillusioned. The desire to find an 'ideal' party, with spotless track record and that can solve people's problems immediately, turns this disillusionment into utter confusion. Such 'aware' individuals are thus not able to pick a side. And even when they do, they don't let their choice spare anyone from their criticism. Blindly following any party is dangerous and Criticism is good...BUT timing is crucial. Most of such individuals fail to realise this.

This predicament reminds me of a story from Mahabharat -

The most powerful of all the warriors present at the beginning of the great war was Barbareek (बरबरीक). Barbareek, Grandson of Bheem and Son of Ghatotkach, after completing his education, had Promised his Guru that he would only fight for the weaker side in a battle, and so, in the beginning, he joined the Pandavas. Pandavas rejoiced while Kauravas were alarmed. But it was only Shree Krishna who was able to see what this really could lead to, and hence Barbareek was prevented from joining any side. Why was the most powerful warrior present at that time, who could have finished the war in matter of minutes, not allowed to join the war? because his promise to his Guru would not let him remain on one side. He would join the weaker side and kill warriors of the other side till the stronger side is now reduced to the weaker one. And so, he would again switch sides, till all are killed and only he remains. 

Powerful enough to change the course of the war, but too confused to pick a side and stick with it - Barbareek represents today's aware, disillusioned and confused individuals. Such enlightened minds are excellent when it comes to constructive criticism. But is this the right time for such discussions? 

Pick a side and join the battle.

Defending Salman Khurshid on Impotence

Often I've heard people talking about fashion and its trends, saying things like 'Red is the new black'. For a Neandersexual man like myself, such jargons have been difficult to understand, until today. Today when I heard Salman Khurshid saying that Narendra Modi is 'impotent', the one phrase that came to my mind was, "Salman Khurshid is the new Digvijay Singh". Digvijay Singh is known for his prowess in voicing his mental diarrhea, but since long
seems to have taken sabbatical. Meanwhile, other Congress leaders appear to be trying tirelessly to fill the void, with Khurshid on the forefront. The thought that scares me the most is that what if Digvijay Singh is not on a sabbatical, but actually training other congress leaders in the art? Nooooo!

Since I am a man, and one that likes to observe, I like to think that I know a thing or two about human nature, especially about males. If a man himself is not able to perform well, to make himself look better, he may try to prove other males totally inadequate, sexually or otherwise. 'Overcompensation' is the term used for this kind of behavior. Also, males and females, at times, are known to try and defame the other person when their romantic/sexual advances are not met with welcome and are denied the pleasure. Their ego is hurt when they receive a blow of rejection. I leave it on the sensible readers to take a pick in Mr. Khurshid's case. There may be another case which we may consider. It is quite possible that Salman Khurshid may have confused Elections with Errections. No?

I would like to add, in any situation, remarks like these are highly sexist. Do we really want such sexist Politicians? If he has such respect for a fellow male, I highly doubt his ideas on 'Women Empowerment', a cause so close to Rahul Baba's heart. While the paid media is busy portraying Rahul Jee as an entertaining fool, He once again 'rose to occasion' and criticised Mr. Khurshid's use of the term. Why drag Rahul Baba in Khurshi-Modi feud? 

Khurshid, after the noise made by BJP and other parties on the use of the Hindi word 'Napunsak', which means impotent, clarified that he meant it in a figurative way and not literally. Offcourse he meant it figuratively. what did you buffoons think? He, afterall, is an Oxford alumni. He may have displaced sense of values, but Language? No, Sir. He has an excellent command over it. And hence, we may also conclude that, in his sense of the word, every Chief Minister of every state that ever saw a riot, be it Delhi, Kashmir, Assam, Muzaffarnagar etc. too are Napunsak/impotent. Now, I personally cant agree more. What about you?