- As The Election Commission’s model code of conduct is in, poll officials have to ensure that campaigning politicians do not distribute free goodies to potential voters in an effort to gain extra benefits from them.
- These restrictions are worked around and free-goodies-campaign is devised in an ingenious way in rural Orissa by organizing fake wedding receptions – complete with ’bride’, ‘groom’, ‘pundit’ and ‘parents’ of the ‘couple’ – where thousands of people flock from local villages for free bottle of liquor for male guest, a sari for woman, and wedding feast for everyone.
- Wedding receptions are relevant in Indian marriages and Indian democracy as they both make promises regarding loyalty and honesty in all future dealings.
- In Both forms of matrimony – dowry is demanded in the form of cash or consumer durables in holy union of husband and wife,and in unholy union of pre or post-poll political alliances dowry demanded in the form of ministerial berth.
- Tragically,many marriages and political marriages in India end in dowry deaths.In political marriages the victim(bride called democracy) is not any of the members of the coalition.
- But in coalition politics the alliances formed are marriages of convenience and are doomed to failure from the beginning which is considered natural and an art of self-survival.
Exams Perspective:
- ECI
- Democracy
- Model Code of Conduct (MCC)
- Dowry