Though the study results are true on open mind the reality test is the power of vote bank is the primary cause of failure of election, we endowed the universal franchise and cant restrict the entry into the election fray on any ground than unsound mind and criminal antecedence.
Over the years the Election commission is playing a secondary role by consulting the party dictates instead of people voice is the real cause to be addressed now.

I must submit again that, no analysis is really going to cure the election system in India from the systemic cancer of corruption. "Corruption" has been confined only to the limits of earning money and obtaining wealth that is not rightfully and legally due which, in law, is also tantamount to in terms of "unjust enrichment" at the cost of the country's/people's interest. But, no one starts at the beginning, following the motto that charity (or, morality and chastity) must and really does begin at home. Unless the feeling of one's remaining "honest" in terms of moral firmament, lack of avarice and respect to the social values is instilled into and followed all one's life by any person, there cannot be "moral integrity" underlying monetary/pecuniary honesty. Look at the permissiveness prevailing in the filmdom/show business/fashion world. In the prevailing scenarion where the society at large--if the society (including once puritan and above all doubts morally honest Communists of all colours)--does not only permit but even honours and recognises the right to such liberties being taken just for making money, there is just no question of talking only of corruption in terms of the looting for ages by the "babus" under the patronage and direct support/protection of the rulers and their stooges. One must never forget that piracy was the royally sponsored business of the rulers of the West who plundered the world and the result is what Indians spend money to hanker after:the "great" destinations like London, Rome, etc. In India, during the decaying stages of the great Mughals at least, every Raja/potentate/zamindar was a dacoit. Many of their projeny are law makers today.

It is in this context that any analysis of the culture/religion/mandate of corruption in the bureaucracy from the TOP to the bottom and in the ruling classs (elite) must be analysed and viewed. It is indeed ludicrous to target only politicians' and bureaucrats' corruption, forgetting the present values of social morality, in terms inter alia of revealing and certainly provocative dresses, drinking culture, the total ruin of the (feudal?) institution of marriage, etc., as submitted above.

A childhood and lifelong friend was a chief income tax commissioner, handling high profile cases and finally retiring, witout any grudge though, totally unsung and rather derided for failure (failing?) to make and share money that was and still is expected of the officers in such posts/Service. Forget about his unpublished memoirs, I just want to share his feeling of shame and guilt as an election expenditure observer. Without going into details, I may just say that, in his words, his experience brought him again (after his own personal sense of deprivation and exclusion during the childhood and formative years and the experiences of his postings in small towns/hamlets in various parts of the country) face-to-face with the hollowness of the country's apology to "democracy" and a farcical election system. According to him, every candidate, be one an independent or from a political party, from a rich/wealthy family or from a poor economic background, resorts to the same rules of the game and the entire process of election is based on and oiled/funded by black money acquired through the court-approved principle of unjust enrichment. According to him, there just can never be any "honest" politician, at least none in power as the supporters are to be bought and bribed--till the time at least the person reaches his/her goal. And the path is really adorned by loot, murders, rapes, criminal activities with profit-sharing with IAS/IPS?IRS?Forest Service top guns and their (costlier) subordinates on the field. It is simply not possible for any candidate ever to even dream of entering the fray.

I myself remember my college days--college elections (university election is too big and murky a world) were very expensive even in the late fifties and now it is a trillion dollar exercise compelling the Supreme Court taking note of the happenings in terms of money--murders apart. Even a cooperative housing society or residents' association or jagrata committee (like the Bengalis' Durga Puja committee) elections have never been any exception.

Then why must we cause the people such suffering by holding traffic and circuses in the name of anti-corruption rally, when every common man (including bureaucrats) must shell out money to get emergency treatments at hospitals (govt. or pvt.) or oay capitation fees to even pre-school business persons (what to talk of pvt colleges and public schools "of excellence"), to the thanedars/municipal/panchayat officials and officers irrespective of the state/city/town/panchayat regularly?

Let the self-proclamed leaders of anti-corruption delve i8nto these aspects and ask first whether they believe (unlike doctors!) in the adage:heal thyself, doctor. How many top doctors in the suoper speciality hospitals (govt/pvt) and top lawyers or accountancy professionals account for and declare all their income in their IT statements? I know (through my IT friend who retired without a dwelling place or immovable prioprty) of many leading lights in these professions who, especially in "silk", demand 90% fees in cash and only a token in cheque. I also came to know that a very wellknown vigilance ikon enjoyed the gold pass issued by the railways when a very big railway scam of corruption was being probed under him. Taking libertyy of going on unauthorised leave is no exceptio, unless one were to argue that, I may do all I like but the entire bureaucracy and poltical ruling class must be honest! I was told of an example of honesty personified in an upright IPS officer (from BC, of ourse, and unrelated to any powerful mama/chacha or having any godfather) of the Maharashtra Cadre. He was the CVO of a PSU. In the course of his duties he stumbled upon evidence of mammoth corruption against the CMD and the ministry summarily relieved of his post by a fax on a day he was on CL. It is a different matter that the CMD was removed years later, after he had stashed billions abroad.

This being the backdrop, why must the ruling family and their subordinates in the party and the affiliates alone be targetted, leaving the other parties and their leaders only because they unfortunately missed the bus and are ready to cross the floor if the bid money is right?

The society is corrupt. Those who go on protecting the earthen lamp at the Tulsi altar from being extiguished in a stormy night with their palms are doing their job in silence, not on Ramlila Ground or in luxary islands/cruisers with foreign nobodies (at least for the common masses) or in yoga classes in the richest people's huge garden houses or in their own (unexplained) roperties. The media must ponder too if it is free of all such inherent problems of control by big business. Those who feel for the sufferings of the millions of marginalsed/nameless commoners suffer in silence with their fellow human beings and annoint their injuries without seeking funds to float politial parties.
One thing is certain, as my still optimistic friend thinks too. It is much safer for one family or one known conglomerate ruling the country in whatever mannwer they like than to allow plunderes of unknown antecedents or with criminal past to act as Taimur Longs.
Sonia Gandhi at least does not rush every moment to the press or the podium to declare that every allegation/report against her (like those of rape) is all deliberately and maliciously being planted (having paid the alleged victims to so say) to discredit her govt.
One need sanity now just to stand by the common people--not agitations. And, for at least five years, let Sadhus and Yogis refrain themselves from delving into ephemeral issues of power games. They, against the canons of the Hindu religious embargoes, are merrily making untaxed money--let them do so, but not at the cost of the working people's interst. Let them rather follow that fool,Vivekand or the great Baba Amte who remained incognito for years before the world at latrge knew about his work.
And let them not seek media coverage too!