I chuckle to see the quips and jokes put up by friends on WhatsApp groups after the recent Delhi elections. We must remind ourselves that there’s a certain madness that grips people when elections roll around. The air is filled with dramatic speeches, promises grander than a Bollywood climax, and battles fiercer than a cricket match between India and Pakistan. Friends turn foes, families split over dinner-table debates, and social media transforms into a war zone where everyone is either a self-appointed general or a loyal foot soldier.
And yet, here’s the truth that everyone forgets—elections are not wars.
Look at the way political parties behave. They talk about ‘crushing’ opponents, ‘obliterating’ rivals, and ‘wiping out’ the opposition. There’s more aggression in these words than in a military operation! Some leaders march into the election arena as if they were leading their troops into battle, not realizing that after all the blood, sweat, and Twitter fights, the very people they are attacking today may become their allies tomorrow.
The voters, too, are not immune to this fever. They pick their candidates with the passion of a football fan choosing a World Cup team. They fight, argue, unfriend, and block anyone who dares to think differently. “How dare you not support my candidate? Are you blind? Are you a traitor?” Some take it upon themselves to convince the entire world that if their leader does not win, democracy itself will collapse, rivers will dry up, and the sun will stop shining.
And then, the results come in.
For a few days, emotions run high. At a tea shop, a man shakes his head. “I told you, Mohan, if my party lost, I was leaving the country!”
His friend chuckles. “And where will you go? Canada?”
“No, my wife says we can’t afford the tickets. I might just move to my mother-in-law’s house. That’s punishment enough.”
Then slowly, reality sets in.
The new government takes over, and life returns to its usual rhythm. The leader who was once hailed as the ‘saviour’ begins making compromises. The ‘tyrant’ who was defeated suddenly starts looking wise in hindsight. And the citizens, who fought tooth and nail over their choices, go back to worrying about petrol prices, school fees, and the rising cost of onions.
Until the next election.
So, dear citizens, as the next election approaches, remember this:. Argue, but don’t turn friends into enemies. Support your candidate, but don’t treat the opposition as if they’re invaders from another planet.
Because elections are not wars. And no matter who wins, you’ll still have to wake up the next morning, pay your bills, and deal with that neighbour who parks in front of your gate.
At which point, a weary man sighs, “Honestly, I care less about who wins the election and more about getting Sharmaji to stop blocking my driveway!”
Some battles, after all, never end..!
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