The final phase of elections at IIMB has begun and there are some very high stakes - the President and the Culsecy being the two most sought-after posts on campus, bringing with them immense power and fame. Now why on earth am I writing about this on a pleasant Sunday evening during one of the most 'vella' weekends I would probably see in my stint here? Because, I strongly believe elections bring out the worst in people. A populist vote doesn't really go a long way in ensuring happiness of the stakeholders involved, as is evident from the way our country has turned out to be over the last few years. Then, what justifies all the hype surrounding them? Why do best friends suddenly become your worst enemies just because you are not on the same side, let alone that, just because you are not on their side? Why are people left with only a bitter taste in their mouths after every such election? Why are the remnants nothing but bad blood and acidic remarks which leave you feeling cold in the aftermath?
Leaving the emotions aside, does a populist vote lead to the victory of the best candidate, the person most suited for the post? Region, gender, section, block – yes, these are the loyalties that determine the fate of candidates, not arcane and mundane words like capability, qualification, experience – Ha! You say these words and you’re mocked and jeered till you also label yourself with one of the aforementioned categories. For instance, the President is the only representative of the batch on multitudes of forums, from seminars and interactions with incoming dignitaries to the first face that the faccha batch sees on campus. Do we really want that person to be someone who won only because he belongs to a certain region, which incidentally, has the largest vote bank on campus? Definitely not!
My experience of the last few days has left me resentful, not only of this system, but also of the inherent competitive and destructive streak in people. If this is what I’ve witnessed in one of the best B-schools in the country, it chills me to think that this just might be the way the men who run our world are chosen.
