mid day editorial: Make pre-poll meets about policy, not rival-bashing

25 April,2019 07:15 AM IST |  Mumbai  |  mid-day online correspondent

One is not nau00c3u00afve, it is understood that candidates will be more visible, seemingly empathetic and tout all they have done so far in their endeavour to bag votes


We have just a few days to go before Mumbaikars go to the polls on Monday, April 29. There have been a slew of 'meet your candidate' meetings arranged by locals who have been inviting leaders so that they can be grilled about their performance in the past five years, and deliverables if they come to power.

One is not naïve, it is understood that candidates will be more visible, seemingly empathetic and tout all they have done so far in their endeavour to bag votes. These meetings are expected to see rivals from political parties trying to outdo each other on the performance plank.

Yet, these meets should be productive, where the focus must be on how the candidate will work and the deliverables for the future. While one acknowledges this is about the national government, big issues where the Centre is involved in making policy should be tackled. It is disappointing that many of these meets have turned out to be little more than rivals bashing and taking swipes at one another.

At other times, candidates have not outlined what exactly they will do to address a concern, and have been content with making some conciliatory noises rather than have any kind of meaningful hard talk about the problems at hand. In this way, they seek and do succeed in pulling the wool over people's eyes.

There would be more respect for them if they stuck to the point, admitted lapses and promised to tackle issues with a definite plan and timeline. Circumventing the subject, derailing the aim of the meet by bashing each other is escaping the real purpose of being there at all. They are deceiving nobody but themselves.

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