Change we'll get?

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss," goes a line from an immortal song by legendary 1960s rock band The Who, and this could sum up the concern of the electorate. There is a clamour for change -- if not in politicians and their parties, at least in the politics -- inspired first by the Barack Obama campaign, and enhanced manifold by the terror attack on Mumbai November last. <br><br>

Will this time be different? Rhetoric is best left to politicians and sophists, and while I can't in all honesty say that I am chuffed, my cynicism has been somewhat diluted because of some interesting developments -- either mandated or voluntary -- leading up to the polls. <br><br> Take the declaration of wealth by candidates, which has rightly been played up by the media. Often, politics is seen as extended 'social service' rather than a career, and it would be fair to say that for many decades, politicians have exploited this perception to improve their vote bank rather than their performance. <br><br> I am in a better frame of mind when I know what the candidates are worth, what kind of assets they hold, how their wealth has grown (or diminished) since the previous elections. The wealth of a person is obviously not a character certificate, but provides an insight into the personality nonetheless -- apart of course, from throwing up sharp surprises. <br><br> For instance, Khimji Patadia, a businessman from Kandivali who has thrown his hat into the ring, has declared himself to be worth a whopping Rs 514 crore! I won't dwell on his prospects, but it takes some courage to disclose so much wealth as a complete non-entity, though it is unlikely he will remain unknown any longer. <br><br> Not everbody is obviously cut from the same cloth as Patadia, but the number of crorepatis contesting this time is nevertheless staggering. Even LK Advani and the Gandhis, mother Sonia and son Rahul - otherwise believed to be above business interests and other monetarily rewarding pursuits -- are worth a couple of crores each. <br><br> Whether this reflects either the growing economic clout of the country or of the individual is immaterial, but such transparency is invaluable. <br><br> It could be argued that this must make them unaware of the real issues and interests of the poor aam aadmi, which all politicians claim to espouse, but that is a narrow interpretation. At the very least, now there is no justification for policies that keep the common man from becoming at least as wealthy! <br><br> The decision by some business people to come out in open support of some candidates was also unexpected, but is most welcome because it suggests a maturing of the political process. It is an open secret that business houses fund parties - often across the political spectrum - but endorsing a candidate, as Adi Godrej and Deepak Parekh have done in the case of South Mumbai's Milind Deora -- whether out of conviction or convenience -- at least puts what has always been considered as behind-the-scenes-treaties into the open for public discourse. <br><br> And finally, a series of televised debates between Manmohan Singh, LK Advani a nominee of the Left Front would have added an interesting and cerebral dimension to a campaign that is otherwise resonating with several fatigued, or predictable emotive issues. <br><br> Of course, what these debates would have contained is anybody's guess, considering that the manifestoes of all parties seem to be harping on similar things. I would like to know for instance - apart from how terrorism will be tackled - what the detailed programs of the respective parties are on managing the environment in a period of massive economic growth, how health care can be improved in a country where most people still can't afford doctors/medicines, or an education drive that focuses on empowering the female sex to shake off a centuries long cultural malaise. <br><br> Maybe that is the next stage of the evolutionary cycle in making India a more robust democracy.