Power games

 

 

Election periods are normally marked by steady power supply in an otherwise bleak electricity scenario, the assumption of political parties being that until the vote had been cast, the voter had to be kept in good humour. Once polling was over, he can go to hell, load shedding or no load shedding.

In Kerala’s faction-ridden ruling CPM, this logic was taken to another level. The election period in Kerala – about a month-long – was marked by no-load shedding, except an Election Commission directive asking the state government to impose a half-hour power cut for two weeks. Predictably, after voting concluded on April 16, the government formally withdrew the load shedding schedule effective from July, 2008. Temporary load shedding is common in Kerala, enforced during festivals and examinations, besides the month-long polls.

Kerala’s power department said the decision to withdraw load shedding was taken after "micro-level calculations about power consumption and production." In a state where Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan and state party secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan, are at loggerheads, the withdrawal order has led to another firefight. "Why did they not take this decision before the elections. It could have been used as an issue to woo voters in favour of the government", is the query thrown at the chief minister.

The lack of coordination between ruling party and the government is evident. What is even more jarring is the need to indulge in politics in a power-rich state like Kerala. According to Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) officials, there is enough water in the 18 dams of Kerala, which produce more than 1,324 million units of power. An awareness campaign by the KSEB has had a positive impact and consumption of power has dropped from 49.3 million units (MUs) to 46 million at peak times. KSEB spokesperson Mohammad Ciyal told TSI, “Actually, before the polls, we were not sure about what the metrological prediction was going to be.’’ For the Left, the question to ask is this: Is the argument logical enough to keep Pinarayi Vijayan in good humour?