The point that caught my eye is
" The Election Commission has been rightly commended for undertaking and accomplishing successfully a monumental exercise with remarkable skill, ingenuity and stamina, while ensuring that the process remains open and transparent"

Why cant we have a similar commission after the election is over and leaders get elected to keep a tab at their performance ..this way there is a certain level of accountability..to use the author's words the mighty might still come to the door steps of the humble instead of kicking them out..

While I respect Andre Béteille, I find it dissappointing that he does not look at the sham aspects of India democracy.
1. Its a VIP-oriented culture, with politicians hankering after Z and Z+ status, measuring themselves by the no. of security guards and escort vehicles. Nehru was never afraid of people, he used to love rushing into crowds. But his daughter and descendants were/are - waving at a huge faceless mass of people from a stage. So are the rest of the imitative politicians. It was funny to watch Priyanka preening as the old ladies touched her face. Their lives were fulfilled! TV cameras loved the Devi descended to earth!
2. Its a mobocracy, with voices of thoughtful individuals being shouted down, intimidated or drowned out. Try asking inconvenient questions at any rally of a candidate.
3. Its an entertaining show to the TV show hosts, where shouting matches masquerade as debates. The show hosts calculate their worth by the decibel level and the heat generated - good for TRPs. Their style of questioning is inquisitorial and the spokesmen act like gladiators of Rome.
4. It raises the temperature by giving the impression that lives will change after elections. When we remember that it does not, it induces apathy.
5. Its first-past-the-post model is anachronistic, a slavish imitation of the British model. It does not reflect the will of the people who voted for the losing candidates.
6. We all know that candidates will largely forget their voters once they get into parliament. So democracy and feedback mechanisms are absent for the voters between elections. They are impotent and powerless, except at election time. There is no right of recall.