The
first time one hears about the famous double-slit experiment in physics, one returns
perplexed, mystified. Indeed, that is the effect desired by the raconteur. The
student must be introduced to the weirdness of quantum physics at the most
basic level just so she would be able to take additional perplexities in her stride.
It
almost feels like I am going through what that student would have experienced
from the second telling of the experiment. I am talking about a candidate in
Indian elections being able to contest from more than one constituency. The
first time I thought about this situation was when Sonia Gandhi contested from
two places, from Amethi in UP and Bellary in Karnataka, in 1999. The situation
is being reprised at that level in the upcoming elections for the Lok Sabha.
The
attention grabbing character this time round is none other than the putative
prime minster, Narendra Modi, NaMo. He will be contesting from the high profile
constituency Varanasi and another one from Gujarat (the name escapes me, if
indeed it has been announced).
I
draw a parallel with the double-slit experiment in more ways than one. The
easier is the straight forward one, the first thought that comes to one’s mind –
which constituency would he discard if he won from both? This is precisely like
asking which of the two slits did that photon not go through! In case he wins
both, during the campaign he must have been, just as Sonia Gandhi, lying to people
of one of the two places, of his willingness to represent them in the
parliament. Would a Gujarati have been lying to the masses of that state? Perish
the thought. But, Varanasi, the stairway to Heaven, particularly for the RSS
man, beckons.
As
an aside, should anyone be aware of the debates in the Constituent Assembly
that endorsed our Constitution, please do let me know why it did not stipulate
that a candidate can contest from only one constituency in any particular
election.
Back
to the main discussion, to ratchet up the complexity. Just assume, and here I
will be stepping on the toes of the NaMo faithful, that he lost the high-profile
Varanasi contest (not unthinkable, but with longer odds than Jayalalithaa
appearing in a court in Bengaluru). What happens to NaMo’s street cred to lead
the country? I believe this is the thinking behind our street fighter Arvind
Kejriwal choosing a direct fight against the BJP supremo.
It
is not as though should NaMo win Varanasi, Kejriwal retires unhurt. Kejriwal has
something to lose, without a doubt. If he had chosen a “safer” constituency to
contest, he could have claimed that being in the parliament and serving the
people came first for him, whichever constituency, never mind it being “safe”.
Now, he has painted himself in a corner. If he lost Varanasi, the AAP parliamentary
party (with strength of how many ever seats) will be without its acknowledged
leader. Or, will Kejriwal pull a fast one and do a NaMo and contest from an
additional seat? It gets curioser and curioser.
This
is what happens with more complex versions of the double-slit experiment. It
now appears that even if the experimental set up is changed after the light particle
left its source, it still figures out how to adjust itself and pass through the
“right” slit (it is far too complicated for me to explain, but this is the
crux)!
So,
Indian elections are quantum experiments!
Raghuram
Ekambaram
