A tale of two elections

To students of Parsi politics, the 2015 Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) election results were not much of a surprise. Only one out of the five front-runners lost. Seven years ago, only one out of the seven front-runners had won. Ironically, Dadrawala, the lone survivor of the Adult Franchise for Progress (AFP) ‘dream panel,’ who had barely squeaked into the seventh place in 2008, won the highest number of votes in 2015. The electorate apologized for its blunder in style. The circle of life has turned.
The differences between the two elections (2008 and 2015) were stark. The earlier election was boisterous, ribald, aggressive, colorful, loud and hedonistic; this year’s affair was lacklustre, sedate, sombre, cautious and sparse. Jafferbhai’s biryani was replaced with small packaged water bottles. Rowdy and large gatherings (induced to attend less by the fiery speeches and more by the sali ma murghi to follow) became quiet and polite question-answer sessions (barring a little ruffle here and there). In 2008, the voter had to choose between the Dinshaw Mehta-WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) combine and the AFP panel. This year, there were no opposing panels but a selection from at least a dozen ‘serious’ candidates. However, the top three elected, co-incidentally, did campaign as a group, as did the four ‘army guys’ (as they came to be called). The voter was clearly in a mood to vote for the individual on merits. The bogey of "religion in danger” raised in 2008 by Mehta-WAPIZ was blissfully missing this time around.
Historically, the BPP electorate was captured by a couple of dominant individuals (Maneck Mistry, B. K. Boman-Behram, Dr Nelie Noble, to name a few), then by a coterie or its more fashionable sounding label of ‘ginger group’ (CER — Committee for Electoral Rights), and in the last decade by the famed election machinery of Dinshaw Mehta (much experienced with the Bombay Municipal Corporation elections relentlessly won by his family over 40 years). This ruthlessly efficient election machine managed to humble a far superior opponent in 2008. However, in this election, the machinery stuttered and fell silent. Thirty-eight-year-old Viraf Mehta’s victory was on his own youthful support. In fact, he would have secured many more votes had he borne a different surname.

(L-R): BPP trustees Noshir Dadrawala, Zarir Bhathena and Kersi Randeria

The men from the services did create an initial flutter but ultimately their inexperience in community matters became a negative. The electorate, singed by the terrible happenings in the BPP boardroom, was in no mood to experiment with novices – however brave and honest. The startlingly good showing of the experienced tax official Hoshang Jal reinforces this view.
The only surprise outcome was the fourth place victory of outgoing trustee, Yazdi Desai, mired in controversy and conflict. Toning down the strident WAPIZ Page, marshalling support from BPP trustee Arnavaz Mistry and candidate Kersi Randeria, convincingly explaining his role to the voters, Desai deftly sold his seemingly unsellable story to the electorate. Luckily for him, none of his other colleagues were in the fray as that could have been a disgust factor for the electorate, spurring it to punish all sitting trustees.
Six months ago, none would have believed that the 2008 topper Arnavaz Mistry would not seek reelection. After the redoubtable Lady Jehangir, she would have been the only woman chairperson. Barring health, we can think of no other reason to abjure a certain return. The rising youth star of the earlier elections, Jimmy Mistry, realized that he would rather focus on his fast growing business than helplessly watch the idiotic wrangling every Tuesday. The third Mistree, Khojeste, lacked his earlier messianic energy levels to recontest. The last seven years have taken their toll on every trustee barring the chief protagonists, Mehta, who, though legally advised that he was eligible to recontest, preferred his son to make the entry; and Desai, whose strategic alliance with Randeria, aided by his social worker wife’s immense goodwill resulted in a surprise victory.
From being a roaring lion of the orthodox cause in 2008, WAPIZ kept a low profile not to hurt Desai’s chances in this election. WAPIZ is fast losing its rationale to exist, what with an interfaith marriage in almost every family now. The liberals avenged their humiliating defeat in style with the victory of Randeria and Zarir Bhathena. The priest banning, Russian bashing and stridently fundamentalist combine, unable to digest the euphoria of its unexpected victory over the liberal elite, and believing itself to be infallible, was destroyed by the masterly strategy of Randeria. If the last election was hijacked by Mehta against all odds, Randeria was clearly the hero this time. He cajoled, bullied, blustered, bulldozed and conjured up a winning team from nowhere. Mehta did not have electable candidates except his son, as even Maneck Davar, who rather surprisingly lost, preferred a solo campaign and possibly paid the price for his mistake.
Parsi politics not only makes strange bedfellows but encourages frequent change of partners. In 2008, Mehta and Desai bitterly fought Randeria. In 2011, Mehta and Randeria joined forces to defeat Desai’s wife. In this election, Desai allied with Randeria and Bhathena (who has filed criminal defamation against Desai and others) and they fought Mehta. The behind the scene negotiations just prior to the elections would have made a seasoned politician proud. Pre poll, Muncherji Cama was expected to effortlessly sail back into the boardroom with a compromise to be signed before the Charity Commissioner ending the resignation drama. Post poll, Desai felt uncomfortable with Cama’s reentry and the compromise was nixed. Two more by-elections are on the horizon, with one of them certain in March to fill Armaity Tirandaz’s retirement. Xerxes Dastur will be the front-runner.
The masoor paavs, as distinguished from their NCPA (National Centre for the Performing Arts) counterparts, emerged victorious in both elections, but with a difference. In 2008, the inexperienced cooks of universal adult franchise baked a rotten pie. In 2015, they matured to deliver an edible product.