Love language

Sir — Using Artificial Intelligence to get work done quickly and with greater efficiency is now commonplace. But AI is also proving to be more efficient at romance than humans. A Bengaluru-based woman has alleged that her romantic rendezvous was spoiled when she found her date to be quite dull and inarticulate — a far cry from his online persona, which was witty and charming. His admission that he had used AI in his chats led the woman to suspect that the online persona that had swept her off her feet was not real. Perhaps the man is just a believer in the adage: all is fair in love and war.

Aniruddha Sarkar, Calcutta

Democracy tainted

Sir — After the Bharatiya Janata Party won the Lok Sabha seat in Surat before voting was even held, the contest in Indore seems to have become a cakewalk for the party (“Surat-like setback for Congress in Indore”, April 30). Since the BJP’s machinations in Surat raised eyebrows, it has not done away with the scope of a contest altogether in Indore. Since the last date for filing nominations in Indore has passed, the Congress will not be able to field a candidate from there. Shankar Lalwani of the BJP is thus
expected to win. Such steps are harming India’s democratic fabric. The BJP is flexing its political and economic muscles. India’s slide on the global indices of democracy seems inevitable.

Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur

Sir — In a major blow to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, its candidate in Indore, Akshay Kanti Bam, withdrew his nomination at the eleventh hour (“Shared spots”, May 3). It is regrettable that electoral politics in India has been reduced to a game. The Opposition seems to have no answer to the BJP’s arm-twisting tactics. The Congress must focus on internal restructuring. The BJP’s attempt to totally decimate the Opposition is inimical to the nation’s democratic fabric.

Jayanta Datta, Hooghly

Sir — A sporting event is only enjoyable when players from both sides have an equal chance of winning and if the game is played in the right spirit. If one side receives a walkover, or if charges of match-fixing are proven, the game becomes unpalatable for the spectators. In the current battle for supremacy in Parliament, two instances of the BJP getting an advantage owing to Congress candidates either being disqualified or withdrawing their nomination will be similarly disheartening for voters. The failure of the Congress to retain the loyalty of its candidates and the BJP’s opportunism in snapping them up are both indicative of the impoverishment of ideology-based politics in present-day India.

Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly

Sir — The news of the disqualification of the Congress candidate’s nomination in Surat was followed by the news from Indore where the Congress candidate voluntarily withdrew his nomination at the last moment before switching sides and joining the BJP. The Election Commission of India would be doing the voters of both constituencies a disservice if it does not issue alternative dates for the filing of nominations for these seats. Politicians’ chicanery should not be a reason to deprive citizens of their right to exercise their franchise fairly. If an elected candidate from a constituency either dies or switches parties, does the EC award the seat to the candidate who got the second-highest number of votes? In both Surat and Indore, the election should be postponed.

Joseph Kalathil S.J., Jamshedpur

Sir — Akshay Kanti Bam’s withdrawal from the electoral contest in Indore was a gift for the BJP. With Bam wasting no time in switching loyalties, the BJP will most likely be laughing its way to the finishing line, while the Congress is left with a bloody nose.

Avinash Godboley, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh