The devastation caused by a vicious electoral campaign for the 17th Lok Sabha has cast a troublesome shadow on India's future. Citizens who have witnessed 10 or more elections in free India would readily agree that electoral politics has never sunk so low in the past as it has now. Truth and national interest were victims while destruction of the political enemy became the sole purpose of fighting the election. Yet there is one very bright side that needs celebration. The redeeming feature has been the integrity of the election process and the mechanics of registering the choice of the voter. While the overall electoral turnout in this general election has been put at a tentative 67.11%, making it a historic one, there have been no proven instances of booth capture. Most importantly, there has been no credible evidence of any material failure of electronic voting machine (EVM) technology. But this is evaluating democracy against a low bar. While the body of democracy might still be reasonably healthy, what must trouble every citizen is the the deep corruption of the soul of democracy. First, the credibility and effectiveness of Parliament, the very institution that we have so painstakingly sent our representatives to, is set to experience a further erosion. The culture of aggressive disruption by the Opposition might get chronic, given that there has been no evidence that political parties will place the nation ahead of their political interests. Parliament can discharge its responsibility of law-making, only if parliamentarians rise above partisan interests. Second, while Indian foreign policy has remained somewhat underwhelming and defensive (with the exception of the liberation of Bangladesh, and the Balakot attack), the growing nexus between a rogue neighbour and an ascendant superpower in the region has highlighted the radical need for an assertive policy within the framework of non-aggrandisement. That requires a risk-taking ability within a narrow space for manoeuvrability. It needs the government and the Opposition to stand as one. However, the behaviour of both national parties does little to inspire confidence in this direction.