ABOUT THE GREAT INDIAN JAMBOREE- HOWZAAT?

Election fever is briskly catching up in India. Political leaders, analysts, psephologists, media-world and even the citizens are busy engaged in watching the whole scenario with deserving seriousness and also with interest, excitement, palpitation and a few with a sense of detachment. Could we call this last category of people “observers”? Sorry sir, I don’t know. They are adding, substracting, dividing and also multiplying frequently the approximate number of seats to be won by each alliance and the chance of which party or alliance coming to power after all the hullabaloo is over. As the equations change overnight because of the frantic search for allies by the national parties the calculations of political analysts, psephologists and even some political leaders get angry and confused and start from the very beginning.

Three fronts or two fronts actually? The Grand Old Party (GOP) of India, Indian National Congress with a sense of nostalgia is weighing the chances of capturing the Delhi throne single-handedly so as not to depend upon the allies who are always a pain in the neck of the Party. And with a declaration to contest the elections without forming a national alliance and simultaneously forming alliances at the State level (or regional level), a farsighted approach really! In the event of the Party emerging with below the magical figure of 272- in politics anything is possible- the leaders are well aware and therefore if a chance to cobble together an alliance with the help of regional parties to reach the magic figure, the Party can very well form a Govt. at the Centre, eventhough reluctantly and also with a feeling of shame. The GOP is still nursing the sweet memories of the past, when it was able to rule India alone, without seeking the help of any other party thus getting an opportunity to implement the Party’s policies and programmes can rejoice at the “historic victory” after a gap of several years. But majority are of the opinion that coalition politics is here to stay and single party rule is a thing of past. Who is to be believed? No idea sir.

The other front is NDA alliance under BJP- the Party with a difference- and it is heartening that BJP (Bharathiya Janata Party) is not at all nurturing ambitions of capturing power at the Centre alone unlike the GOP , the leaders are on the look out for befriending as many parties as possible- regional or national to stitch together a grand alliance. They still keep the glorious memories of good old days of their reign under the leadership of the veteran leader, Atal Bihari Vajpayee- unfortunately he is bed-ridden now fighting his helplessness characteristic of old-age.

BJP had in the past , about twenty two regional parties as allies and now they find it very difficult to bring back their old friends who deserted them after unexpected defeat at the hustings in 2004.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led by Chandrababu Naidu,
AIADMK (All India Anna DMK) led by Kumari Jayalalitha, Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee and a number of splinter parties have become progressive overnight and are under the third front (except Trinamool Congress) led by none other than the leftists- which always stand for freeing India from the clutches of two bourgeois parties- The Indian National Congress and Bharathiya Janata Party- both are ‘corrupt’ and ‘communal’ and the ‘agents’ of industrial tycoons like Ambanis’, Mittals’ Birlas’,TATAs’ and like-minded fat-cats. The leftists have already fished out a deserving, charismatic and an apt leader to be the next PM who is none other than Kumari Mayawati, the UP Chief Minister and the undisputed leader of BSP (Bhujan Samaj Party). BSP, TDP, AIADMK, (unfortunately they couldn’t rope in BJD ( Biju Janata Dal of Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Orissa as he was already canvassed by BJP- his friend in need and he is very much comfortable with them). The only aim of the Leftists is to keep both Indian National Congress and Bharathiya Janata Party, away from power, and to install a Govt. of third front while supporting outside- in the role of a king-maker. It is the best way to implement their policies and programmes by arm-twisting the Govt. with the threat of withdrawing support, if their demands are not met. Howzaat?