"The political gamble"
The Assembly elections have forced the national parties to cater to the whims of regional parties
As the Assembly elections get under way, the two major parties of India — the Congress and the BJP are feeling insecure and helpless. The States of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and to an extent, Kerala are dominated by regional parties. Thus, we are not sure about the position of the Congress viz-a-viz the Left.
It was pathetic to see the Congress fighting tooth and nail for seats in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Both Mamata Banerjee and the DMK made them run from pillar to post before giving them two extra seats in their States. One felt sorry for the leaders in the Congress who were negotiating on behalf of their party. One wonders why this party finds itself at this juncture.
The BJP is no better; the top leadership is openly squabbling and giving different statements. But one has to praise Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley for being the responsible Leaders of Opposition in the Lower House and the Upper House respectively. It is good for the nation that we have such a strong opposition which keeps a check on the ruling Government. Also, the UPA has been in a state of panic about several allegations. Even the BJP is facing problems in finding the right candidates to field in each State against the coalitions there.
The Congress is finding it difficult to face the fact that it is losing its grip. The party has been hit hard by corruption. A weak Government has ruined the reputation of the top guns. The differences between the PMO and the UPA chief are increasing, thereby leading to an unstable Government. But if they manage to win Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu their arrogance will be difficult to handle. Little they would realise that the victory has been made possible by the dominance of the regional parties in the respective States.
During the seat sharing process, the list sent by the General Secretary of Youth Affairs, Rahul Gandhi also gave some trouble to the Congress. The list which didn’t feature many winnable people gave the Congress sleepless nights. Several good candidates had to be sidelined to accommodate the young guns who were mentioned in the list. It will be interesting to see how many of them win. People sitting in Delhi are not aware of the ground realities in the States.
It is very difficult at this moment for the UPA to keep it’s head above board. If General Elections are held today, the UPA knows that it won’t return to power. A weak leadership only leads to chaos and mayhem which is harmful for the nation. The leaders disrupt the Parliament, give themselves pay hikes and set a bad example for the TV viewers. Their unruly behaviour makes the aam aadmi unhappy. The MPs who are lawyers argue as if they are in court. The members shout and forget the decorum of the House.
It will be interesting to wait and watch if DMK can come back to power or if Mamata Banerjee’s new image managers can get her a clean sweep. After all, politics is a gamble and luck is a big player here.
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