Voting for close to 220 seats is over. Many political luminaries have had their ballots cast in their respective constituencies. The contest is still far from over. Who will win the polls? Will any party get a majority or are we to be consigned to the dark days of 1990's with a Third Front Government. The thought sends a shudder down the spine. Most regional parties have however been able to have their say at the Centre be it in the NDA or UPA governments. Either by way of TDP or Mamata Banerjee or CPM.
They have been able to hold to ransom key government initiatives which would have made a lot of difference to the people.
Congress is staring at a rout. Opinion polls and general perceptions confirm this. Ten years of rule has brought it to a phase where it is not realistically looking to form its government - rather it's looking to support a non-Congress government from outside like in Delhi. We all know what happened there. BJP on the other hand looks strong. Modi is going all out, campaigning as far as Kerala and Manipur. He has to his credit, given local parties such as AIADMK a jolt. People are tending to be swayed by his oratory. Leaders of those parties too are great orators - so, they should know a thing about what he is doing.
Congress is trying out all its cards in its pack - from Sonia to Rahul and now Priyanka... it shows the desperation of the party. It relies solely on the Gandhi family to bring in votes. Last time around, in 2009, when things were different, Priyanka was not brought out in the open. But now, things are grim. Sonia Gandhi is a lady with political instincts. The fight is between her and Narendra Modi. Both have a large profile as national figures... Both have areas where the other cannot lay a claim to. Sonia Gandhi can still sway about 15-20 seats at this stage, which is substantial. About 300 seats still have to vote.
Rahul has plummeted even smaller, owing to his silly gaffes and evasive postures. His words carry little weight with the public. Most seem amused by him. Such a poor grooming of him by the most political family of India is surprising. Maybe he sorely lacks political instincts in contrast to his sister, and is much like the early Rajiv Gandhi. Congress seems to have blundered in promoting him at all costs, rather than giving Priyanka a chance. At least when she talks, people sit and notice.
A new government will be formed in May. All eyes are on the results. Even foreign governments are eagerly awaiting the outcome. Elections in India are an important event. Let us all hope a stable government takes office. Let us hope regional parties do not have a say in running it. Our fingers are crossed. Things need to look up now.
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