Ashok Gehlot has finally set the cat amongst the pigeons. Reservations! Reservations for all ? the great equaliser. First, caste reservations and now we have a demand for economic reservation. How about reservation based on individual IQs? Why stop? The more areas we find to ?reserve?, the faster we will become an equal society! Frankly, the whole thing is a bit of a joke and the Indian public has learned well that one way to get their demands met, however foolish, is by blackmailing the politician on the eve of an election. Once the mandate is declared, constituents are forgotten and rich or poor, lower caste or upper, are all treated with scorn, their needs and demands neglected beyond belief. The country goes back to being an anarchic octopus!
Watching the campaigns one wonders whether we are witnessing serious politics in a country that desperately needs help and care, or whether a pantomime is unfolding. A highly intelligent woman and many times victor in her elections, Vasundhra Raje has been anointed as the BJP?s chief ministerial candidate. Her track record in her constituency as well as at the Centre has been consistent and above average. Why then this fancy dress parade? Is she going to dress in a lehenga kanchli with bangles up to her shoulders if and when she becomes CM?
The people of this country are not fooled by all these shenanigans. If you can communicate in their language, deliver the goods and show ongoing action, which Vasundhra has done in the past, they can be won over and they then stand by. Bad advice. The Congress had been ?trailing? but it is believed that they have caught up and are at the 50/50 mark!
Unconfirmed reports based on our age-old oral tradition, word of mouth, seem to suggest that Digvijay Singh will have a truly tough time in the forthcoming state elections. It is the third consecutive one he is trying to win and there is bound to be some quantum of anti-incumbency. Added to that, there also seems to be an anti ?wave? developing against him. Political soothsayers had predicted a close victory for the Congress a month ago, but recently mood shifts have begun against the ruling party. There are five months to go and much can change if there is a will and party support.
And, will Ajit Jogi pull it off in Chhattisgarh? Is he the dark horse that most political pundits had written off? If he wins the state it will be a coup for the Congress and as news filters in, he just may pull it off. And what will happen in Mizoram? Will the BJP wrest Delhi? Well, as of today, the answer is no. Sheila Dixit has been amongst the more successful CMs and has done much for the city that is visible. Andhra Pradesh seems to be moving into the Congress fold.
What happens if the Congress wins in three of the five states, Madhya Pradesh included? Rumour has it that if, in the next few months, it appears that the Congress is gaining ground, the ruling coalition may call the general elections at the same time as the state elections. What then? Without UP, the Congress cannot rule at the Centre even if they have 20 states with them. And, what is the Congress doing in UP? From the outside the impression is, nothing much and nothing different.
It is difficult to comprehend why the Congress has abdicated its presence in UP and why in a state that is lost, new initiatives are not brought into play and fresh blood is not inducted. It cannot get worse so why not grab the opportunity? Remember, Akbar Ahmed is believed to have got the Muslim vote to move from the Congress to Mayawati. Maybe he should be let loose in UP and given the task of swinging the vote yet again!
We are five months away from elections. This is the speculation of today that merely gives out the signal of what could happen if the Congress is complacent and does not pay heed to the shifting realities on the ground. If they get their act together and if there is a fairly good monsoon, they could well pull it off.