Mid-term elections?

15.06.06 Mid 2006 - The state of affairs in Indian politics. The UPA government keeps going only to keep the BJP out. The most intent in keeping the BJP out are the leftists. So long as the left sees any possibility of a BJP comeback, they will continue backing the UPA under all circumstances. The moment they are sure that the BJP is down and out, they will withdraw support to the UPA government and force a mid-term election, hoping thereby to become the main opposition party. They can then aim to be the ruling party in the subsequent election, by which time they would have hustled up a third-front. The Congress, on the other hand, is concerned only about regaining power all by themselves. Their OBC-minority appeasement policy vis-à-vis reservation is part of their strategy to get a thumping majority and form a single-party government. The moment they are confident their calculations won’t go awry, they will call for snap elections, regardless of whether the opposition slot is occupied by the Left or BJP. Thereby hangs the tale of the ‘support-withdraw support’ politicking by the CPM. The Congress may, from the Left point of view, call for an election prematurely. That is, they might call for an election when the BJP is not totally down and out and may beat the CPM to the opposition spot. Unless the BJP is completely in disarray, the CPM would not want the Congress to think of mid-term elections. This is the state of affairs of Indian politics mid 2006.