Permutation, Combination - Musical Chairs in the Largest Democracy

For a student of democratic politics, India offers a stunning sample for observation and analysis. The diversity is simply incredible, with innumerable number of regional parties leaving several ways to get to power. That the Congress consistently won a single party majority in this playing field is testament to the power of the Nehru/Gandhi family. In recent years though, an absolute majority has been nothing more than a fancy dream for most, with coalition governments being the only feasible option. This is unlikely to change in the coming elections or in years to come.

With elections quickly approaching, coalition formations have begun in full earnest and this year offers some tantalizing possibilities. The ruling UPA was expected to take a hit after the Mumbai terrorist attacks in some state elections, but swept to power in Rajasthan and Delhi. The BJP, while having made progress since its disastrous showing in the last general election, does not appear to have the momentum it wanted going into the last two months before the election. We have at least 10 individuals with some kind of claim on the Prime Ministership, and nobody has any idea which coalition is going to come to power this time around.

The Left Front pulled out of the UPA and now has nowhere to go really since it is ideologically opposite in every way with the BJP and its allies. Railway Minister and India's most famous politician Lalu Yadav has made momentous proclamations of the Left and Congress being 'natural allies', but this has mostly fallen on deaf ears.The Left has currently allied itself with Jayalalitha's AIADMK. She and her party in turn allied with the BJP in the last go around and were chiefly responsible for its drubbing with their unbelievable score of 0 seats in Tamil Nadu. Her rival Karunanidhi and his DMK are anything but happy with the ruling UPA (thanks to the situation in Sri Lanka) and might like to reconsider their alliances for the elections.

In UP we have Mayawati and her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), temporarily pally with Congress and co., but with strained relations of late. She is sure to be the head of any third front that emerges, but as to who will comprise this third front we are quite clueless. The BSP is known to have no particular ideological bias, so one cannot rule out a deal with the Left (Imagine Maya and Jaya vying for power!). Her chief rival Mulayam Singh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party stepped in to support the UPA government when the Left pulled the plug, but have since conducted talks with Sharad Pawar and his Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) for an alliance for the election.

Sharad Pawar in turn is known to be on very good terms with Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray. Shiv Sena of course is known for its alliances with the BJP and other right wing groups. We also have Sanjay Dutt joining the Samajwadi Party, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat asking the BJP to consider him, Anil Ambani and Ratan Tata recommending Gujarat CM Narendra Modi for Prime Ministership and our current Prime Minister's failing health to consider. To top it all off, Congress spokesperson, the legendary Abhishek Singhvi, has recommended George Bush for the Bharat Ratna and has claimed responsibility on behalf of UPA for the success of Slumdog Millionaire.

As is evident, there is no shortage of excitement in our vast and thriving democracy. Things are only sure to heat up further. If you can keep up with this mad, mad world out there, you are a true student indeed!