The famed ``equidistance'' that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had hitherto so assiduously maintained between the BJP-led coalition and the Congress was dramatically altered on Monday. The announcement that Telugu Desam Party's G.M.C. Balayogi will be the candidate for speakership, to be supported by the BJP-led coalition and Farooq Abdullah's National Conference, provides more than a hint of the future political trajectory of the TDP supremo. Naidu has defended his action on the grounds that his United Front partners had not adequately consulted with him on their decision to support P.A. Sangma, the Congress-sponsored candidate for the post. This excuse rings a trifle false given the fact that he had not, at any point, voiced his disapproval of Sangma's candidature. Similarly, although he continues to mouth the mantra of ``equidistance'', there is now a distinctly hollow ring to it.But whatever the merits or demerits of this radical shift, Naidu's inclination to do business with hissupposed political foes has helped clarify the lines demarcating the various political forces at the Centre. The nation has for too long been captive to this man's political exigencies. While he did his electoral calculations, weighing his ``Muslim vote bank'' against the price of supporting a Congress-led coalition at the Centre, it was the country that suffered from the consequent uncertainty. It now appears that it is only a matter of time before Naidu himself gravitates to the BJP-led coalition. It doesn't require great analytical skills to conclude that the realignment of forces for the Speaker's election could well be a dress-rehearsal for the vote of confidence that the Vajpayee government faces on March 27.The unfortunate aspect of Monday's developments, however, is the note of confrontation that has been introduced into the issue of the Speaker's election. The post of Speaker is an extremely sensitive one, with the person in the chair required to play the roles of schoolmarm, interpreter and judgeas and when the situation arises. Ideally, such a person should have been chosen through a consensual process. That, however, is not going to be the case, with a direct contest between the two main camps very much on the cards. In the process, the post itself has been dragged into the mire. There are no real winners in this. While the Congress-sponsored candidate, who had incidentally sought a consensus on his candidature and had even met the BJP on the issue, is unlikely to win the contest, the BJP-led coalition will also be denied the sweetness of victory. While it appears to have the necessary numbers to defeat the Congress' Sangma, it does not have the satisfaction of having its own nominee in this crucial chair. In the process, the country could be deprived of the services of a Speaker of Sangma's stature. Most people, regardless of their political persuasion, would agree that this man had conducted himself as Speaker in the 11th Lok Sabha with a scrupulous and informed fairness.
