Coalitional cola

When the going gets uncertain, the uncertain get going. With opinion and exit polls hinting that neither the BJP nor the Congress would be in a position to form a government at the Centre once the on-going electoral exercise is over, hope rises like the surf in the breasts of a variegated assortment of regional satraps. Suddenly the possibility of playing kingmakers, if not kings, no longer appear the stuff of dreams but the staple of ambitions. Dilli door ast, the old line went. No longer, it appears. It could be just a cycle trip for one, an elephant ride for another, or indeed a tick-tock away for the third.

Watch, then, how quickly they attempt to jam a foot at the door. Mulayam Singh Yadav, furiously staving off all attempts of the BJP to claim him as its own — until, at least, his “Muslim” votes are properly locked in — was perhaps the first to react, when he decided to swap his status as an MLA in the Uttar Pradesh assembly for that of an MP in the next Parliament. His political partner in UP, Ajit Singh, let it be generally known that his outfit, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, would be more than willing to provide support to a “suitable and strong” “Third Front” contender at the Centre. He had the redoubtable Mulayam in mind when he said this, of course. Meanwhile, the old Maratha warhorse, barely out of surgery, is no laggard when it comes to Pawar play. He has unequivocally stated that he is “not out” of the prime ministerial race, in case anybody was under that impression. As he pointed out, if H.D. Deve Gowda with just a handful of MPs could become a prime minister, why cannot he — as the strongman of the Nationalist Congress Party — take part in that race to 7, Race Course Road, New Delhi?

Of course, it is not our aim to puncture these rising clouds of hope. But, hey, these are early days yet. Opinion polls and exit polls may have sent pulses racing but they cannot be mistaken for the real thing. So why doesn’t everyone take a deep breath, relax and wait until May 13, when the actual results are announced, before rushing to throw their hats into the ring?