It has become difficult and pointless to predict election results. In a letter earlier this week, Sunil Dogra from Delhi said that while voter behaviour has become more sophisticated and unpredictable, attention should be paid to complicating factors like the number of candidates in each constituency and voter age.Letter of the Week• We don’t have any theories left to determine and understand voter behaviour. The next general elections are going to be interesting indeed, not least because a lot of young and first-time voters will come out to vote. We must also bear in mind the average number of candidates contesting for each Lok Sabha seat and how that complicates matters. The image and agenda of every contestant matter. And if s/he be the incumbent, much depends on his/her work. Nevertheless, only fools would risk their reputation on predicting just which way individual voters will go.I, me, mine• This refers to the editorial ‘In cold blood’. Not surprisingly, the MLA alleged to have got M.K. Gupta killed is a history-sheeter. Apart from the general criminalisation of Indian politics, some thought should also be given to the tasteless extravagance of people like Mayawati. Modesty is certainly not the UP CM’s forte. Perhaps a history of deprivation makes people extravagant, even at public expense. Whether or not Gupta’s death can be tied to the BSP, are Mayawati and her party representative of the people, especially of the poor and still oppressed Dalits?— Prasad Malladi Nidadavole As dirty as ever• This refers to ‘Electric shocks, 23 injuries on engineer’s body; Maya blames it on ‘PWD rivalry”. Does the electorate have any choice on polling day apart from that between a corrupt X and an unscrupulous Y? Money and muscle power are synonymous with Indian politics. Although the charges haven’t been proved yet, it should be remembered that the MLA, Shekhar Tiwari, has already been arrested and the autopsy showed that the victim was brutally tortured. The media is doing its best along with the efforts of the election commission to ensure transparency and clean up our politics. But parties continue to offer tickets to history-sheeters.— V.N. Ramachandran Vadodara More than opposing• Going by the printed paper and television, it seems unfortunate that governments are criticised for almost every decision and rarely complimented for any good achieved, such as the tackling of inflation. Do political parties that sit in opposition truly understand their role? It is not just to find faults. It is also to offer constructive criticism and advice. Our national problems are far too big to yield to short-term cosmetic measures. We need a united effort by our leaders in Parliament.— Sultan Fazelbhoy — Rehmat Fazelbhoy Mumbai
