If Kargil were the only issue in these elections, then Atal Behari Vajpayee would have had almost a captive vote-bank among former officers of the armed forces who have settled in Pune. The city has the largest population of retired Defence officers after Delhi more than 4,000 from all over the country. The nucleus is, of course, the Pune Cantonment, seat of the Southern Command.Tridal Nagar, located in the salubrious surroundings of Yerawada, northeast of the Cantonment, better known for the Central Prison there, is one of the colonies inhabited by families of the armed forces. Tridal meaning the three forces has at least 280 families. These men have been in the thick of action since the 1962 conflict and firmly believe that the Kargil factor could well be a trump card for the BJP.``Never has any government handled a war-like situation so well despite having a caretaker status,'' says Col S G Pitre (Retd) who criticises the Opposition severely for trying to exploit the intelligence failure in Kargil.He explains that Kargil has a hostile and open terrain and the enemy was never expected to cross over during winter. ``In fact, had we not given away the Hajipir Pass after all the sacrifices made by the Army, we would not have come to this situation,'' he feels.Rear Admiral M K Heble (Retd), seniormost member of this colony, has seen a lot of action in the past and holds radical views. Jawaharlal Nehru made a blunder by halting the Indian Army midway in its pursuit of Pakistan-supported `raiders' and accepting the U N call for a cease-fire without first evicting all the invaders from the state, he says. The Kashmir problem, which has plagued India for the past 50 years, is the bitter legacy of Nehru's folly, he says. Rear Admiral Heble believes India would have charted a different course had Vallabhai Patel been the Prime Minister in place of Nehru. ``Stability and the nation's economy will definitely weigh on the mind of the Indian voter. But the Kargil situation has certainly enhanced Vajpayee'sstature,'' he says.Col Pitre and Rear Admiral Heble blame the instability at the Centre for Kargil, explaining that the horse-trading by AIADMK leader Jayalalitha and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati sent the wrong signals to Pakistan who felt the time was ripe for a strike.Lt Col M S Jadhav (Retd), who belonged to the Punjab Regiment, believes that the BJP would come back to power on the strength of Kargil. It has given maximum international exposure to India and for the first time a government actually succeeded in turning world opinion in its favour, he says.None of the them, however, feels that the entry of Sonia Gandhi into active politics at this stage would make a difference for the BJP. ``She has taken this step too late; she should have entered politics a long time ago,'' says Lt Col Jadhav.Wing Commander K M Kulkarni (Retd), however, doesn't find the prospects for the BJP so rosy because of Kargil. ``Any party at the Centre would have responded to the situation in the same manner. Sothe issue will definitely have little impact on the Indian voter who is more concerned about stability,'' he says. He concedes that media exposure has influenced public opinion on this issue to a certain extent. The high level of army casualties could also prove to be major factor going against the BJP, he says.Havaldar D B Rane (Retd), who belonged to the Signal Corps, seems to share his views. ``Voters who have remained loyal to the Congress will continue to do so and the conflicting statements issued by the Defence Minister and Prime Minister will definitely tell on the chances of the BJP in these elections,'' he feels.
