Those who would be king-makers

Opinion polls, exit polls, straw polls and joke polls are speaking with televised frequency and the 14th General Election appears to be hurt...

Opinion polls, exit polls, straw polls and joke polls are speaking with televised frequency and the 14th General Election appears to be hurtling towards a photo finish. As soon as the results come trickling in, those quiet white ambassadors will be seen slinking down the alleyways of Delhi8217;s power boulevards, with their roundabouts of intrigue and their fountains of patronage, and many deals will undoubtedly be struck in the shadows of the bougainvillaea-shaded bungalows. For sure, the deals will be shady too, because every MP will be worth his weight in votes and he or she who commands the fiercest loyalists is sure to have the last laugh.

There are ambitions lurking in all kinds of hearts. There are the Maratha strongmen who have often dreamt of a Maratha march on Delhi. There are the Yadav messiahs who have never hidden their own prime ministerial ambitions. And there are the Dalit queens who might believe that it is time for the Bahujan Samaj to rule in a casteless Utopia. In the event of a hung Parliament, presenting the future kingmakers of the 14th General Election.

SHARAD PAWAR, Nationalist Congress Party

If he wins 6-8 seats in Maharashtra, he could become an important power broker in the shenanigans to decide the next prime minister. After all, lets not forget that Pawar has always wanted to be the next Shivaji and ride into the citadel of Delhi. He had always wanted to fulfill Y B Chavan8217;s dream. With friends in all parties, Pawar could be a useful alliance builder.

MULAYAM SINGH YADAV, Samajwadi Party

Slated as the most likely prime ministerial candidate of the Third Front, hoping to get at least 25-30 seats in UP and contesting from his own constituency Mainpuri with never-quite-hidden prime ministerial ambitions. With friends in the Left, once the secular messiah, Mulayam is the foremost kingmaker of a hung Lok Sabha. Is Amar Singh about to throw the mother of all parties?

MAYAWATI, Bahujan Samaj Party

If she wins 12-15 seats in UP, she could bargain hard. And Kanshi Ram, founder of the Dalit revolution has never hidden his desire for a Dalit Prime Minister as the only way to turn India into a 8216;8216;social democracy8217;8217;. If she wins enough to make her difference, her price at the very least may be the deputy prime-ministership

LALOO PRASAD YADAV, Rashtriya Janata Dal

8216;8216;Pataliputra is coming,8217;8217; he once thundered when asked if Bihar would ever come to Delhi. Hitched his bandwagon to the Congress and contesting elections from Chapra and Madhepura, could be extremely influential in the event of a Congress-led alliance coming to power.

M KARUNANIDHI, DMK

Opinion polls show a strong comeback for him in Tamil Nadu and everyone wants the DMK now. Even the Prime Minister was heard saying the other day that the DMK was a 8216;8216;nationalist party8217;8217;. Unlikely to ever become PM but will certainly have huge bargaining power in a hung verdict.