Mix and match

But that kind of gotcha politics is,hearteningly,proving to be a harder sell if the Kalyan Singh-SP contortions are any indication. Kalyan Singhs loudly advertised antipathy to the BJP may not help his new friends or impress an electorate that still associates him with the Babri Masjid demolition; and for all of Amar Singhs Deoband visits,this association is proving extremely unpalatable note that Mulayam Singh and Kalyan Singh have been team-mates previously,with far less resistance. Could this indicate a new impatience with blatant power-mongering? Recently,during the parliamentary trust vote,when Shahid Siddiqui switched positions with eel-like ease,he was mocked mercilessly by the press and public but will actions like that come with electoral consequences?

Of course,this is not to advocate ideological rigor mortis or disable political mobility in a changing situation,political leaders must be free to shift stances and partners. It is,sometimes,right to be disloyal. But certain kinds of cynical compromise,based solely on careerism and petty personal

calculation,is increasingly being rejected by a savvier voter and a more mature politics.