Friday, March 21, 2014

Election Time

As elections 2014 draw closer, passions are boiling over. Opinion polls are predicting that BJP will emerge as the single largest party and NDA as the largest combination of parties. Opinion polls are of course not fool-proof. We are also witnessing a large one way migration of politicians towards BJP. Senior leaders within BJP keep bickering among themselves. Narendra Modi is certainly a polarising figure, in a negative sense if you are against him and in a positive way for his fans and supporters.

Election results are not predictable except in Communist countries. Given India's present economic conditons, it is not realistic to expect a sea-change post the elections. High expectations may lead to deep disappointments.

When all of us are comfortable with our respective ideological blinkers, it is not surprising that every blind person is trying to lead every other blind person. What we need is a combination of robust scepticism and an ability to expect the unexpected. Else, our passions will consume us.

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