Parlimentary elections

There is no event in India which could be as exciting as the parlimentary elections. (atleast for me). Though I have managed to vote only once, I have always followed the elections ardently. This time I will miss the media coverage. My updates are restricited to rediff ( a daily article by one senisble correspondant on different issues .. highly recommened), daily udpates on constituencies (K'taka) in TOI, general elections news on ET (this is really good compared to TOI and other newspapers) and some long stories on Outlook.

My vote (a virtual one and which does not count) is for the UPA. I find the UPA as a much better and competentent team than the NDA. Personally, I detest Advani and blame him for most of the communal tensions this country has faced since the 1990s.

The third front looks like a congregation of regional political heavy weights, who also head the most corrupted list in their respective regions - Maya, Jaya, Devegowda, Naidu, Pawar- all of whom I do not like for various reasons, though I have to admit I am in awe of Majawati and Jayalalitha who could compete and succeed in this brutal arena, albeit in the wrong way.

Though the CPI/CPM played a good part in controlling Chidambaram and Manmohan singh not to get swayed by the ultra-capitalist motives and helped Indian banks to get out unscathed (almost) from the financial crisis and also helped preserve our forex reserves, I could not understand how they can make the "nuclear deal" to be their primary agenda. Isnt literacy, poverty, employment, growth, malnutrition etc bothering them? This time the CPI/CPM will face a big challenge on their home turf (Bengal and Kerala) and certainly need more support from the Thrid front.

All said and done, UPA seems to be the winner among the losers or as they say in Kannada "haalu oorinalli ulidavane gowda".. and my vote goes for Mr. Singh. I just hope they do not make Rahul Gandhi the PM after the elections.