Why The Third Front Won't Fly? And A Few More Thoughts

Simply because the English media doesn't have enough people who work for them to vote for the constituents of the Third Front. Even if each and everyone remotely connected to the English media were to vote for those from the Third Front, that will still not be enough for the Third Front to get enough seats to justify the newsreel and the newsprint being wasted used for their coverage.

Except for the English media, I don't think anyone, even those who belong to the Third Front, seriously believes that the Third Front will be a formidable force in determining the power structure in the 15th Lok Sabha. With BJD, BSP and AIADMK not having openly come out in full support of such a front, all the bargaining that the Third Front could do will be on the strength of the TDP-TRS combine in Andhra Pradesh. Without the full support of the BJD, BSP and AIADMK and a common policy document to hold the constituents together, which hopefully they truly believe in and follow, the Third Front will continue to remain a motley bunch of have-beens and trying-to-bes whose idea is bought only by their heads and by the English media.

But then, these are elections in India, and like they say, anything can happen! Whatever happens, it will be a delight for those following the Indian politics closely.

Trivia: The polling station in Banej village in the Una segment of Junagadh Lok Sabha constituency, Gujarat has the unique claim to being the only polling station in the country that caters to only one elector - Guru Shree Bharatdasji Bapu, a priest of a Shiva temple in the middle of the Gir Forest.

PS. Sagarikaji, whatever you may say about Naveen Patnaik in this article is fair, but please take it that Rahul Gandhi will not be able to make any difference to the electoral fortunes of his party. Why am I saying this? Because I have a feeling of what is coming next from you and I expect a lot of baba-propping by you. Hope you will disappoint me and talk/write about something that really matters.

PPS. Note to self - Write about experiences from registering for the Voter ID. Fairly smooth and simple process.

PPPS. Can anyone from the English media please come up with a five point four point definition of what exactly is Hindutva Brand Of Politics? I am particularly interested in knowing this from the fresh-out-college-of-masscom college-I-know-it-all-thrusting-mikes-and-questions types. They are better off covering parties and telling us what are people wearing (or not wearing), and not taking political journalism to even lower depths.

PPPS. Note to self - Make a list of all the terms connected to Indian Politics that I hate/begun to hate. Words which are needlessly concocted, words used without the meaning being understood, words used because that brings in more advertising money or that brings in those few thousand eyeballs more and a few hundred clicks more. Example - Hindutva Brand Of Politics, Moditva, Secularism (Huh!) and such.

PPPPS. For all that this man is, the least one expects from a particpant in a TV debate is respect and consideration for people on the other side. I somehow find him to be very self-absorbed, rigid and more often than not, arrogant and that spoils the entire spirit of a debate. But Sir, you are not to be blamed, you are only building your brand and speaking for those who stand to gain from your seemingly articulate and forceful pushing of the agenda. It is the media, who for those few extra TRP ratings, bring you in front of the camera and make a mess of the debate. Here's something more about the man. I know most of the questions in the Q&A columns are cooked by either a very bored or a very excited junior correspondent or a copy editor, but at least the responses should seem to be appropriate. If it sells, so be it. Sad, but it is that way.