Uttar Pradesh: 35 SP, 35 BSP, 10 Congress

The Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India (Photo credit: dms_303)

Correspondingly, for the assembly, 139 SP, 135 BSP, 50 Congress.

That would be a winning formula to go for. But first Akhilesh has to cultivate a laser focus on development. No coalition building can beat Modi if you don't compete with him on development.

Could this coalition come together, or will it wait until the BJP also gives a drubbing to these three at the state level?

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Bihar: 150 JD(U), 70 RJD, 23 Congress

English: This map depicts regions of Uttar Pradesh: Upper Doab Middle Doab Lower Doab Rohilkhand Awadh Purvanchal Bundelkhand Baghelkhand (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For the 2015 Bihar assembly elections, an alliance between the three parties would sweep Bihar. It might even beat the NDA tally of 2010. First, will these three even come together? Two, will the three agree to an arrangement where the JD(U) is the clear senior partner?

Political arithmetic would make a clear case for such an alliance. In Uttar Pradesh, a similar question arises, but there it is about the SP, the BSP and the Congress.

In Bihar it is easier because Nitish has strong development bonafides. In Uttar Pradesh Mulayam, Akhilesh or Mayawati can not make the same claim. Besides, the SP and the BSP have been strongly opposed to each other.

With a revived BJP, the party has a clear shot at forming the state government in Uttar Pradesh.

But this is too early to think in terms of state elections in Bihar. Right now I am paying attention to the Modi Sarkar unfolding. So far so good. He has impressed me on his way to power. I believe he will deliver. And if he does, he will return with a fatter majority in five years.

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Modi's Rahul And Kejriwal Costs

I have a feeling Rahul might cost 100 seats to Modi, and Kejriwal another 20-30.

If the BJP gets 150 or 200 seats, and the Congress gets 100, then you have to deduct those 100 seats from the BJP's tally, because the chances of Rahul throwing his weight behind Modi are pretty much nil, and you know he is not going to stay neutral. Rahul has been an explicit Nitish fan.

It is being said Kejriwal is going to run for the same seat in UP that Modi might run from: Varanasi. The last time Kejriwal ran against a political heavyweight, the then Delhi Chief Minister, he won.

Kejriwal could spoil things for Modi and the BJP, or the AAP could emerge the largest among the non-Congress, non-BJP parties, in which case you just might be looking at Kejriwal becoming Prime Minister.

On the other hand, Kejriwal has that Modi quality of people wanting to run away from him. So he might be better off throwing his weight behind someone like Nitish. Nitish' tally is not going to be just the tally of the JD(U). His tally is first going to be the tally of the Janata Parivar, the biggest segment of the Third Front, which collectively is going to be bigger than Mamata or Jayalalita or Mayawati, and all of them together are going to be bigger than AAP, or the Congress, for that matter.

I have never heard Kejriwal badmouth Nitish. Obviously Kejriwal does not think Nitish is corrupt. Just like Rahul, he might also be a Nitish fan.

India today still is overwhelmingly a country of the rural poor. And there Modi is clueless, but Nitish has done amazing work. What is amazing is Nitish has managed to outdo Gujrat in growth rates. A poor, landlocked, agricultural state has outperformed a rich, coastal, industrial state. So if the issue is development, like Modi says it is, Nitish has a better track record.

I don't think of Modi as a corrupt individual. He has no family. He does not have a fat bank account. But what Kejriwal has been hinting at is the corporate contributions the BJP takes to do political work and then to bring corporate friendly policies. It is like, Manmohan Singh is not individually corrupt, but he seems to have presided over a cabinet that has been corrupt. So is it enough that he himself has not been corrupt?

I see Nitish winning at least 20 of Bihar's 40 seats. His approval rating is past 60%. That has got to translate into votes.

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National Front Would Be A Good Name

Taj Mahal, Agra, India. Deutsch: Taj Mahal im indischen Agra. Español: Vista del Taj Mahal, Agra, India. Français : Le Taj Mahal, à Âgrâ, en Inde. Русский: Мавзолей Тадж-Махал, Агра, Индия. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For the first time in India's history we are about to see a non-Congress, non-BJP coalition that will in every sense be more stable than anything the BJP or the Congress might be able to put together. And so I think a new name and a new structure is warranted. An apt name would be National Front.

This is not a Front that has ever existed before. And the primary differentiating point would be to give the Front a formal structure. There is a need to form a loose federation. Each member party needs to put forth a person who primarily resides in Delhi to form a Coordination Council. It is not a central committee. It is more loose. It is a federation. 

This Coordination Council would meet monthly, and as often as necessary. And it would keep the wheels oiled and running. 

This National Front would complete a fiver year term easy and might even do a 10 year term. It is only a coalition for the central government. Which means it is okay for Mayawati and Mulayam to compete in Utter Pradesh at the state level and still be part of the National Front in Delhi. They both do support the Congress government in Delhi right now, don't they? The same with the Left and Mamata. Jayalalita and DMK might also opt for the same. Laloo might come along later. So it would be okay to compete at the state level. 

Given this formation and the new name I can see Nitish running the show in Delhi for 10 years. All one asks for is double digit growth rates. 

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Modi Has Momentum

Modi has momentum right now. It is because he is the only person who is running for Prime Minister. Nitish sure is not running. If Modi can bag 20 seats in Bihar and 30 in Uttar Pradesh, he might be able to get the BJP past 200 seats nationally. And if he manages that, a lot of non-Congress, non-BJP parties will feel an immense pull to join his coalition. Several parties in the South don't seem to have issues with Modi.

You can argue a BJP with 200 or 220 seats still creates room for a major non-BJP alliance. True, but that alliance will likely not be a strong one, especially if formed after the elections are over. It might last two years. And then Modi might be able to get the BJP past the 272 mark on its own. And then the BJP is the new Congress.

That is one scenario.



Another scenario is one where the BJP does not cross the 200 mark and is maybe around 160 or 170. And the Congress is below the 150 mark. And there is a post poll formation of a Third Front, and after some fierce contesting Nitish emerges as the PM candidate.

But that is not the best scenario. The best scenario would be for the non-Congress, non-BJP parties to form a Federal Front from scratch. But that is a tall order. People like Mayawati wish to contest all seats in UP on her own. The Congress has potential allies.

Right now it is possible Nitish is betting on the second scenario. But it is a scenario that gives Modi a lot of room to play. He is already gunning for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and doing well.

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