Voting Can Be Voter's Pride

A great bait for voting in 2009 elections can be the opportunity to show the "finger" to the politicians. The election commission has mandated that, indelible ink is to be applied to the middle finger of every voter.

In picture, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan along with his wife showing that they have voted (Picture Courtesy: Times of India).

Moral Policing : A Key Issue in 2009 Elections

"Moral Policing," this term has beckoned a lot of hog light for the past 4-5 years in India, albeit for all sorts of abominable reasons. A lot of young Indians as they get ready to vote are discussing moral policing and considering it as one of the crucial factors in deciding their representative in the 15th Lok Sabha.

The reason for writing this article just before the 3rd phase of 2009 elections kicks off is because Mangalore, one of the constituncies in the state of Karnataka goes on polls on 30th April. Mangalore, that rings a lot of bells...right? Yes, it is the city where one of the latest and heinous acts of moral policing happened on January 24th, 2009. A group of 40 members of an extremist outfit 'Shri Ram Sena' barged a local pub Amnesia and roughed up many young women on the grounds of violating traditional Indian values.

This was not the first instance of moral policing in India. Late Pramod Navalkar a former minister in the 1994-95 Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra is known to have started the moral policing and is also called as Mumbai's first moral policemen. Valentine's Day in particular rankles these right-wing extremists, which they consider to be an immoral western import. These so-called torch bearers of Indian culture not only do vandalize gift shops, but also harass & beat-up people in the name of saving the culture. Recently, the Hindu daughter of an MLA was abducted and beaten-up for talking to a Muslim boy.

A surprising point to observe is most of these attacks are carried out by the Hindutva brigade be it RSS, VHP, Shiv Sena, or the lowly Shri Ram Sena which in some or other way are associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The case in point here is not to talk or write against Hindu organizations, but it's against all those organizations who beleaguer women in lieu of safeguarding the Indian culture and garner cheap publicity. Who has given all these hooligans the right to morally police Indians and particularly Indian women? If they think that the pub culture is maligning our society, then they should first practice what they preach?

Such incidents of moral policing creates a negative picture of India as a nation and hurts our overall prospects of growth and development. Is it so hard for us to understand that all these incidents are political gimmicks used by these extremist organizations to gain mileage and our votes? If they are guardians of Indian culture, then, why don't they fight against atrocities targeted on women such as rape and female feticide, why didn't they fight against the terrorists who caused mayhem in Mumbai? It is time that the Indian voters give a befitting reply to such communal forces/parties by voting against them and make India a safe place for everyone. We need a government who work for the upliftment of India as one nation and not the one sowing seeds of communal divide.

Jaago Re!!

-Kartavya Jain

Is Manmohan Singh Apolitical?

In the history of Indian politics, the term 'Apolitical' has never been emphasized and used so much as it is in the 2009 General Elections. Surprisingly, the term is used for our current Premeir and UPA's Prime Ministerial candidate for the ongoing LS polls, Manmohan Singh. When this Oxford graduated economist was pushed to become the PM of India after 2004 elections, it was due to an unexpected and sudden shift in the course of events. He was called an apolitical Prime Minister and a few had faith in his ability to run a coalition government. Understandably, after all it requires more political than academic experience to understand and control our manipulative and intense political system, and our dear Manmohan Singh had never even won an election.

But, after successfully running a coalition government at the center for 5 years, is it right to call him apolitical? The answer is a plain straight NO. This was an apologue created by some of his fellow congressman to reap on his squeaky-clean image and to avoid him from being judged under the same ruthless guideliness as all other Indian politicians are. Manmohan Singh has come a long way in the last 5 years. The acceptance of prime ministership offered to him in 2004 hitherto by chance, may be the political call of his life and start of his career as a real politician. Running a coaltion government for 5 years with the Yadavs, Pawars, Karunanidhis and Karats is a no apolitical person's forte. It's a feat which a person with great political acumen and well-versed in political dealing can only achieve.

In 1991 during the P.V. Narasimha government, even though MMS fearlessly spearheaded the crucial economic reforms agenda, he was not under the direct fire from the opposition parties and was not directly responsible to the Indian masses. But, while heralding the Indo-US nuclear deal, Singh knew that any wrong step at this point, will not only cost dear to his country and party, but will also mark the end of his own political career. So much was he convinced with the deal being in favor of long-term national interests that he selflessly pursued it, even after Left's threat of pulling the support. The way he covertly roped in Samajwadi Party's support to win the no-confidence motion against his government on July 22, were signals of his rise as a confident and skilled politician. The signing of Indo-US nuclear pact may well be called the corner stone of Manmohan Singh's albeit short, but successful stint as a politician.

Before signing off, India needs a leader who is 'apolitically political,' i.e. we need a prime minister who thinks apolitically & selflessly on the issues, policies and reforms of national interests, but at the same time showcase his/her political savviness and grit while implementing such policies and reforms.

-Kartavya Jain

India: 'A Flawed Democracy'

In a recent report published by the Economist Intelligent Unit's (EIU) Democracy Index, India has been dubbed as a 'flawed' democracy. Of the total 167 countries reviewed, 30 were named as full democracies, 50 as flawed democracies, 36 as hybrid and the remaining 51 as authoritarain regimes. The rankings were given on the basis of the country's performance on 60 indicators which measure electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation and political culture. EIU placed India at 35th among the 50 countries to be found as flawed democracies. The good news however is that with a score of 7.8 out of 10, India is pretty close to achieving the status of 'full' democracy.

So, why did India not manage to be in the ivy league of full democracies? India unfortunately, scores low in political culture and political participation, corruption and lack of government accountability. At a time when India was gearing up for its 15th Lok Sabha elections, which even the EIU termed as world's largest democratic exercise, the timing of this dubitable distinction couldn't be more perfect.

Rather than considering the study as an eye-opener and vowing to take India to the elite league of full democracy, our politico as usual sneered at the results of the study. Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari says, "Whoever is responsible for this report needs to see a psycho. India has a functioning democracy from the grassroots to the top. Anyone who calls this a flawed democracy must get his head examined." While BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad says, "India does not need a lecture on democracy from Western intellectuals. The people of this country have an unfettered right to choose or unseat any party at the local, state and national level."

But, there are mulitple reasons floating around which makes me believe this study instead of considering it a mere western rhetoric targeted against India. Our two Prime Ministerial candidates are the biggest example of we being a flawed democracy. On one hand, we have L.K. Advani, who was evidently the spearhead and man behind the demolition of Babri Masjid, which not only tarnished the secular image of India globally, but also probably laid the foundation of the communal divide between two prominent religions in modern India. How can we let a person of such fanatic nature lead a secular nation? On the other hand, we have Manmohan Singh, who wants to contniue his stint as the premier of India without even contesting the elections. Democracy is of, for, and by the people, so doesn't it make more sense that the person who holds and is responsible for India's future for the next 5 years be an 'elected' people's representative and not just a nominated party representative. Being a people's representative will not only instill confidence in him, but also will also connect him directly to the people and make him aware of the real issues and problems at the ground level.

The manifesto of the country's 4th largest party SP says, "If brought in power -- the party will solve umemployment problems by putting a hault on computerisation, the salaries provided by private firms will be in sync with the minimum government wages (which will infact lower the income of people working in private sector), and the government will put an end to the expensive english medium schools and use of english (someone needs to remind SP supremo that his own son and heir of SP, Akhilesh Yadav earned his degree from University of Sydney). And if all this was not enough, a sentence on their website "Samajwadi Party is a party primarily based in Uttar Pradesh, where it bases its support largely on OBCs (Other Backward Castes) and Muslims, particularly Mulayam Singh Yadav's own Yadav caste," shakes my belief in our democracy. If the party with such a depressing manifesto can rule India's most populous state and be an important part of the central government, then our democracy is nothing but flawed.

India has fared extremely well in the categories of electoral process, pluralism, and civil liberties and is just shy of becoming a full democracy (8 being the score to be a full democracy). Our dear politicians rather than just boasting to be 'apolitical,' should take a cue out of the study and improve the political participation and political culture. Indian Junta should also exercise their right to vote and vote to form a single party government which without any doubt will expedite the economic reforms and will pave our way to become a full and developed democracy. With India in the midst of its 'crucial' general elections and Indians readying to vote once again, the timing of the emergence of this report could not be more appropriate.

-Kartavya Jain

Indian Money in Swiss Banks: Can We Bring It Back ?

In the past few weeks a lot has been said, written, and talked about the Indian 'Black' money stashed in the Swiss banks. It has become one of the focal points of debate and a major election issue, especially after the leader of oppostion and BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate L.K. Advani raised it and vowed to bring the money back if he is elected as the Prime Minister.

A very good motive indeed---- because, if at all we are successful in bringing the black money back from the Swiss banks, it can be utilized for a plethora of development projects and can provide a big boom to the Indian economy. But, before we start building castles in the air, let's pull ourselves back a little bit and think --- Is Advani et al. really going to put serious efforts to get the money back or is it just another election issue raised in order to gain votes? The reason Advani's claim lacks authenticity is because, if he is so concerned about Indias growth and economy, then why was he waiting till the elections to raise this issue? Why did he not try to get the black money back when the NDA government was in power? Is it the case that Indians started dumping their black money after UPA came in power in 2004 or Mr. Advani came to know about the money laundering in Swiss Banks just before the 2009 elections -- hard or rather impossible to believe? Ok, he was not the Prime Minister or the Finance Minister, but he was the Deputy Prime Minister of India and also held a powerful & important place in the party. Not to mention, that Mr. Advani has made such futile claims & promises in the past to woo the voters and building the 'Ram Mandir' in Ayodhya was one of the many.

Better late than never, for a moment let's assume that Mr. Advani is really determined to bring the money back now. The big question is it really feasible for him to bring the money back from Swiss Banks --- may be, but the chances are very very miniscule. First off, is L.K. Advani the right person to take-up this matter - his knowledge or lack of it on the issue was visible from the fact that, upon being querried (by a leading Indian newspaper) on the amount of Indian holding in Swiss Banks, he quoted the figures from Wikipedia describing it as the "most credible" source of information. Nothing against wikipedia, but a matter of such serious nature deserves a lot more authentic & credible source.

Secondly, the reason why Advani and Co. are hopeful of getting the money back is because the US government was able to do so recently. But, the reason why UBS agreed to disclose the names & details of 250-300 US clients and pay $780 million is prominently because US was able to prove their tax fraud, and ofcorse due to some political pressure. But, that doesn't at all mean that the swiss banks will reveal the information of all their account holders, already declared by the Swiss President.

So, how will India manage to get co-operation from Swiss authorities? Upon being asked the same question by an Indian website, a member (Professor R. Vaidyanathan) of the 4-member committee formed by Mr. Advani to look into the issue responded, "It is not due to our pressure but that of the US which will make them co-operate." Is this the confidence the Mr. Advani and Co. has? It sounds so ridiculous that the people promising & claiming to bring the black money back don't even have the confidence of legally proving that the Indians with black money in swiss banks are invloved in tax evasion the way US did. Rather, they are relying on US pressure to get the names and money. It must be reminded to Advani et al. that promises made to the Indian Junta must be made on the basis you and your government's ability and not the ability of other countries.

Last but not the least, with the coalition government expected to form at the center and the prevailing loop-holed Indian justice system, it will be interesting to see how does Mr. Advani (if elected as the PM) go about getting the black money back, most of which may belong to his own party/alliance men, political friends, and fund donors.

-Kartavya Jain

Vote India : Qualifications or Religion?

India goes on polls at the dawn of 16th April in 15 states and 2 union territories(124 constituencies) with a total electorate of 14.31 crores. The 15th Lok Sabha polls are touted to be one of the most interesting and taut elections in the history of Indian democracy. There are innumerable reasons and criteria like infrastructure, water/power, terrorism, foreign relations, jobs, inflation etc., on the basis which the Indian public can choose their MP, Prime Minister and the party/alliance.

But, one other criterion which has been effectively used to their advantage by most of the political parties in the previous elections is asking people to vote on the basis of caste/religion. So, the obvious question which comes to mind is --- Will India vote on the basis of a candidate's experience, qualifications, commitment, honesty or on the basis of his/her religion or caste?

BJP's rise to power in the 13th Lok Sabha is an apt example of people voting on the basis of religion. Remember the 'Jai Jai Siya Ram' slogan and the false promises to build the temple at the Babri Masjid demolition site. Not to forget that Congress's faliure at various fronts, and people wanting a change and forseeing a good leader in A.B. Vajpayee were other important reasons, but BJP's claim to be the pro-Hindutva party was one of the most prominent and probably still is.

The upsurge of other political parites such as Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD), and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the states of UP & Bihar, clearly indicates how caste/religion still has so much dominance on Indian Voter's mind. All these political parties as they boast, work for the uplifment of the dalits and other backward castes. But, if that is the case then why do most of the people from UP and Bihar in particular, still migrate to other states looking for employment. Can't these parties even after being in power for so many years generate employment for the people in their own state? If not for casteism, these Mayawatis and Mulayam Singhs could never dream of leading a state or nation.

The attempt of a few political parties to use the caste/religion trump card in the 15th LS elections is clearly noticeable in the 'hate speeches' and the allegations of supporting a particular religion resulting in a softer stance on terrorism. Terrorism has been given a religious twist, which in reality is a global virus infecting the whole world despite of its caste, culture, or religion. If at all terrorism were religion and/or region centric, we would not have seen any bombings and killings in Pakistan.

It's very critical that every Indian understands the importance of his/her vote and voting for the right person. We must not elect a candidate based on his/her religion, caste or creed, but on the basis of his integrity and committment towards India and Indians. It doesn't matter which party he/she belongs to, what matters is he/she determined to work against corruption, criminals, nepotism, favouritism, and works towards our progress as a society and country. We don't want fanatics and criminals at the helm, but we want leaders with an aggressive and positive attitude who work towards the ultimate goal of development of India as a free society and full democracy. We can't let the self-serving politicians fragment India on the basis of religion/caste.

Every Indian voter must excercise his/her right to vote because its not just our constitutional right but our DUTY. In these elections, together we all should stand and make sure that we elect the right people to power, as this will lead to the creation of a deeply embedded Indian society and will take us a step closer to make INDIA SHINING !!

Vote and Motivate Others to Vote

- Kartavya Jain

Hockey: India's National Game not a National Shame

Hockey: India's National Game not a National Shame

Indian Men's Hockey Team won the coveted Sultan Azlan Shah Cup by convincingly defeating the adamant hosts Malaysia 3-1 in Ipoh after a lacuna of 13 years. It is India's fourth title win in the 5-nation tournament after winning the cup in 1985, 1991, and 1995. Frontliners Arjun Halappa, Prabhjot Singh, and Shivendra Singh struck the net for India in the finals, while captain Sandeep Singh achieved the glorious feat of being the top-goal scorer in the tournament.

Sadly, none of the Indians were able to watch this wonderful game and the winning moments as it was not broadcasted live on any National Channel. Isn't it a pity, of the so many channels including Doordarshan not even a single channel cared to telecast our so-called National game. Ok agreed, that hockey doesn't have the same viewership and fan following as cricket and they have been performing miserably for the past so many years. But, so was the Indian cricket team till Sourav Ganguly became the captain. Infact, cricket was even marred with shameful allegations and confessions of match fixing and bribing. Still, none of channels stopped broadcasting the game and the stadiums all over India used to be packed to the capacity even for a India vs Bangladesh game. Rightly so, because you don't disown a team or a game if its going through bad phase or because of the misdoings of a select few. With the right people in right place and India's continous encouragement, the cricket team is bringing accolades and glory to the nation.

The issue is not cricket vs hockey any ways. If US can have a huge fan following and money invloved in 3 different games (baseball, football, and basketball) then why India with a billion peope population can't have it for both cricket and hockey or for any game for that matter. So, why can't we bestow the same faith in our national game that has brought us 8 Olympic Gold Medals? Why are the people, government, media, and sponsors not promoting hockey? May be players were not upto the par, but so were not the facilities, and the constant sacking of coaches and illogical selection of players didn't help either, and the pathetic state of management under K.P.S Gill (former IHF President) could be gauged from the fact that India has a miniscule number of stadiums with Astroturf which is a basic requirement for any international game. The preference of covering and the hype generated of an unauthorized cricket league (ICL) over the Premier Hockey League (PHL) by all forms of media shows the contempt for the national sport.

Azlan Shah Cup win has done India proud. The current players and management without GILL have the WILL to do well, but its not just the will that can bring the golden days of hockey back....we need the basic facilities and infrastructure in place. The government should at the least fecilitate the winning outfit by provide incentives and rewards, which will not only boost their morale, but also will motivate them to perform better next time. Moreover, this may well instigate the younger generations to take-up and follow the sport. It's the responsibility of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and media to popularize the sport at grass roots. The media should also provide enough coverage to the hockey team when it performs well in a certain tournament, rather than just debating on it when it doesn't. It will be more appropriate to revamp the sport in the country and inject a sense of realism, rather than brooding over the past failures.

A tumultous welcome 'Chak De' from the homecrowd is what will enlighten the heart of these 'stick' heroes and undoubtedly pump their bosom with a sense of proud and motivation.....With the glittering Azlan Shah Cup in their bag, India's National game sure does deserve a fair chance to revive its lost glory?

-Kartavya Jain

Manmohan Singh Vs L.K. Advani

Manmohan Singh Vs L.K. Advani

With the 15th Lok Sabha elections kicking off on April 16th, the race for the Prime Minister has essentially boiled down to Manmohan Singh vs Lal Krishna Adavni. The rise of third front may have given Ms. Maywati some hopes, but chances of her becoming the PM of India are really miniscule. A lot of confusion was created (mostly by the media) over Rahul Gandhi's candidature for the coveted post, but now it's crystal clear that Manmohan Singh will be the PM if UPA comes back to power. Sharad Pawar also tried to set-off some alarms by making his penchant for the 'Chair' public, but he himself knows that with 25-30 MPs of NCP he can't dream of becoming the Prime Minister of a billion people nation.

Congress took a very smart move by projecting MMS as the PM for 3 reasons - first-off all the accomplishments of the current government are under the leadership of MMS and so it makes complete sense to make him the lead face of the campaign, secondly he is one the most respected and taintless politicans in the Indian politics now, and thirdly this decision has caught the opposition off-guard (as they were not sure who the PM's candidate will be till the last moment) and will compel them to re-think their strategies at a very crucial time of elections.

Elections 2009 are indeed going to be very interesting - we have two prime ministerial candidates who have impressive experience of public service behind them, who belong to two completely different school of ideologies (Congress & BJP) and more often than ever we have the full 5 year performance of both the governments to compare.

So, who does India think will be the appropriate person for this job? On one hand we have Manmohan Singh representing UPA (Congress) who has shown in the past 5 years that he has the will and determination to take India to new heights by his pro-economic policies and reforms. He has relentlessly pursued the issues of national interest and progress by signing the Indo-US nuclear deal even if it was opposed by his own allies and party members. Manmohan Singh has exhibited exceptional fortitude and political acumen in dealing with terrorism related issues with our neighbor. He has implemented various rural and fiscal reforms such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and rationalizing the tax system to name a few. The decisions of his government are taken at 7, Race Course Road and not at 10, Janpath, despite what the critics say.

On the other hand we have L.K. Advani, who no doubts has greater political acumen and experience than Mammohan Singh. L.K. Advani has been nurturing the dream to become the PM of India since a long long time and has left no stone unturned to turn it into a reality. But, does he has the willingness to serve India? MMS wants India to vote for him because he thinks he has done a decent job as the PM in last 5 years, while Advani wants India to vote for him because he thinks that MMS is not suitable for the post. He keeps lashing at MMS for his incompetence in taking decisions, his softer stance on terrorism, and a freshly (and legitimate) brewed argument of MMS not contesting LS polls. But, wasn't even former PM A.B. Vajpayee alleged to be work under the control of RSS. The most prominent role Adavni has played was may be in the demolition of Babri Masjid and it was during NDA's tenure when the 2002 Gujarat riots took place, and terrorists attacked the Parilament, Red Fort, Akshardham temple, Kashmir State Assembly, and were even ESCORTED by our then Minister of External Affairs minister to Kandhar.

India is an ever maturing & growing democracy and it's time that politicians make the elections a healthier excerise and not a road-side circus. The candidates running for such an honorary and responsible postion must make arguments and counter-arguments which are issue-oriented, are of national interest, and based on facts, and not which invloves maligning each other personally. It's time that the media should do a careful and responsible analysis of the political parties, its candidates, and their manifestos, rather than showing some sensational inconsequentional 'shoe hurling' news. The media should feed the Indian Junta with factual and not sensational news and help them in reaching a decision rather than making them more confused.

India needs a leader who banks upon his achievements in national progress, public welfare, and improved infrastructure, to win and not on the flaws of the opposition candidates. We need a leader who backs himself for the dignified post of Prime Minister with his accomplishments and NOT the one who wants India to elect him because he thinks that the other candidate is weak. We want a leader with secular approach and who thinks about national unity and integrity.

With Dr. Singh brimming with confidence and riding on a good 5 year term and Advani probably making his last attempt to become the Prime Minister of India, the LS Elections 2009 are certainly going to keep everyone on the edge of their seats.

Jaago India!!

- Kartavya Jain

Manmohan Singh Should Contest Lok Sabha Polls

Manmohan Singh Should Contest Lok Sabha Polls

There is a long ongoing debate on whether or not Manmohan Singh should contest in the Lok Sabha elections 2009, or if we look at a broad picture the question actually should be ---- whether a country's premier or any person for that matter holding a dignified ministerial porfolio in Indian government should be required to contest and win a Lok Sabha seat.

While the constitution allows the Prime Minister to be either a Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha member, our history does not seem completely in line with it. None of the Indian Prime Ministers till date have continued 2 terms as a member of Rajya Sabha. One may argue that even former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi started her Prime Ministerial career as a member of Rajya Sabha and so did H.D. Deve Gowda and Inder Kumar Gujral. But, the point of contention is that all these premiers went on to contest and win Lok Sabha election later on in their political career. Even Inder Kumar Gujral with less than an year tenure as the PM and no achievements of national progress, was able to manage a thumping win.

Focussing on MMS, if he doesn't contest the elections the opposition (specifically BJP) will legitimately make an issue out of it and paint his image as a weak politician (not to mention that BJP had Jaswant Singh who infact lost in 1999 LS elections, holding 3 very critical ministerial portfolios during its reign). MMS's only appearnce and loss in 1999 Lok Sabha elections doesn't help his cause either. Manmohan Singh has done a decent job as the Indian Prime Minister in the last 5 years by achieving various goals of national progress and public welfare. He has shown grit and determination on various fronts be it Indo-US nuclear deal or dealing with our menaching than ever neighbor. Its high time that the MAN behind India's 'Economic Boom,' should show that he has arrived as a politician too. He should actually be leading the campaign for UPA and selling his achievements to the Indian public face to face. Infact, for him to contest & win the same seat in South Delhi where he lost a few years ago, will be the most fitting reply to the opposition. MMS's decision to contest the election will truly act as a shot in the arm for the UPA cadres and will leave the opposition with a herculean task of finding a flaw in his SUPER CLEAN image. Manmohan Singh's postive move will help Indian voters entrust confidence in his political abilities and may well take the UPA clearly ahead of its opposition.

Amendment in the constitution may be the need of the hour!!

Change for GOOD and not just Change is what we NEED!!

- Kartavya Jain

India General Elections 2009

India General Elections 2009 : An Overview

The world's biggest democracy is all geared up for its 15th Lok Sabha Elections slated to start on 16th of April. A multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society, India is a country know for its diversity and the Indian political system truly resembles it. With 7 National Parties, 48 State Parties, and 1000 Registered Unrecognized Parties contesting the 2009 elections, to say that the general elections in India are the 'Mother of all elections' in the world, won't be an exaggeration. Although, Indian National Congress (INC) Party and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are the two bigwigs of Indian politics, the dominance of other national, state, & regional parties can be adjudged from the fact that not a single party has been able to obtain a complete majority in the 543 seat lower house of the Parliament since 1984-85 general elections.

As alliance or coalition is the call of the day, at present there are 3 major alliances (INTACT as of today) trying their fate in 2009 elections -
1. United Progressive Alliance (UPA) - Current Ruling Party/Alliance- Led by Congress
Prime Ministerial Candidate - Manmohan Singh

• Congress (I) or INC - Oldest political party of India, led by Sonia Gandhi, has an all India presence and came as the single largest party in 2004 general elections. Current Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hails from INC.
• Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) - Led by Sharad Pawar (previously a Congress member), has a strong presence in Maharashtra. But Mr. Pawar has already made his ambitions to become the PM of India clear, and so we can see a switch in the loyalities at the end of the elections.
• Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) - Led by M. Karunanidhi, has a good presence in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, current ruling party in Tamil Nadu
• Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) - Led by Shibu Soren, will be interesting to see how he woos voters after his defeat in bypoll assembly elections in Jan 2009
• All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) - Very minor presence in Hyderabad
• Sikkim Democratic Front - Ruling party of Sikkim led by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling
• Trinamool Congress - Led by Mamta Banerjee (previously a member of Congress), known for her agitation against Tata Nano plant in Singur, has a good presence in West Bengal. It will be interesting to see if this alliance can fetch any seats in West Bengal for the UPA
• Indian Union Muslim League - Very small presence in Kerela
• Republican Party of India (Athvale) - Small presence in Maharsahtra

2. Naitional Democratic Alliance (NDA) - Led by BJP Prime Ministerial Candidate - Lal Krishna Advani

• BJP - Main opposition party led by Lal Krishna Advani. BJP is very strong in North & Central India, but weak in South India (excpet Karnataka) and East India. Was in power as the NDA from 1999-2004, but lost to its counterpart UPA in 2004 general elections
• Shiv Sena - Leb by Bal Thackrey, has a strong presence in Maharshtra
• Janta Dal United (JDU) - Led by Nitish Kumar, party has presence in Bihar and Karnataka and is the current ruling party in the State of Bihar. Interestingly, it failed to win even a single seat in the recently conducted elections in Karnataka
• Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) - Led by Prakash Singh Badal, has strong presence in Punjab and is the current ruling party there. The party believes that RELIGION and POLITICS go hand-in-hand
• Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) - Led by Om Prakash Chautala, has presence in Haryana
• Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) - presence in Assam
• Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) - Led by Ajit Singh, has presence in Western Uttar Pradesh
• Nagaland People's Front (NPF) - presence in Nagaland

3. Third Front - Amalgamation of different parties

• Telugu Desam Party (TDP) - Led by Chandrababu Naidu, party has strong presence in Andhra Pradesh. TDP lost its ground to Congress in 2004 State elections and since then has gone back to its route level. With 42 seats at stake in AP, this party may play a significant role in boosting Third Front's hopes
• All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) - Spearheaded by J. Jayalalithaa, party has got strong presence in Tamil Nadu
• Communist Party Of India (CPI) - Led by Prakash Karat, party has got presence in West Bengal, Bihar, Kerela, Uttar Pradesh. Supported the UPA led government in the 14th Lok Sabha till July 2008, but withdrew its support over the government's decision to go ahead on the United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act
• Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM) - Has strong presence in Tripura, Kerala, and West Bengal and is leading the state government in these states. It also supported the UPA led government in the 14th Lok Sabha till July 2008, but withdrew its support due to the fall-out with the government on the nuclear deal with the United States
• Janata Dal Secular - Led by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, JD(S) has got political presence mainly in Karnataka
• Telengana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) - presence in Andhra Pradesh, has aspirations to created a separate state Telangana from Andhra Pradesh. It supported the UPA government for the same reason, but withdrew its support later due to UPA's faliure to create Telangana
• All India Forward Bloc - has stronghold in West Bengal
• Revolutionary Socialist Party - has presence in West Bengal, Kerela, and Tripura
• Haryana Janhit Congress - has presence in Haryana

Apart from these three alliances, other poltical parties which are foreseen to play a major role in deciding the Power Structure of the 15th Lok Sabha are -

• Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) - Led by Laloo Prasad Yadav, have supported the UPA government till date and vowed to support them after the 2009 general elections also. RJD has formed a secular alliance with Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Samajwadi Party to contest elections for 134 seats in Bihar, UP and Jharkhand. RJD has a good stronghold in Bihar and Kingmaker as Laloo Yadav boast he is, may turn one in this election.
• Samajwadi Party (SP) - Led by Mulayam Singh Yadav, supported the UPA government after the Left pulled out support on the nuclear deal issue. SP has a good stronghold in Uttar Pradesh
• Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) - Led by Ram Vilas Paswan, has good presence in Bihar. LJP has also sweared to support Manmohan Singh & UPA after the general elections.
• Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) - Current ruling party in UP, led by Mayawati a Prime Minister aspirant. In 2007, BSP came as a single party to win the majority in State elections since 1991, indicating its clout in India's most populated state.

With UP and Bihar sharing 120 out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, and both biggies Congress and BJP not seen as favorites, it seems imminent that the party controlling the maximum number of seats in these states will have a pronounced say in who comes to power in the 15th Lok Sabha. As political parties are known for their tendency to switch loyalties and break alliances, any such move before or right after the elections shouldn't come as a big surprise ------ after all it's all about the country, isn't it ?

Schedule The 2009 general elections will be conducted in 5 different phases through April and May-

1. Phase 1 - 16th April 2009, Thursday - 17 States (124 Constituencies) 2. Phase 2 - 23rd April 2009, Thursday - 13 States (141 Constituencies) 3. Phase 3 - 30th April 2009, Thursday - 11 States (107 Constituencies) 4. Phase 4 - 7th May 2009, Thursday - 8 States (85 Constituencies) 5. Phase 5 - 9th May 2009, Wednesday- 9 States (86 Constituencies)

Counting of the votes will start on 16th May 2009 and is expected to finish on the same day.

Vote India and vote responsibly as your vote can create a Vibrant & Shining India!!

- Kartavya Jain