It is interesting and the
developments say it is going to be more interesting further as the rush to
catch the share of voters in some assembly elections that, by the normal
schedule, are to be held later this year, and in the next parliamentary
elections, scheduled to be held around May next year, gets more and more into
the war zone.
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
It is not that the alliance
formations and alliance disruptions or colourful war of words were not in
previous elections.
This time too, alliances are well
on the way to follow the same trajectory with the elusive ‘third-front’ again
becoming a hotly debated and ‘aspired for’ destination of alliance hoppers and
of opportunist political parties. That is much on the expected line.
This time too, the different
shades of the colourful war of words have started taking darker hues, a clear
indication that the nation is getting into the ‘ready’ mode for the
high-intensity verbal duels and some unpleasant, loud campaigning.
So, what is going to make it
different and so more interesting this time?
It is, now, clearly going to be
Narendra Modi Vs Rahul Gandhi. Both leaders are taking head-on in national
elections for the first time.
One is a self-made leader and the
other could be said to be a ‘made’ leader but that doesn’t matter at the moment
because the battle-front lines are already drawn.
And it may well be the last time
for one or both of them.
No arguments to it that Narendra
Modi is the most popular politician of the moment in the country and weighs far
more significantly than Rahul Gandhi.
BUT!
To say with certainty that both
are the national leaders of the stature to pull the votes across the country
and so to claim the prime-minister’s office would be a far-fetched thing.
Both are yet to perform on a
larger canvas.
Though, here too, Narendra Modi
scores over Rahul Gandhi by his impressive performance in Gujarat that is more
substance than hype with Rahul Gandhi yet to deliver a significant electoral
victory on his own, only the outcomes of the upcoming assembly elections and
the next parliamentary election would tell if he has what it takes to become a
national leader and claimant to the country’s topmost political job.
