As the World's largest democracy went to vote in the past 2 weeks, there were quite a few news, highs and lows to be seen.

While the electronic voting machines showed the sophistication that the elections in India have undergone, the polling officers still seemed to be from the same old Harrappan Civilization.

There was a drive all over to get people to vote. Various campaigns in the media kept pushing people to exercise their right of voting, so that they have a right to crib over issues that they were dissatisfied with. But many of the voters had a question in mind. What do I do, if none of the candidates in the fray could impress me?

There certainly was an answer to this question. The Indian Constitution provided its citizens, the right to forego a vote under section 49(0). There was a set way of doing it and quite a few people also, knew about it.

But.........

But the polling officers were absolutely unaware of it. They went on to question people who asked them about exercising this option, as to what they were talking about and that they were not talking sense. A few of the voters were even pressured to vote for one candidate. People who resisted were asked to leave and they left. The others who succumbed to the pressure voted under influence.

Election Commission, if you are hearing, please train your polling officers.

It is time for the Lok Sabha elections and it is time for the politics of calculators.
Yes, One the largest democracies in the world is going to polls in a month. And the calculators, the king makers, the alliance makers and the bookies are busy again.
Indeed, a democracy is a funny board of game where the ones who are able to accumulate the most numbers wins.
This is precisely what is happening in Indian politics these days. Till about a few days back there were two main fronts in the fray - the UPA and the NDA. One calling itself secular and the other the non-secular. So there were a few other parties that joined one of these alliances based on what their ideologies were (if you are wondering what idealogies mean, then these parties can explain it better). But all of a sudden the small parties that formed part of the big alliances broke-off due to a seat sharing debate and new equations began to fall in place.
Consider this - Lok Janshakti party leader Ram Vilas Paswan and Rastriya Janata Dal leader Laloo Prasad Yadav were the worst of enemies till a few days back swearing at each other, throwing dirt at each other and doing what not. All of a sudden they are together, embracing each other, praising each other and agreeing to a lok sabha poll aliance in Bihar. I, for sure am still not able to figure out what their idealogies were.
Trinamool Congress and Nationalist Congress Party were two factions headed by Mamta Banerjee and Sharad Pawar that were break-aways from the Congress. The reason why they broke away - difference of opinion and idealogy. They have agreed to form an alliance with the Congress Party. No wonder if you are guessing - then why the different factions if there is no difference of ideology when they can form a pre-poll alliance.
The answers to these questions are the trumps to winning this board game. Keep your calculators out and keep calculating because there would be many more such calculations when it comes to forming the government at the center.

What is it that would prompt a person who is 85 years old to jump into the fray in a Lok Sabha elections and that too, projecting himself as the Prime Ministerial Candidate? This question assumes more importance if the person has already been into politics for more than 50 years. My guess is as good as yours.
I would not go by the fact that this is because of his love to the country and its people. Nor would I accept the fact that he is still left with quite a lot of things to do for his countrymen. Rather I would it is the love for power and money that he is doing this.
Yes, the man in question is Mr. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, the earlier Vice President of India. Mr Shekhawat who was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, had earlier served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan on at least 3 occassions before becoming the Vice President. He later resigned from this position after losing the Presidential elections to Smt. Pratibha Patil. Is there something else that he will be able to do for the country and its citizens, more so considering the fact that he is already 85 years old.
I would have no answer but Mr. Shekhawat would probably have. Money, Power and what not? That is the crude saga of politics. Indian politics is today an arena where even the dead would want to come back to.