From EVM to floor test Onus on BJP !
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 19 2018 -

Next to God-This is the Supreme Court and while one can obviously refuse to listen to the words of God, one certainly cannot afford to ignore the words or directives of the Supreme Court and so it is that on May 19, India will see a floor test to decide which party will form the Government in Karnataka.

The equation stands as, BJP-104, Congress-78, JD(S)-37 and BSP, KPJP and Independent one each for the 222 ACs that went to polls in a House of 224. Elections to two seats were countermanded.

With the Congress and JD (S) opting to go in for a post poll tie up, they have managed to cross the magic mark of 112 to form the Government but as in politics, not everything can be calculated strictly according to Arithmetic and it is this which the BJP is looking to bank on.

With the country set to go for the Parliamentary elections in 2019, the stake is indeed high for the BJP and Congress, but as the political drama unfolds at Karnataka, it is more than clear that the floor test will be more crucial to the BJP than the Congress.

A loss in the floor test will not be an embarrassment only for the Karnataka unit of the BJP but can be a bigger blow to the BJP led NDA Government at New Delhi.

A loss will go a long way in eroding the credibility of the BJP as a whole and obviously the think tank of the BJP will not want this to even become a remote possibility, with the Lok Sabha polls inching closer with each passing day.

What strategies the BJP and the Congress adopt ahead of the crucial floor test on May 19, remains to be seen, but there are certain possibilities that not all the strategies will be pretty, for power politics, as defined by the different political parties, is all about grabbing power at any cost.

Plan A, Plan B and even Plan C, the two parties must have worked out by now, for if one plan fails one can always bank on the second plan and even a third plan.

Drawing up a road map to persuade some of the Congress MLAs and JD (S) MLAs not to turn up for the floor test can be one such plan.

This plan of course will have to be executed with benefits and promises such as a Cabinet berth, after they are disqualified and a fresh election is held six months from now. Or the JD (S) may be convinced to come along with the BJP, especially now that Parliamentary elections will be held in 2019 and the BJP seems to be on a strong turf.

If this plan succeeds then the BJP has everything to gain, and not only Karnataka for in such a scenario it cannot be accused of horse trading and in the process would have taken away a key ally of the Congress in the southern State of Karnataka.

The Congress too may use this same tactics to lure away MLAs from the BJP, but the likelihood of such a plan succeeding is remote.

Remember the BJP is on a roll, wining elections after elections ever since it came to power in the 2014 Parliamentary elections.

Keeping the herd together will then be the safest bet for the Congress, plus keeping their post poll alliance with the JD (S) intact.

Whichever way the dice rolls, it is imperative to remember that the directive of the Supreme Court has come in line with the principals of democracy though it is doubtful if any of the political parties really respect the spirit and essence of democracy though all swear by democracy.