Preface
Power comes from numbers in a parliamentary democracy, whether there are two poles or three poles around which the politics of the country revolves. And, when invincibility of national parties declines, the inevitability of regional parties grows.
Big, small or tiny, regional parties are transforming the electoral politics of the country.
Some political scientists dub them as destabilising forces without any well-defined ideological position, but despite their rusticity, their supporters applaud them for seeing the opportunity in a scenario of weakening national parties.
Politics is a ruthless game of power play. Regional parties, which come in various shapes and sizes, so very cleverly follow the dictum: hum power ke liye kuch bhi karenge (we will do anything for power).
As a political commentator, watching the country's ever-changing politics and the accompanying power games has been interesting, even exciting and entertaining. A classic example of this bizarre yet exciting politics is the case of the volatile state of Uttar Pradesh, which gave the country a 48-hour Loktantrik Congress Party chief minister Jagdambika Pal (now in the BJP). It was such high-octane drama for two days.
Little wonder then some journalists have described the manoeuvrings of politicians and their parties as India's new electoral box offices.
As regional parties rule the roost, calling the shots in government formation and policies, there's been a cry for a return to the two-party system.
But then the question arises: Wouldn't a two-party system limit the multiple choices that the voters have today? As politics of the two national parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, increasingly gets centralised with regional satraps either disappearing or falling silent, these small outfits offer hope by becoming the voice of the people living in far-flung regions.
Moreover, while voters may find 'Delhi far and Lucknow close,' say in UP, the fact remains that the national parties are equally dependent on regional parties to meet their political aspirations, notwithstanding power sharing.
Om Prakash Rajbhar, president of the tiny Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), shook hands with Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi and ensured his re-entry into Yogi 2.0, despite the unpalatable words he had fired at Adityanath. Rajbhar, in return, agreed to support the BJP in the 2024 General Elections. Soon after becoming cabinet minister in UP, the irrepressible Rajbhar told his supporters at a public rally to 'wear a peela gamchcha (yellow muffler) and barge into any police station and announce that I have sent you. The DM, SP and CO have no powers to call and confirm from me.
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