March 16, 1998

Crown of Thorns
With the electorate denying him a clear majority, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Atal Bihari Vajpayee has to find a new set of allies to win the numbers game and form the government. His other objective will be to simultaneously impart a degree of coherence to a coalition which is made up of parties with individual agendas.

Role Reversal India's party of power is still jockeying for government, but a significant section within is advocating that another stint in the Opposition would be worth the while. Sonia's Campaign Uneasy Unity Routed in many parts of its strongholds, the Third Force has lost its pan-Indian identity. How India Voted The enthusiasm with which the people embraced the democratic process, with a rise in the turnout for the first time in a mid-term poll, shows that politics is no longer a middle-class game. The New House If democracy is about one man, one vote, elections are also about the winner. From dreamer to pragmatists, to opportunists, those who have won this election represent the voice of India.

Fragile Victory
The wafer-thin divide in Himachal Pradesh makes another poll inevitable.

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