Column

There's enough reason to feel good about the successful completion of the electoral process in the world's largest democracy. The high point, obviously, was that there was no booth capturing and no bloodshed over it.

However, there was something else to feel sad about — the blatant promotion of self-interest by certain smaller parties even at the cost of democracy. The Samajwadi Party headed by Mulayam Singh, which projects itself as a protagonist of constitutionalism demanded the dismissal of the rival Bahujan Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh.

The SP ignored the reality that the Mayawati-led government commands absolute mandate in the House. Like Mayawati, Mulayam Singh too nourishes a dream to become the prime minister and Mayawati as leader of the opposition had raised a similar demand against Singh when he was CM. The consequence of meeting such anti-democratic demands by the Centre is anarchy and sets a precedent that's illegal, illogical, malicious and perverse.

Even after being sworn in as minister, UPA ally and Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee hasn't stopped demanding the dismissal of a duly-elected CPM-led government in West Bengal. She hopes to oust the government before elections happen in 2011.

It is expected that better sense will prevail this time, or else the signatory to the president's rule on the committed governor's advice would invite the severest strictures by the Supreme Court. This happened to Bihar governor Buta Singh when he tried to preempt BJP-JD (U) alliance from forming a government and advised fresh elections and Central rule.

On another note, UP chief minister Mayawati couldn't swallow the drubbing her party received at the polls. She gave marching orders to scores of bureaucrats who were under the EC's command during elections. Evidently, the CM expected bureaucratic commitment in her governance, something she felt was not evident in the result.