UPA allies, opposition talk of mid-term polls

The scuttlebutt of a mid-term election has been fairly launched after the poor showing by the Congress in recently concluded state elections, with railway minister Dinesh Trivedi of the Trinamool Congress saying on Wednesday that "if other parties are asking for it, then the government should announce early mid-term polls".

Trivedi was quick to backtrack on his statement on Thursday, reportedly after being pulled up by his leader Mamata Banerjee for his remarks. He said these had been made in a personal capacity at a discussion forum, and did not reflect the views of his party, which a crucial member of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.

However the Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to latch on to the suggestion of a mid-term poll, saying the time for elections had come and it would be Congress's own doing if one of their allies walks out.

Trivedi expressed the wide-spread fear that the drubbing of the Congress in assembly elections would lead to a further policy paralysis. As it is, the party will now find it difficult to get its nominee elected as President of India, with states having a major say in the matter.

Trivedi had said that "policy paralysis will be more acute" after the 2012 assembly election results. Besides the general budget and the railways budget, the government plans to introduce bills for foreign investment in retail, the lokpal bill, the women's reservation bill and massive educational reforms in the upcoming budget session of Parliament, as well as a steep hike in oil prices.

"There is a fear that big ticket reforms will be difficult. The parties have political ambitions. The government has to make a tight-rope walk. Numbers are a reality, you cannot change the numbers. We need to be real," he had said on Wednesday.