An election is coming. Universal peace is declared and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry.” T.S. Eliot got that one right, as political parties now embark on the business of forging workable alliances. To what extent can different parties make their electoral math add up and their ideological agendas coalesce? For instance, the Left might stretch itself silly looking for kindred souls in the BSP, and make tentative moves towards factoring in caste issues, but has perhaps come around to accepting that nuclear deal apart, the Congress is still definitely a friend with benefits. Witness the West Bengal CPM’s distinct softening towards new state Congress chief Pranab Mukherjee — now that could herald some interesting changes in the near future.

The Congress may have decided to operate from a position of strength, now that it senses the vulnerability in the NDA camp. Certainly, there is a distinct possibility that powerful team-mates like the NCP could cobble together their own alliances post-election, and it makes sense for the Congress to hold off binding commitments at this stage. But this did not stop its spokesperson from reaching out to CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat. And the BJP? With the disquiet amongst allies like the BJD in Orissa about its Hindutva agenda, the party is seen to be toning down its temple rhetoric. But will it?

The Samajwadi Party’s shenanigans, of course, are a genre apart, as it wobbles comically between its Muslim supporters, who decry any association with Kalyan Singh, and the Hindu OBCs, who it fears might veer to the BSP. But this flux in UP is only one facet of the tricky teamwork that will have to be worked out across the country. The big two poles of the Congress and the BJP have to accommodate a pretty difficult ensemble cast. It will take a great deal of ideological improvisation, blatant bargaining, and also a certain drawing of boundaries — how much can various political parties bend with the situation, and what constituencies and manifesto-points are core, non-negotiable facts?