My back-to-the-centre theory rests on two main postulates. One, that Congress and the BJP, together, must have at least 350 seats in Lok Sabha. That way, irrespective of which coalition is in power, our national politics would have a stable centre of gravity. Two, irrespective of who is in power in Uttar Pradesh, BJP and the Congress, together, must have at least 50 per cent of the vote. That ensures any coalition in Lucknow will have to include one of the two and that will ensure some degree of focus and stability and strengthen the prospects of anti-incumbency, thereby bringing our largest state firmly within the national political mainstream. This election won’t see the two national parties notch up that 50 per cent aggregate. But they will most likely cross 40, which, if you know Uttar Pradesh, is serious progress. More importantly, this is an idea, a political swing, that is only gathering momentum and looks irreversible in the near-term.

(Next Saturday: catching up with Mulayam, Rahul and Rajnath and feeling for that new centre of gravity)

sg@expressindia.com