Amid talk of mid-term polls, Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party appear to have gone into election mode and have launched hectic efforts to get their acts together.
The Congress-led coalition is not lagging behind in the wake of calls of be prepared for snap elections. It is showing signs of urgency in taking action in the wake of the stand-off with the Left parties on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
The announcement of follow-up action on the Sachar Committee's report on Muslims, an ambitious scheme of scholarships for Scheduled Caste students, the bill for unorganised sector workers and a Bima Yojana for the masses are the latest decisions to project its aam aadmi (common man) image.
"The fourth year of a coalition is invariably a tricky year" -- that is the refrain among Congress leaders, including All India Congress Committee office-bearers, thereby implying that they do not rule out the possibility of early polls.
The BJP too is attempting to put its house in order and a meeting of its top brass with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, currently on in Mumbai, is being seen as a crucial move in this direction.
The main opposition party will later this month hold its national executive in Bhopal, which is likely to be an important affair as it plans its 'next steps.'
On the other hand, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has become active on the organisational front with indications from the AICC that changes are on the cards in several states and at the national level.
AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh summed up the mood in the Congress by saying, "The Congress is not afraid of elections, but we do not want to thrust elections on the people of the country at this time."
Another Congress general secretary, Ashok Gehlot, said it is high time to give a key role in the organisation to young parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi to propel a new generation of leadership to the front.
A Union minister said the Congress is keeping its powder dry and is not devoid of ammunition against the Left, but will like to err on the side of caution and not want to give any quarter to the Marxists.
'Let bygones be bygones' appears to be the saffron attitude as BJP veteran L K Advani is hosting a lunch for Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackarey this week.
This, party sources said, is to send out a clear signal that all is well between the two oldest ideological allies, which once shared power in Maharashtra but have been showing signs of falling apart in the wake of the presidential polls.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's hints that she is parting ways with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance have led to joy in Congress circles, which feel that a tie-up with her party in West Bengal could give the Marxists a run for their money.
Nationalist Congress Party general secretary D P Tripathi has said that the UPA will fight the elections together whenever they are held.
Suhas Palshikar, professor of political science in Pune University, believes the UPA and NDA will largely remain intact at the time of the next elections.
Another interesting development a couple of days ago was a meeting that senior BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad had with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief Jayalalithaa in Chennai.
The meeting came amid reports that she has been distancing herself from the Third Front, formally known as the United National Progressive Alliance. Her party voted for Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in the presidential poll despite the UNPA's decision to abstain.
It was after a long time that a senior BJP leader had met Jayalalithaa whose AIADMK severed ties with it after the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.
As against this, there has been confusion in the Congress on the relationship with Bahujan Samaj Party despite its chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati having a rare bonhomie with Sonia Gandhi from the time of the presidential election.
Lately, however, Mayawati has made certain statements that were critical of the government at the Centre.
Mayawati, whose victory in the Uttar Pradesh polls this year was seen as a defining moment in politics, has been generally against pre-election tie-ups. And despite consistent denials from those concerned, there has always been talk in political circles that the BJP and the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party are 'made for each other,' especially in the politics of Uttar Pradesh.
