BJP's kicking, Congress listless

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script><br />For sheer attitude, you have to hand it to the BJP. The party plays the poll game the way the Germans play football. Precision, planning and sheer force. It may lack the beauty of a Ronaldo feint, but it works when you want to trip the other side up.<br /></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="44.4%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><img src="/photo/565383.cms" alt="/photo/565383.cms" border="0" /></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Like the lists. Thirty-five days to elections 2004, the BJP has already released names of 236 candidates in two lots. The ones that matter came in first – Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi et al. </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Nothing unusual except that in a battle being fought as much in the mind as on hot, dusty streets it sends out a message. Of battle-readiness. </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Contrast that with the Congress that almost unwillingly parted with its initial 75 names and on Tuesday would have released some more had not Sonia Gandhi’s escort helicopter crash-landed. That’s another story, but no second list yet. And no Sonia yet.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Is the Congress out of its depth or merely ham-handed? The question comes not from a cynical scribe but a bewildered young Congress worker. There is, of course, the Akbar Road argument that they play it differently. </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold=""><formid=367815></formid=367815></span><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><br />That there is little mystery in Sonia’s candidature or that saves best for the last, but such arguments will not stem the sniggers a few kilometres away at Ashok Road. Contentious seats are traditionally decided last, the iffy ones. And perhaps, Sonia can’t decide which will be the safest seat, a wizened old politico guffaws at the BJP office.<br /><br />That may be so, may not be so. It might just be an embarrassment of riches. Karnataka, which last time sacrificed when the Congress chief picked Amethi over Bellary, has been asking for a Gandhi candidate this time too. Any Gandhi – Sonia, Priyanka, Rahul.<br /><br />But no Sonia candidature up front adds to the image that the BJP is assiduously building for the Congress – of a party that is not quite sure whether its leader is its biggest asset or its biggest liability. In fact, the party has also played out the Rahul-Priyanka-to-contest-or-not-to-contest enigma so long now, even the most ardent have lost interest.<br /><br />On the other side, the BJP makes a ceremony out of everything. Even an old second-hand election rath is turned into a tourist attraction. It works most times. And when there is cricket, the party knows to bow to a superior force.<br /><br /><formid=367815><br /></formid=367815></div> </div><div class="section3"><div class="Normal"><br />Messrs Pramod Mahajan and Co, aware that all activity ceases when India and Pakistan play cricket, made sure they had their second list ready to be announced in time to make the headlines a day before the Pindi match. <br /><br />The Congress second list was ready to roll out less than two hours into the match, only the freak copter crash gave the party another chance. The reason handed out for another delay: Sonia was yet to sign it.<br /><br />It has been that way through the rather extended build-up to these elections. The BJP began the ridiculous game of catch a star. So Bollywood began to pack its bags and head for Delhi. No one really knew to what avail, but it was catching. Soon the Congress felt obliged to draft some of its own. <br /><br />On one March morning flight that landed in the Capital, there were four former Miss Indias, five actresses, two actors and a plane full of curious passengers playing the guessing game – who’s joining which party. And so the competition went on till the BJP casually unveiled Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani’s meticulously planned Bharat Uday Yatra. The Congress, caught off guard, sulked. It’s still sulking.<br /><br /><formid=367815></formid=367815></div> </div>