If George Orwell were alive today he might have written: 'All MPs are equal. Some MLAs are more equal than others.'

The vice-president of India [ Images ] is chosen by members of Parliament. But the Constitution mandates that members of legislative assemblies have a say in choosing the President.

That fact is giving the party managers in both the Congress and BJP some sleepless nights. Tough as it is to get the numbers in Parliament it is tougher yet to do in the Vidhan Sabhas, where the Congress and the BJP might not even have a majority, might not even be the chief Opposition party. Even the smallest parties, allies or not, will need to be cajoled.

'UPA' stands for 'United Progressive Alliance'. 'NDA' stands for 'National Democratic Alliance'. The truth is that neither is a cohesive alliance.

Let us start with the BJP side of the ledger, if only because it is a bit simpler than untangling the Congress's side.

Sushma Swaraj [ Images ], the Leader of the Opposition in th ...more