This time, not withstanding a scorching summer in decades, the heat generated by parliamentary poll proceedings has been much less than the previous occasions. The severe blow delivered by the Supreme Court banning pre-poll surveys and exit polls (after election schedules are declared) has taken away much sheen from the election battle, depriving the electronic and print media their share of gossip columns, hypothetical analysis and group discussions to throw open the number game of anticipated seats in the lower house of the parliament.
Apart from this, the most important other factor that has contributed to low interest in the public mind is the political fragmentation from the conglomerate the UPA and the NDA. Whereas BJD, led by Navin Pattanayak of orissa was the first to come out of NDA alliance, the RJD and LJP of Bihar led by Lalloo Prasad Yadav and Ram Bilas Paswan respectively has come out of UPA for all practical purposes.
On the basis of state-wise existing strength, it appears that the BJP and the INC are more or less evenly poised to get around 125 seats each in the 15th Lok Sabha and the third front led by the Left Parties and constituting BJD and Telegu Desham as major constituent may also get about 125 seats. The majority of about 125 seats from UP and Bihar and Jharkhand are likely to be shared by Mayavati(BSP), Samajwadi Party(SP) of Mulayam and Laloo-Paswan combination depriving both INC and BJP any significant scores in these states as a whole.
The resultant house is likely to witness a high level of fractured mandate leaving a hot bed of post poll politics for forming a viable majority combination to form the Government. It will be a tough time for the President to facilitate the formation of the government and much would depend on her wits and judgment of the volatile situation.
However all these are after all general view of common man on the street. There may be surprise elements and all calculations and predictions may go awry.