pass the roti on the left hand side

The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday called for "a united fight to defeat Maoists" but accused the Congress of forging an alliance with the Leftist guerrillas for electoral gains - an allegation that triggered ugly scenes and disruptions in the Lok Sabha.

BJP and Congress MPs were caught in an ugly row over the April 6 Dantewada massacre by Maoist rebels, prompting repeated adjournments of the house.

Which brings us to another trend that many people claim to have noticed: a move away from extremism and a vote for moderation.

Certainly, there is a lot of evidence to support this view. The BJP’s mascot in this election, Narendra Modi, proved to be an over-hyped humbug. In most places where he campaigned, the BJP candidate lost. In those areas where he was not allowed to speak (Bihar for instance), the BJP won. And far from sweeping Modi’s Gujarat, the BJP actually suffered a slight drop in its vote share.

John Authers, investment editor for the Financial Time, wrote:

"True surprises for markets are rare. Monday’s rise of 17 per cent in India’s benchmark Sensex stock index was an exception. It is plain that the market is very happy that the ruling Congress party won a smashing victory in parliamentary elections, which should now give it much greater freedom of political manoeuvre."

Last week, Indian politics saw the attempt to create an anti-Congress and anti-BJP Third Front for the upcoming elections. Ten regional and leftist parties huddled near the southern city of Bangalore to discuss alliances, policy directives and possibly the prime minister's post.