As the election draws to an end and the numbers game begins, the focus is on Rashtrapati Bhavan, where the decision on who forms the next government will be taken if the results on May 16 do not produce a clear winner.
President Pranab Mukherjee, in his address on Republic Day eve, cautioned the nation against a “fractured mandate.” He said a “fractured government” would be an “unhappy eventuality,” and went on to call it “catastrophic.”
Sources close to him indicate that he will invite the party or coalition “most likely” to form a stable government.
“In case of no decisive mandate, the President is likely to choose a party or coalition that will offer a stable government and put the country on an unprecedented trajectory of growth,” a source said.
The President, who has chosen not to cast his vote to ensure his “neutrality,” has the mandate to call the party with the numbers or alliance partners to form the government. Mr. Mukherjee, never known to deviate from the rule book, has begun consultations with legal luminaries and constitutional experts such as Soli Sorabjee, Mohan Parasaran, T.K. Vishwanathan and Fali Nariman on the course to follow should the results put the country at a crossroads.
