My dear Prime Minister
            It has been widely surmised that the coming general election may not produce an overall majority for any political formation. Thus the key parties namely the INC or the BJP may have to look around for more political allies in order to make up the magic figure of 272. We are thus on the eve of the formation of yet another coalition government.
           
While we have experienced coalition governments since 96, unfortunately the political system has not been able to work out any consensus or convention for the formation of a coalition or for the sharing of power among the constituents. The resulting maneuvers not only consume a lot of time before a government is installed in office but also slurs the image of our democracy.
           
Apart from Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee you are the only head of a coalition government to completed a full term. I visualize the difficulties that Shri Vajpayee and you had to face in building an effective coalition cutting across personal, political and ideological difference among various aspiring members. Indeed even mini parties with very small representation in the Lok Sabha demand more than their due place in the Cabinet, as well as their share in the rest of the Council of Ministers and in the portfolios, in terms of ministries and departments.
           
It should be taken for granted that the biggest party in the coalition has the inherent right to lead the coalition but the choice for the Prime Ministership has to be endorsed by all the coalition partners. The convention that the head of the government has the prerogative to choose his colleagues within the number due to each partner and assign portfolios to them has not stood the test of time. I wish it were possible to evolve appropriate conventions for the formation of a multi-party coalition, the representation of various constituents in power structure and the sharing of ministries and department among them. It may perhaps be a waste of time and energy in a situation of cross-bidding for support but if the leaders of the major parties can arrive at a consensus, it would be welcomed by the country and the intelligentsia.
With kind regards