Elections are around the corner, the pre-poll heat is already on, alliances will be formed shortly... so what will I do on voting day?

I will make sure I queue up outside my polling booth, get my finger imprinted with indelible ink, go inside and press the button which has the lotus symbol next to it.

Am I from a Jansangh-i family? Am I a manuwadi? Do I support what Narendra Modi overtly or covertly did in Guajarat? The answer to all these questions is a firm NO. But I have my reasons and let me share them with you.

1. Atal Bihari Vajpayee: Age may be against him but here is a man who is a superb cross between a liberal and a conservative. He has age-old wisdom which frames his conviction and yet he has the vision to think ahead. He knows how to pamper to small, niche constituencies while not compromising on issues that really affect the country. Just like Rajiv Gandhi revolutionised the telecom sector with his vision, Vajpayee's dream of the Golden Quadrilateral will change the way we commute and will make the country energy-efficient as well as cost-competitive globally. He is respected the world over for his astuteness and dynamic leadership, qualities you do not generally associate with an old man with wobbly knees.

2. Lal Krishna Advani: A perfect foil and a counterweight to Vajpayee. The man is like a strict school principal who will make the kids stand in the sun for several hours if he feels its good for them. No-nonsense and very sharp, he is unlike any other politician in the country. He will refuse to talk with extremists at their terms, even if it makes him unpopular, if he thinks it will be counter-productive. I would like to see him as Prime Minister after Vajpayee kicks the bucket.

3. Corruption: By far, this has been one of the cleanest governments in recent memory. The biggest 'scandals' have involved a minister asking his ministry to furnish his house or another buying coffins from a vendor who does not have the lowest quote or a party president accepting some five lac rupees from someone who insists - and these are laughable at best. Compare with the US where vice-presidents prod a moron president to send out thousands of young soldiers in pursuit of WMDs primarily to benefit his previous employers. The top players (Vajpayee, Advani, George Fernandes, Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh, Sushma Swaraj etc) are honest and/ or seen to be honest unlike previous governments where the PMs themselves were accused of (and widely believed to have) receiving suitcases from stockbrokers, arms dealers, tantriks etc.

4. Consistency: The government has been consistent except for some minor flip-flops attributed to Vajpayee, which I believe has been pre-meditated in order to convey a message to different individuals or stakeholders without taking an irreversible stand. The government strongly condemned the riots in Gujarat and took prompt action to curb what is undoubtedly the one dark chapter in their tenure. That Modi went on to become CM even after this is a 'weakness' inherent in a democracy.

5. Foreign policy: That they have managed to safeguard India's interests in the face of tremendous support to Pakistani dictatorship for non-India-centric reasons is an accomplishment. By focussing on the economy as a diplomatic tool they diverted attention from the traditional "look-Pakistan-and-China-are-troubling-me" victim mindset on to the Shining India which is a favoured investment destination.

6. No alternative: I would hate to have an Italian-born Rabri Devi as our Prime Minister even if he wears recycled Indira Gandhi sarees and speaks what is supposed to be Hindi out of roman-lettered texts.

7. Secularism: Against all fears that they will indulge in Muslim-bashing and will build the Ram temple bulldozing any opposition, Vajpayee and his government (mind you, the party has an agenda and what they do is their business as long as it does not affect the governance) have proven to be rational and statesman-like. Muslims are as safe in India as before and their voices are heard on all major fora, even though the traditional appeasemsnt which benefitted only the elite has reduced.

I sincerely hope they get a full majority on their own so that the unfinished agendas of divestment, infrastructure-building and Kashmir are sorted out in their next term.