'SP can't risk early polls, BJP will want UPA to crumble'

The current crisis in the Congress-led United Progressive Front that began after DMK pulled out from the coalition sparked a debate of a possibility of an early election. But finance minister P Chidambaram told the press that his government was stable and talks cooled off a bit.

However, a recent remark against Samajwadi Party (SP) boss Mulayam Singh Yadav by Union Steel minister Beni Prasad Verma has once again exposed the government to an early-election risk. Mr Verma had over the weekend accused Mr Yadav of having "links with terrorists," but the Congress was quick to distance itself from the said remark and Mr Verma eventually apologised. Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Indian Express editor in-chief Shekhar Gupta believes chances of an early poll is minimal because SP, one of the parties that support the government from outside, would not want it at this stage. SP rules India’s largest state Uttar Pradesh, where it is facing a decline in its popularity. As far as the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is concerned, Gupta says the Opposition party would prefer a destruction of the UPA rather than a poll. Taking these two parties’ interests into account, Gupta rules out the possibility of an election in the next three months. He sees the government having another 6-8 months to act on its political course.