London, May 8 (ANI): Britain is likely to go to the polls within 12 months, political experts have predicted.
According to The Telegraph, the cost of another ballot will run into tens of millions of pounds. The cost of a general election for the parties, however, is estimated to run to about 40 million pounds in total and most would want to avoid going to the polls if possible.
It quoted Dr Richard Toye, a historian at Exeter University, as saying: “I”d bet on an election in October or November this year.”
According to bookies Betfair, the chances of a second election by the end of 2010 have gone up from 28 per cent to 38 per cent during the course of Friday, as political betters started to lay money on a Conservative-led alliance falling apart and David Cameron going to voters again to win an outright majority.
The last time Britain elected a hung parliament, in February 1974, it resulted in a second election in October of that year, eight months later.
Dr David Butler of Nuffield College, Oxford, one of the country”s leading election experts, said there was likely be another election very soon, “because I don’t see the compromises that are necessary for a coalition.”
Historically, no minority government has lasted much more than two years.
The hung parliament of 1974 lasted for eight months, while the hung parliament of 1923 lasted for less than a year. (ANI)
Radio Pakistan unhappy over criticism of Jaswant Singh book on Jinnah
Abohar, Sep.3 (ANI): The expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh has got a new fan in Punjabi Durbar programme of Radio Pakistan.
In its latest edition, the Punjabi Durbar programme has described all political parties of India be it Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress or Shiv Sena being anti-Pakistan for voicing objection to Jaswant Singh’s book- “Jinnah-India, Partition, Independence”.
In its recent Punjabi Durbar Programme, Radio Pakistan said that Jaswant Singh has paid a huge price for his biography of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
Many Indian scholars have expressed sympathy with Jaswant Singh, but have taken exception to Pakistan Radio describing all Indian political parties as anti-Pakistan.
Anil Kumar, a historian and a commentator on current affairs has stated that political parties in India have tried their best to cultivate good relations with Pakistan ever since independence.
“India has been maintaining friendly relationship with Pakistan since 1947. India parted with funds held by united India, when Jinnah demanded it. Even after Pakistani aggression in 1965 and 1971, India returned to Pakistan the territory which was in India’s possession in the hope that there would be cordial relations between the two countries,” he said.
“Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh have been continuously trying to maintain good relations with Pakistan, but Pakistan continued terrorist attacks in India,” Anil Kumar added.
“India is a secular country. There are more Muslims in India than the total population of Pakistan. Moslems are happy to be in India. Many feel that they are safer than in Pakistan, which is being subjected to violence by the Taliban,” said Anil kumar, who is, an expert on Indo-Pak affairs.
India is continuing talks at different levels despite incidents like Mumbai terror attacks and Pakistan’s ongoing support to militancy in Kashmir.
It is surprising that broadcasters of Radio Pakistan expect political parties in India to sing praise of Jinnah, who was chiefly responsible for the division of the sub-continent on the basis of religious identities.
They accept Jinnah’s contribution during the freedom struggle against the British Raj, but are critical of his role in dividing the country. (ANI)