POLITICS-A Trade-Off

himself into a position to relaunch his bid to move back to the centre. If the Congress Party in the state were to demonstrate its stability and staying power, Narasimha Rao cannot sustain the myth of the state needing him more than the centre. However, things have not been going very well for Pawar in the last couple of months. Before that, 'success' in dealing with the bomb blast kept up the image of his efficiency and his ability to rally round him even those who are opposed to him, in times of crisis. In recent months the involvement of Congressmen in the scandal in jalgaon which appears to be a well-established business' of forcing girls into nefarious activities, as well as Khairnar's allegations have cast a shadow over the party' s prospects in the assembly elections. The rumour that the chief minister is contemplating advancing the polls to November to coincide with assembly elections in the two neighbouring stales of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is obviously being floated to test the waters