Not so these elections to the Lok Sabha, for two reasons. One, this is the third time in three years that India is going to the polls. And two, the unprecedented decision to stretch the polls for a month, from September 5 to October 3. It has led to a ludicrous situation where a national election has almost been reduced to the level of a local election. So while Delhi gets ready to vote, candidates in Calcutta wouldn't even have filed nominations. It is impossible for anybody, including political parties, to get a clear, cross-country picture of the mood on the ground. And as opinion polls are banned during this month, it may actually be easier for the unscrupulous to distort news and views to sway a result. "Overall, it may lead to boredom for the electorate and consequently a low turnout," says Deputy Editor Swapan Dasgupta, who edited this week's exhaustive cover story which brings out some of the colour, rhetoric and issues of the campaign.

Even as we look deep into the political heartland of India, Deputy Editor Raj Chengappa travelled to Pakistan to record the turmoil in that country. More than help Pakistan, the Kargil conflict has exposed severe cracks. Just months ago Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was widely considered the most powerful civilian leader in the history of Pakistan. Today, he is battling a dissatisfied army, a fast-unifying opposition, a shattered economy and plummeting personal appeal. "If he doesn't -- or can't -- take corrective action fast, Pakistan will surely slide into chaos," says Chengappa, who met a cross-section of Pakistanis. "And that will mean more problems for India." We only hope that the elections deliver a stable and wise government which is not only able to tackle India's problems but any that a regrettably turbulent relationship with our neighbour might bring.

(Aroon Purie)