Samanth Subramanian

In the New York Times’ India Ink blog, I write about the hoary tradition of playing power games in the installation of a new Indian president:

Through the latter half of September, while Mr. Nehru was visiting Great Britain and the United States, Mr. Patel kept up a stream of assurances to Mr. Prasad. Simultaneously, Mr. Nehru grew more acutely aware of the mood within his party. “I am told that very active and vigorous canvassing has taken place on this subject and there is a large majority who favour Rajendra Babu,” he wrote to Mr. Patel. “This is not merely a question of favoring Rajendra Babu but rather of deliberately keeping Rajaji out.” Mr. Patel responded diplomatically, calling the situation “very complicated” and “rather baffling.” The atmosphere, Mr. Patel wrote, “stinks in my nostrils and I wonder to what depths of intrigues and manoeuvrings [sic] we have lowered ourselves.”

More here, and the entire Long View archive here.