There is a surreal atmosphere in the studios of TV news channels coveringelection 2009. Whether it is the BJP or the Congress or the CPM -- they all livein their make-believe world, or at least in public they pretend that reality andfantasy are one and the same thing. I’ve just returned after sitting fornearly three hours non-stop in the Times Now studio (I didn’t even goout for a bathroom-break), and frequently the spokespersons and party leaderssurprised and astounded me. Happily, no party still claims it will form agovernment on its own, but beyond that the UPA and the NDA maintain they willget a clear majority.