From correspondents in Delhi, India, 06:01 PM IST

The timing of the trust vote could not have been worse, say political parties. With general elections scheduled anyway for May 2009, neither the ruling UPA nor the opposition are quite sure of how their MPs would behave.

'No MP is worried about party whips or disqualification as the 14th Lok Sabha is anyway going to end in a few months. MPs who are unsure of getting tickets from their parties and those who have lost their safe seats after delimitation can make deals with others,' said a minister involved in the task of garnering support for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)