Mercy and love contrasted!

The problem with election and predestination has rankled the saints for centuries now. The main contention, and understandably so, is whether God's love is partial to some or not. How could it be, that God who wants all to be saved, and who loves without partiality, elect some for salvation? We have tried to find many ways around it and talk about extreme Calvinism and moderate Calvinism and the like. We try to redefine foreknowledge to mean something else, but we conveniently forget that a word called predestination is connected to it. Does man take the initiative for his salvation or does God? It cannot be both. I strongly feel that many have not gone through the prophetic books to see how God decides to save a remnant in Israel even when they were hostile to God and showed no sign of thawing.
The answer I believe, has to be found outside of the love of God. We have to delve into another nature of God called mercy. The love of God is impartial but mercy by nature itself, is partial. The love of God is left untouched, even as He shows mercy to some. There are numerous verses that stress on this - Rom 9:15, 9:23, 11:30, 1Tim 1:13, Titus 3:5 etc. We do not and cannot cast a shadow on the love of God. It is all encompassing. and forever true. But because He is rich in mercy, many are appointed to eternal life. Romans 11:32 does not contradict what has been said. Mercy has to be exclusive by nature. In its context, Paul expounds that mercy was shown to the Gentiles because of Israel's disobedience. Finally Israel would be shown mercy too. But not for now. Mercy is not free flowing whereas love has to be.