Even as Delhi went to polls on Saturday, KN Govindacharya, convener of Save Democracy Front and former ideologue of BJP, has sought postponement of the elections as the BJP has violated
As anticipated the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) won the assembly by-election to the prestigious Srirangam constituency of Tamil Nadu, earlier held by the party chief J J
While India is still waiting for judiciary to enforce eco norms with ban on diesel vehicles in Delhi and Rohtang Pass, the emission issue is a subject of election campaign in the UK.
The Karnataka high court has acquitted J Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case
Lalu Yadav never ceases to surprise his opponents, supporters, alliance partners and political analysts with his maverick political actions. When everyone took him for granted as a partner in Janat
Tamil Nadu chief minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary J Jayalalithaa begins her campaign to restore her dented pride with an election meeting in Radhakri
It is a season of pouring trouble for the Modi government. As the issue of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s humanitarian gesture misfires, a Delhi court has taken cognisance of a com
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has won the RK Nagar by-election with a huge margin of 1.51 lakh votes. Her vote tally was 1.6 lakh votes. She defeated CPI candidate C Mahendran.
In a democracy political parties lose elections and some are won. And in a century of its existence the Congress party has many humiliating defeats and unbelievable victories. However, the party do
Bihar Assembly elections will be held in five phases from October 12. Chief election commissioner Nasim Zaidi announced the election schedule in New Delhi on Wednesday. Other voting dates are Octob
Should caste make sense when development brings a generation of changes? Is Lalu Prasad Yadav relevant in Bihar? Bihar may not change overnight but it can make an attempt in this ass
Some 20 percent of the candidates in the fray for the phases 1(a) and 1(b) of West Bengal assembly elections have declared their criminal record, an analysis by West Bengal Election Watch and Assoc
As Assam goes to polls on April 4 (phase 1), all eyes should be on three constituencies where three or more candidates have declared criminal background in their self-sworn affidavits, an analysis
She still remembers that warm day in May in 2011, when the unimaginable happened and the bastion of the left rule came crashing down. One woman almost single-handedly achieved this feat. Sharbani,
A girl studying in the prestigious Presidency University was thrashed in south Kolkata by a group of people owing allegiance to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on April 15,
Chennai based digital news start-up Ippothu.com, in a pre-poll survey has found that the Jayalalithaa-led government will get a decisive victory in the upcoming assembly elections. The survey that
When people of Chennai go out to vote for the next state government on May 16, what will be the issues top most in their minds? Curiously, they will be thinking less about jobs, ‘good governa
As the Jayalalithaa-led All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) comes back to power again in Tamil Nadu, here is what Chennai-based political experts have to say on the outcome of this el
As the BJP celebrated its magnificent victory in Assam, the outcome of assembly elections in five states – Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal and Puducherry – should make India&rsqu
Voting to elect 27 Rajya Sabha members is underway across seven states as the ruling BJP is hoping to increase its numbers in the upper house of Parliament to enable it to push key legislations.
Even for early January, it is a cold night. A motley crowd of waiting passengers is encircled around a makeshift tea stall on the dimly-lit platform number one of Bathinda junction, in south Punjab
Should those with criminal cases be allo
This is no laughing matter. Navjot Singh Sidhu, a former Indian cricketer who guffaws throughout The Kapil Sharma Show on television, has quit the BJP and his Rajya Sabha seat and there is a distin
While the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will fight a fierce battle in the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress will not be in contention, showed an opinion
Since public memory is woefully short, it may not be common knowledge that general elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies were held simultaneously initially – in 1951, 1957, 1962 an
The debate over holding simultaneous elections in the country, i.e. conducting both general and state elections at the same time, has of lately taken flight. Last year, the Standing Committee on Pe
If banning high denomination currency notes can curb black money, the whole problem would have been solved in 1978 – when the Morarji Desai government did it. Banning Rs 500 and Rs
Prime minister Narendra Modi made the suggestion for holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections at the all-party meeting ahead of the parliament session. The Standing Comm
The election commission has announced the schedule of the biggest electoral bout of the year, in five states. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand
India’s election commission on Wednesday announced the schedule to the assembly polls in five states, heralding the biggest political event in the calendar. Some 60 million vot
Amar Singh, a business man who made hay while financial crisis engulfed the who’s who of politics, business or glamour, is best known for attending Bollywood award functions, posing wit
Goa is all set to witness elections on February 4. I was travelling to the state for the first time with a group of friends a little more than week before the polling date. At first, we were
Punjab’s deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal may well be right when he claims that no one can say his government has not performed on the parameters of development. What is left unsaid
While presenting the budget in the Lok Sabha, the finance minister made some announcements about the manner in which he sought to make donations to political parties more transparent. If the propos
The latest buzz on social media is about whether or not Rahul Gandhi, while campaigning in Manipur, said he would be happy to see ‘coconut juice’ from the state being sold in London wit
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which dramatically swept to power in Delhi in 2015 bagging 67 of the 70 assembly seats, has failed to work its charm in the 2017 assembly elections. Of the
The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which saved paper and helped in bringing out the results in 2-3 hours, is increasingly facing opposition from politicians who now want th
The elections are over, votes are counted, victors are being sworn in – ok, in a couple of places the runners-up are being sworn in. And losers are blaming it on electronic voting mac
Bharatiya Janata Party’s spectacular show in the elections 2017 – especially, the victory in Uttar Pradesh, has put a stamp of invincibility on prime minister Narendra Modi’s pers
Did the choice of Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister surprise you? He faces numerous criminal cases for his alleged role in communal violence, but he says these are political c
Indian parties do not choose their politicians with a view to what the world might conclude, but there is no denying the signal Yogi Adityanath’s pick sends: with a huge
Though Lok Sabha elections have never generated enthusiasm among voters in Kashmir, the antipathy that the ubiquitous mobs of young men hurling stones and petrol bombs at polling stations displayed
India Today conducted a cash-for-vote sting operation in the recent assembly polls which revealed how candidates were blatantly violating election commission (EC) guidelines by bribing vote
A key element of electoral reforms is to bar convicted MPs and MLAs from contesting elections for their entire lifetime. Yet, this has not happened till now. The el
It’s a Saturday morning at the Gorakhnath temple, and there’s a hustle-bustle in the compound: the chief minister’s in absentia durbar is on. Callers phone in their complaints, an
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya speaks to Governance now on how the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has fared so far: You have come up with
At 70, Dr Aziz Ahmad, a well-known homeopath and politician now with Congress, still has a busy practice in Abu Bazaar, in old Gorakhpur. During working hours, the lane in which he has a clinic
The election commission has become increasingly assertive in the past few months, showing its mettle in times of electoral challenges. Weeks after rooting from EVMs
India uses a mix of two systems in elections. The first-past-the-post system is used in the elections to the Lok Sabha as well as the state assemblies, while proportional representation is used d
Gujarat will have two-stage elections for the next assembly, on December 9 and December 14, and the results will be out on December 14, the election commission announced on Tuesday. The fir
In Ahmedabad, any mention of this locality elicits quite a reaction. “There’s no point in going there. It’s been 15 years now. It’s all developed!” And I’d be te
As Gujarat goes to assembly elections this month, at least 137 of the 977 candidates in the fray for the first phase have declared criminal cases against themselves. Th
A calamity in the times of intense politics, particularly just ahead of elections, is the worst reckoner of history. Luckily, the Cyclone Ockhi that hit the southern coast of Gujarat earlier this w
As the first phase of the Gujarat elections is on, one question that political pundits and common people alike are asking is: who is likely to win? Indeed, these elections are vital for the BJP, no
From ‘neech’ to ‘dadhi-topi’, the run-up to Gujarat assembly elections have seen politicians stooping to a new low to score brownie points over their adversaries.
Familiarity, it is said, breeds contempt. But a two-decade-long association of a political party with the electorate is bound to unleash demons of contempt, jealousy and disaffection.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) surged ahead in the first hour of vote count in both Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh. The initial trends on Monday indicate that th
All eyes are on Gujarat as the vote count is on, but in the state all eyes might be on Ahmedabad. The chief city, and the early capital before the planned township of Gandhinagar cam
9:13 am: Like failed political analysts, parties also look for an excuse to explain away their failures. Right from the word go, the opposition in Gujarat began with a bravado but
As of writing, there are only leads, and the gap between the BJP and the Congress is somewhat increasing. Yet, it looks like a close battle – not what all the exit polls had forecast.
In future, the Gujarat elections might as well be remembered for the arrival of Rahul Gandhi. Going by the leads, the Congress is certainly not going to win, and few ha
Going by the leads, the BJP is set to establish its stronghold in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Confident of his party’s victory, prime minister Narendra Modi even flashed a victory sign whil
Another Modi emerged triumphant in Gujarat on Monday. No, we are not talking about prime minister Narendra Modi who is credited with scripting the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh victories, but it is
More often, a colloquial proverb sums up a complex political situation more aptly than scholarly formulations. If one looks at the Gujarat verdict, nothing summarises it more perfectly than the ada
The BJP is set to form the sixth government in Gujarat. Not counting a bump in 1996-98 thanks to its own rebel Shankarsinh Vaghela, the party has been in power since 1995, and shows no signs of ant
With nearly six lakh voters pressing the NOTA button in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, the next logical step for a mature democracy like India would be to introduce right to recal
RK Nagar constituency, which was held by former Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa, went to polls on Thursday. It is a crucial bypoll as it would decide Amma’s legacy. As many as 72 candidates are
Speculation is over, as senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley announced in Gandhinagar Friday that Vijay Rupani will continue as chief minister of Gujarat, along with Nitin Patel as his deputy. The specul
Prime minister Narendra Modi used the occasion of the budget presentation by finance minister Arun Jaitley to launch a “political psy-op”, to borrow a phrase used by intelligence agenci
“They have money, marketing, television and media at their disposal. But, Congress is going to win the assembly election in Karnataka because we have the poor, the farmers and the labourers s
According to Election Commission a small percentage of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) get defective during the poll process and get replaced immediately without causing any disruption of the pol
The assembly elections will take place in Karnataka on May 12, the election commission announced on Tuesday. Chief election commissioner OP Rawat said that the results will be declar
If political punditry is to be believed, the predictable outcome of the Karnataka election will invariably be a hung house. And this punditry is based on sound logic which is quite convincing for a
While driving down from Bengaluru to Mysuru, you come across a patch of hillocks near Ram Nagar, a place that provided the backdrop for the all-time hit Bollywood movie, Sholay. This was where vill
The just-concluded assembly election in the southern state of Karnataka has demonstrated the power, reach, and influence of social media. Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter are proving to be effective
One of the three big elections before the grand final next year is over. Predictably, there was mud-slinging and allegations, caste equations and mutt visits, histories and histrionics: With a pinc
It could have been the office of a start-up; only the posters on the walls made it clear that this was what has come to be known as ‘party war room’ – the hub where political stra
BJP is leading in Karnataka elections. This once again proves that prime minister Narendra Modi’s popularity is intact, despite many signals and arguments to the contrary. Karnataka is one of
The above picture was shot in a slum near Neelasandra. It’s a Muslim-dominated area where people have been fervent Congress supporters. They were enthusiastic about being photographed. Luckil
The recent victory of the opposition in the Uttar Pradesh by-elections after their complete decimation in the 2014 general elections and the 2017 assembly elections has been interpreted differently
The world`s largest democracy goes to vote this summer. Polls are taking place in India`s 543 constituencies from April 11 to May 19, in seven phases.The first phase of polling on Apri
“Voting is an important constitutional duty and a right that turns our
Sharad Pawar is the grand old man of Indian politics. He is among the last stalwarts from a generation that is fading out. He has served as chief minister of Maharashtra four times and held crucial
With highly appropriate lyrics at the start of every chapter, combined with deep insights from rigorous analysis of data – Citizen Raj is an absolute delight to read.
Two Assamese young men left from Guwahati in their car to explore the natural beauty of their home state. While returning, it became dark and they lost their way. They stopped in a village to ask f
Political parties that contested the Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections in 2014 spent the largest part of their expenses, Rs 280.72 crore (77.35 percent), on publicity, shows an analysis by
Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr BR Ambedkar and popularly known as Balasaheb Ambedkar, heads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA). The three-time MP founded this new political party last year with
Ashish Shelar, 47, was the president of the Mumbai city unit of the BJP, before he became the minister of school education, sports and youth welfare in the Maharashta government this year. He h
A three-term Rajya Sabha member, Sanjay Raut is the Shiv Sena spokesperson and its voice in parliament. He is also the executive editor of Marathi newspaper Samana, started by Shiv Sena founder
The much hyped ‘double engine’ model of governance on which the BJP is seeking votes has utterly failed, and Mumbai and Maharashtra have had to face some of the worst effects of economi
Fact Sheet: Maharashtra assembly elections * Date of polling: 21 October * Date of counting 24 October * Assembly Constituencies: 288
The voters’ trust in Brand Modi is not a short-term affair – if anything, it is only increasing, or so it seems going by the numbers exit polls have given after the Maharashtra and Hary
Banking on the continued Modi wave, the BJP, along with the ally Shiv Sena, won the Maharashtra assembly elections in Haryana, it ran out of steam and could not achieve the simple majority.
Though the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena got fewer seats in the next Maharashtra assembly than what the exit polls had predicted, the alliance has retained its edge over the opp
The BJP’s oldest ally Shiv Sena is once again parting ways, putting their alliance behind and preparing to form government in Maharashtra with the support of the NCP and Congress.
In the latest development in the unusual roller-coaster of events in Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis of BJP was sworn in as chief minister Saturday morning, with Ajit Pawar of the NCP as deputy chie
The conundrum in Maharashtra is moving towards resolution, as the Shiv Sena has secured the support of the ideological opponents, the Congress and the NCP, to form the government, after the BJP, th
Devendra Fadnavis of BJP resigned as Maharashtra chief minister Tuesday afternoon, three after he was sworn in. Earlier in the day, Ajit Pawar of NCP resigned as deputy chief minister. The dramatic
On November 29, Uddhav Thackeray, the 19th chief minister of Maharashtra and the leader of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), won the vote of confidence in the 244-member Vidhan Sabha of Maharashtra. Wit
Maharashtra finally has a government in place that has enough numbers, but its longevity may be tested time and again, given the differing ideological commitments of the three parties that make it
The National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD) goes to polls on February 8, amid debates and protests for and against the amended citizenship law and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC
The national capital territory of Delhi (NCTD) is going to assembly elections on February 8, and the results will be out on February 11. Now that the candidates have filed their nominations, here i
Bolstered by Tuesday’s stupendous victory once again in Delhi assembly elections, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decided to contest all local elections in Maharashtra.
The party that came into existence on the intangible timeworn issue of corruption, transparency and increasing public investment through public savings is going on winning elections in Delh
Recognising the importance of election manifestos, the supreme court directed the election commission (EC) of India to frame guidelines directly governing the contents of the election manifestos in
According to the “lesser of two evils” principle, whenever we have to choose among two evils, we should go for the lesser one. Flawed election systems provide voters such a limited choi
Though his government’s response to the Covid-19 crisis has often evoked sharp criticisms from many quarters, the result of latest round of elections – the all-crucial assembly election
About 68 percent of the winners in the Bihar assembly elections have declared criminal cases against themselves – and 51 percent have declared serious criminal cases including cases related t
The concept of the ‘Rule of Law’ is the basic structure of our constitution. It becomes imperative to observe the rule of law in order to run the country according to the constitutional
Raising concerns about the “leaks” of aspects of an ongoing investigation into incidents leading to political turmoil in Maharashtra, former chief minister and senior Congress leader Pr
India is battling the second wave of Covid-19 and infections are spreading into the interiors of the country, says Dr Anurag Bhadouria, National Spokesperson, Samajwadi Party. It is precipitated by
Section 11 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 states that the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the State Election Commissions (SECs) shall ensure that all polling stations a
Attacking the Narendra Modi government for “mishandling” of Covid -19 and a large number of deaths, astronomically high fuel prices, rising inflation, and unemployment, political analys
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) compiles an annual ranking of countries based on an index comprising of health, education, and income. For the year 2020, for which data has be
Once the schedule for the next assembly elections has been announced, there is a flurry of activity around building caste coalitions. This is more intense in the most populous state, Uttar Pr
Gladstone, the well known British Prime Minister observed in the 19th century, “Here is my first principle of foreign policy; good government at home.” How interesting and how cherish-a
A few days to go, when results of elections to five state assemblies will be announced on March 10th. At stake are 689 assembly seats, in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. BJP ha
From Lucknow to Lutyens: The Power and Plight of Uttar P
As the dust settles on the assembly election results, it is time to get to know the new winners: In Uttar Pradesh, 205 (51%) of the 403 winning candidates have declared criminal cases against thems
After the results of the five state assembly elections were announced on March 10th, there has been so much analysis from several perspectives. But if it is to be summed up in just one word, it is
The Power of the Ballot: Travail and Triumph in the Elections
The Congress is scheduled to hold a Chintan Shivir (meaning, ‘introspection camp’) from May 13th to 15th in Udaipur and it has identified six specific areas for introspection. These are
None-of-the-above, or NOTA – the option introduced for voters in 2013 when they don’t want to support any of the candidate – has made some progress. In the past five years, NOTA h
Revadi (sweetmeat) or more popular word, ‘freebies’, has been dominating headlines recently. A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in Supreme Court to bar all political part
For the assembly elections in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand earlier this year, 13 political parties collected total funds of Rs 1,441.797 crore, while the expenditure incurred
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, Gujarat, goes to polls in December. The Election Commission on Thursday announced the polling schedule, according to which the voting will take plac
The comprehensive planning, reviews and follow-ups by the Election Commission of India (ECI) involving active participation of enforcement agencies have led to record seizures in the ongoing assemb
The BJP has been in power in Gujarat since 1998, and the state proved to be its springboard for the national sweep in 2014. Yet, it never came even close to the highest tally of 149 seats (out of t
The 13th National Voters’ Day was celebrated across the country Wednesday with president Droupadi Murmu gracing the national event held here. Kiren Rijiju, union minister for law & justic
As many as 122 winners of the Karnataka assembly elections, that is to say, more than half of the 224 MLAs, have declared criminal background, according to an analysis by the Association for Democr
The Election Commission of India on Monday announced the dates of the much-awaited assembly elections to the five states – Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana.
India’s Experiment with Democracy: The Life of a Nation through its Elections By S. Y. Quraishi HarperCollins, 560 pages, Rs 699
The Election Commission of India’s persistent efforts have led to a significant and exponential increase in seizures in the five poll-going states of Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Ra
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with two prominent organisations, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA
Between FY 2004-05 and 2022-23, the national political parties collected Rs 19,083.08 crore from unknown sources, according to an analysis made by the Association for Democratic Reforms.
The issues of the order of immigration, healthcare, abortion rights or otherwise along with the American economy and the American contributions to the twin wars have impacted the general narrative
The poll season began on Saturday officially, with the Election Commission of India announcing the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections, along with the elections of the assemblies of Andhra Pradesh
On February 15, the five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court declared the government`s electoral bond scheme as unconstitutional. It also struck down amendments the government had made to
Election manifestoes of all political parties and their policies must prominently include issues and problems faced by senior citizens, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Senior Citizens Organisat
In a path-breaking initiative, the Election Commission of India (ECI), for the first time in a Lok Sabha Election, has provided the facility of home voting for the elderly and Persons with Disabili
The much-awaited General Elections of 2024, billed as the world’s biggest festival of democracy, began on Friday with Phase 1 of polling in 102 Parliamentary Constituencies (the highest among
As many as 1,351 candidates from 12 states /UTs are contesting elections in Phase 3 of Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The number includes eight contesting candidates for the adjourned poll in 29-Betul (
As a beacon of electoral integrity and transparency, the Election Commission of India (ECI) exemplifies its commitment to conduct general elections of the highest standards, offering a golden bridg
The top officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) made a two-day of visit of Haryana ending Tuesday and held a detailed and comprehensive review of the preparedness for the forthcoming as
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday announced the schedule for the elections to the assemblies of Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana. While the border state will have elections in three p
Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday resigned as Delhi chief minister, even as the party supported Atishi to take over that position. Kejriwal, facing corruption
The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, has accepted the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections under the chairmanship of former president Ram Nat
Ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra, chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar and two election commissioners, Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu met all the stakeholders including pol
The polling for the Jammu & Kashmir legislative assembly elections concluded on Tuesday in a peaceful and celebratory atmosphere. Scenes of voters patiently waiting in lines at polling stations
Voting will take place on November 20 in Maharashtra and on November 13 and 20 in Jharkhand as the two states go for general assembly elections. The results will be announced on November 23. The El
2024: The Election That Surprised India By Rajdeep Sardesai HarperCollins, Rs 799.00, 560 pages
As the results of the tightly contested US Presidential elections became clear Wednesday afternoon (India time), prime minister Narendra Modi congratulated Donald Trump on the victory.
Polling for the Maharashtra assembly elections witnessed a 58.22 percent voter turnout till 5 pm, after a slow start, on Wednesday. Voting for the state assembly started at 7 am con
