Keyword : Elections

Govindacharya demands action against BJP over advertisements

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

No surprises in byelections, huge win for ADMK in Jaya’s seat

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

Diesel vehicles & £100 million prize for low emission car are poll issues in the UK

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.

Jayalalithaa acquitted, back as TN chief minister soon

The Karnataka high court has acquitted J Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case

Lalu opens his cards

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

Jayalalithaa’s new seat is small to manage and restore her big pride

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

Trouble for Smriti Irani: Court to hear case on her qualifications

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

Jayalalithaa wins by huge margin, gets ready for assembly polls

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.

Bengaluru polls: Cong lost grace too?

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

5-phase Bihar polls from Oct 12, code of conduct imposed

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

Bihar needs to cast out its past and go for development agenda

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

Bengal polls phase 1: Every fifth candidate has criminal record

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

Three ‘red alert’ constituencies in Assam phase 1 polls

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

Poriborton: once a promise, now a threat

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,

“My methods may be unconventional, but my intentions are good!”

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,

Jayalalithaa led AIADMK to retain power: Pre-poll survey

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

What Chennai voter wants: above all, the odd-even scheme!

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

Tamil Nadu polls: Here’s why Amma won

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

Congress suffers setback; BJP smiles in Assam

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

BJP-Congress locked in keen contests for Rajya Sabha

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.

The cancer train

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 allowed to be ministers?

Should those with criminal cases be allo

A season of political surprises

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

SP has slight edge over BJP in UP, shows survey

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

Case for synchronising election cycles

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

Possibilities and challenges of simultaneous elections

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

Surgical strike? This was aspirin for cancer

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

Simultaneous polls will reduce expenditure

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

Elections 2017 D-day: March 11 is the counting day

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

Why the world should be watching India’s state elections

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

Netaji’s love for Amar Singh and more

 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

Sun, sand and slow pace of Goa polls

 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 polls: Look who’s playing the highland game

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

Party funds: A step forward or a leap backward into the era of secrecy?

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

A Tetrapack of juicy nothings

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

Has the AAP lost its mojo?

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

Growing opposition to EVMs

  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

Trust deficit of EVMs? Blame it on BJP

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

Modi`s magic intact; BJP can now take 2019 for granted

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

Yogi Adityanath is the right choice. Here’s why

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

Hope Adityanath adjusts his public rhetoric to befit his new office: Expert

  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

What the lowest turnover in Srinagar by-poll means

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

The might of monies

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

Need to bar convicted lawmakers from contesting polls

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

A Yogi in Politics

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

‘In 100 days we achieved what Akhileshji did not in five years’

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

‘Not just Muslims, everyone is in fear and awe of Yogi Adityanath’

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

Election Commission shows it has spine

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

The different electoral systems across the world

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 polls in two stages

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

Forgotten riot victims of Ahmedabad are indifferent to polls

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

Gujarat polls phase 1: 15% candidates have criminal cases

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

Gujarat Elections: How disasters have redrawn the state’s political fault lines

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

Gujarat Elections: Is BJP putting a new electoral strategy to test?

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

Gujarat polls: The news lows in politics

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.

Gujarat Elections: For BJP, voters show both pride and prejudice

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. 

BJP takes early lead in Gujarat, Himachal

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

In Gujarat, all eyes on Ahmedabad

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

LIVE: Whatever the result, blame it on EVMs

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

What a possible jolt in Gujarat can mean for governance

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.

Rahul Gandhi’s rise comes at the right moment

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

Twitter erupts in laughter with #GujaratVerdict

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

The other Modi who won in Gujarat

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

Jo Jita Wohi Sikandar, yes, but the victor is PM, not BJP

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

For a Gujarati, BJP is what CPM was for a Bengali (with a rider)

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

After NOTA`s success, time to consider Right to Recall

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

Polling begins for RK Nagar in Chennai

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

Changing Gujarat CM now would make no sense

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

Budget: Modi launches political psy-ops to rattle rivals

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

On the campaign trail

“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

Very few EVMs are defective: RS Prasad

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

Karnataka to vote on May 12

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

Expect Karnataka to thrash predictable political punditry

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

Some Sholay dialogues can help make sense of Karnataka polls

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

A campaign sans vision and road map

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

Voter, voter everywhere, but not a drop for them to drink…

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

Rise of the robots

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

Modi, banking on anti-incumbency, keeps win record intact

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

Bengaluru goes a-polling

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

When two plus two need not be four

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

India Votes: Scenes from first phase of polling

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 for Mumbai meri jaan

“Voting is an important constitutional duty and a right that turns our

“Sometimes we wonder if we are living in a democracy at all”

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

Making sense of India’s elections

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.   

Misinformation, mischief, misuse

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

Maharashtra, Haryana polls: parties spent Rs 280.72 crore on publicity

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 on why he wants other parties to mention the candidates’ community

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 of BJP says, “We are very confident of victory”

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

“If the oppn is weak you can’t blame the govt for that”

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

Manmohan Singh favours ‘time-tested measures’ for economy

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

All you wanted to know about Maharashtra, Haryana elections

Fact Sheet: Maharashtra assembly elections * Date of polling: 21 October * Date of counting 24 October * Assembly Constituencies: 288

Modi wave, it seems, shows no signs of stopping

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

BJP wins Maharashtra, nearly there in Haryana

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.

BJP-Sena alliance will go by pre-decided understanding: Fadnavis

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

Shiv Sena set to form government in Maharashtra

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.

Fadnavis is Maharashtra chief minister, after all

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

Maharashtra set to get first Shiv Sainik CM

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

Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar quit after supreme court order on floor test

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

End of ideology, coalition politics and popular mandate?

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 govt: now for the difficult part

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

Why Delhi elections are more crucial than you think

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

In Delhi, 672 candidates, chasing 1.47 crore votes

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

AAP to contest all Maharashtra local elections

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.

Delhi elections: accounting for intangibles away from banal nationalism and hyper nationalism

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

Election manifestos and voters` Right to Know

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

Why we need a new option in EVM: ‘Least Undeserving Candidate’

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

Modi’s popularity intact, BJP emerges stronger

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

Bihar results: Crime quotient goes up, gender gap widens

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

How about flagging candidates with criminal past on ballot?

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

Probe agencies` credibility in doubt: Prithviraj Chavan

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

“UP situation extremely bad, govt hiding data”

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

A simple device can empower voters with visual disability

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

Government failed to manage second wave: Sanjay Jha

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

Vote for Good Governance, vote for those who care for your life and livelihood

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

Cast your vote, not vote for caste

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

Perils of public policy: How much good is good

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

Dating the electorate, Valentine’s Day for political parties on March 10

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

Who will win UP polls, why: This book can help you figure it out

From Lucknow to Lutyens: The Power and Plight of Uttar P

In UP, half of new MLAs have declared criminal cases against themselves

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

One word that influenced Verdict 2022 most: ‘Labharthi’

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

How to make elections more meaningful

The Power of the Ballot: Travail and Triumph in the Elections

Chintan Shivir 2022: Will Congress regain its lost mojo?

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

1.29 crore voters chose NOTA in five years

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, electoral reforms and fiscal responsibility

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 polls in UP, other states, parties raised Rs 1,441 crore, spent Rs 470 crore

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

Everything you wanted to know about Gujarat elections

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

Record seizures made ahead of Gujarat, Himachal assembly polls

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

With Modi wave, BJP breaks Gujarat record

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

India celebrates National Voters’ Day

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

Karnataka: More than half the winners have declared criminal background

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

Five states to have assembly elections in November

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.

Former CEC’s book on India’s democracy is an indispensable reading

India’s Experiment with Democracy: The Life of a Nation through its Elections By S. Y. Quraishi HarperCollins, 560 pages, Rs 699

Seizures worth Rs. 1,760 crore reported in five poll-bound states

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

Elections 2024: Banks, post offices to chip in for voter education

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

Large part of national parties’ income from ‘unknown sources’

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.

US presidential elections: A clash of the titans

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

Lok Sabha polls from April 19, results on June 4

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

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


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