POLITICS
What the 2024 elections and 'Char Sau Paar' mean for India
With the Lok Sabha poll schedule being announced on March 16 and the Model Code of Conduct coming into effect, the stage has been set for a contest, where the primary question is whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s razor sharp focus on 400 seats for the NDA can be achieved. Meeting that goal would set the stage for big-ticket political and economic reforms
POLITICS
Lok Sabha Polls: Why Opposition's personal attacks on Modi benefit the BJP?
Why don't the Opposition leaders realise that their personal attacks on Modi do not help change the mood of the electorate? The personal attacks do not yield any political advantage. Modi remains a popular figure and is good at evoking sympathy from large sections of voters across India
TRENDS
Bharat Ratna: Honour for champions of economic reforms and farmers but Modi's political message is clear
Bharat Ratna to PV Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh and MS Swaminathan connects with Indians at multiple levels. Rao is a darling of the middle classes, is adored in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and was out of sync with a Sonia Gandhi-obsessed Congress. Charan Singh was among the first farmer leaders and struck crucial blows to the Congress edifice. Without Swaminathan, India’s achievements in agricultural self-sufficiency are unimaginable
POLITICS
Tamil Nadu: Actor Vijay's foray into politics — Whose cart will be upturned?
Vijay’s success in the crowded Tamil Nadu political field rests on whether he will be able to pull enough voters away from all the existing players to become a viable entity. He is counting heavily on the popularity of his films and his on-screen image among the youth
BUSINESS
Republic Day 2024: India looks more confident than before, but challenges are on the rise
From climate change affecting rainfall to geopolitical uncertainties, India has to be on the guard. But there is a sense of trust among ordinary people in Modi's ability to navigate the challenges, which is further amplified by Opposition parties repeatedly failing to show a viable alternative model of governance
POLITICS
Real test for Shinde Sena-BJP-Ajit Pawar lies in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls
Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar’s ruling favours Eknath Shinde. Soon Narvekar will also have to decide on the disqualification motions arising out of the NCP split. But with elections nearing, all sides know that the real test of strength has become the electoral arena
TRENDS
Vijayakanth: 'Black' MGR who dared to take a plunge in TN politics & made a difference
Vijayakanth achieved commercial success comparable to MGR and Sivaji and stayed afloat despite the emergence of superstar Rajinikanth and Kamal Hasan. He made his way into politics because he wanted to do something to fight poverty and corruption, which he did as an action hero in his films
BUSINESS
Why have Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh responded differently to Narendra Modi's appeal?
Even if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the BJP's best bet to attract votes, there seemed to be certain preconditions for his appeal to work
BUSINESS
Gujarat Elections | Why BJP has trained its sights on a less feisty Congress?
Can the Congress upset the BJP’s prospects in many constituencies?
BUSINESS
After Mulayam Singh Yadav's demise, is it adieu for socialism as a political plank?
Mulayam Singh Yadav, who passed away on October 10, was a leader who moulded socialism to suit the realities of Indian politics. Is that socialism electorally viable in today’s India?
BUSINESS
Politics, religion, caste, or calibre — factors that go into nominating a presidential candidate
Every Prime Minister since Independence has preferred a President with whom they have a good rapport. But it is easier said than done, because finding such a person is also connected to the composition of the electoral college at any given point of time
POLITICS
Maharashtra | BJP’s scripts a political thriller with a twist in the tale
By making Eknath Shinde Chief Minister, the BJP is killing several birds with one stone: it further weakens Uddhav Thackeray, strengthens the rebel Shiv Sena faction, and the BJP comes through as the guardians of Hindutva
POLITICS
President’s Election | Of Presidents who left a mark, and those who did not
The names that immediately come to our mind include APJ Abdul Kalam, KR Narayanan, Pranab Mukherjee, R Venakataraman, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and even India's first President Rajendra Prasad
POLITICS
Uttar Pradesh Elections | How local and international issues dominate the narrative
From the stray cattle menace to lack of jobs to the hijab controversy in Karnataka to the crisis in Ukraine, everything is a campaign subject in Uttar Pradesh
POLITICS
Uttar Pradesh Elections | Why main contenders find the battle tightly contested
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s bid for a second term should not have been so difficult because of the work done on the ground, including developing infrastructure, improving law and order, and implementing many schemes
BUSINESS
Assembly Elections Phase II | Can BJP fight anti-incumbency, retain Uttarakhand?
In this term, the BJP has had three chief mnisters in Uttarakhand, finally settling on incumbent Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who appears to have managed to reverse the saffron slide
POLITICS
Uttar Pradesh Elections | Is BJP facing headwinds from SP-RLD combine?
Fifty-eight seats go to the polls in the first phase in Uttar Pradesh. In the 2017 assembly polls, the BJP bagged 53 of these 58 seats, while the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party got two seats each
POLITICS
Legal hurdles and the political demonisation of NEET in Tamil Nadu
While the Dravidian parties are playing to the gallery on the NEET issue, the BJP will have to go the extra mile to stand its ground on what is clearly an emotive issue in Tamil Nadu
POLITICS
Opposition unity does not have a long shelf life
In the long run, can opposition parties sit together and set aside their individual ambitions, egos and turf wars to fight a Narendra Modi-led BJP?
POLITICS
Why Yediyurappa poses a Hobson's choice for BJP in Karnataka
The BJP knows the cost of antagonising Yediyurappa who may be even willing to split the party, as he did when he resigned from the party in 2012, if he is not allowed to have his way
POLITICS
Tamil Nadu Results | A victorious MK Stalin has many challenges ahead
MK Stalin has already indicated that his government will ‘slowly’ implement the DMK's promises. The DMK’s manifesto is filled with promises that will economically test the financial prudence, or even wizardry, of the new government
POLITICS
West Bengal Elections | Fourth phase polls will be no cakewalk for TMC
It is apparent that the growing restlessness and uncertainty dogging Trinamool Congress leaders in the face of the BJP’s aggressive campaign is lending uncertainty to the outcomes of the remaining five phases of the election
POLITICS
Tamil Nadu’s infamous tryst with cash-for-votes continues
Political parties level allegations and even file complaints, but, even when cases are registered, rarely are charge-sheets prepared. Once the elections are over, everybody forgets about the offences with virtually no conviction happening
BUSINESS
Fear of women voters' wrath keeps Tamil Nadu parties on the edge
The reason why major political parties are concerned about how their messaging is accepted by women is Tamil Nadu has more women voters than male ones
