One of the oldest theories of contemporary Indian politics comes to an end with the newest member of the Gandhi family joining politics officially. Political pundits had foreseen Priyanka’s entry into politics many times but always proved wrong. To everyone’s surprise, the Congress’s press release dated 23 January 2019 formally announced the appointment of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as Congress general secretary of Uttar Pradesh East. The move was unexpected as many Congress high command leaders accepted later that they too were not aware of the decision. After 2014 Lok Sabha elections, there were demands for bringing Priyanka [...]Read more
लोकसभा चुनाव जैसे-जैसे नजदीक आता जा रहा है। वैसे-वैसे भाजपा के खिलाफ बन रहे महागठबंधन से एक-एक कर सभी बड़ी राजनीतिक पार्टियाँ अलग होती जा रही हैं। अब यह महागठबंधन उतना ज्यादा मजबूत नजर नहीं आ रहा है। जिसका दावा कुछ महीने पहले तक सभी विपक्षी पार्टियों के द्वारा किया जा रहा था। 2018 के विधानसभा चुनावों के बाद राहुल गांधी द्वारा महागठबंधन को लेकर जिस प्रकार की सियासी रणनीति तैयार की जा रही थी। उसे देखकर लगता था कि आने वाला लोकसभा चुनाव मोदी बनाम महागठबंधन ही होगा। हालाँकि भाजपा के लिए यह चुनाव अभी भी [...]Read more
I started with an aim to compare the value BJP would associate with winning elections in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Within a couple of sentences and after analysing the ground sentiment in both the states I realised the futility of such an attempt. So instead I thought of writing about why there wasn’t a comparison at all with Madhya Pradesh being a clear winner in terms of its electoral importance for the BJP. When it comes to the number of seats up for grabs, Madhya Pradesh isn’t a mile ahead of Rajasthan but the value proposition offered by [...]Read more
Chhattisgarh Elections 2018 Polling Overview – Once again voters have shown their confidence in the electoral process in Chhattisgarh state elections. One should understand the significance of 70% turnout in a Maoist affected area. It clearly means that despite the threat from Maoists, voters are making a statement. The turnout was just a slightly lower than the first phase in 2013 when 75.53 per cent of voters turned out. Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said the attempt was made to instil a sense of fear among people. “Polling was peaceful. In comparison to earlier elections, this election [...]Read more
The Congress released its first list of 12 candidates for the Chhattisgarh assembly elections 2018. Eleven of the 12 candidates announced are in seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes. The party has introduced five new faces for this assembly elections, other are seven sitting legislators for the 12 of the 18 seats that go to the polls for the first phase on November 12. The first phase of polling is spread across Maoist-affected districts of Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada, Sukma, Kondagaon, Kanker, Narayanpur and Rajnandgaon. The party has fielded Lakheshwar Baghel from Bastar, Rekhchand Jain from Jagdalpur, Devati Karma [...]Read more