India’s political culture is deeply disappointing and depressing. Even those who wish to counter the BJP and Hindutva suffer from the same mind set and sometimes worse. After ‘building’ a brand, we sideline some to create our own monopolies. A few days back, Kerala lost one of its greatest left leaders K K Gauri Amma who should have been the[Read More...]
A shorter version of this article appeared in Bangla earlier in Sahomon. The question of federalism and Centre-State relations has been on many people’s minds lately, given that the Centre in the Modi dispensation has been hell bent on usurping the powers of the states while slyly thrusting all responsibility on to their shoulders. As … Continue reading Why Federalism Must Become the Fulcrum Of Politics In Coming Days →
Written by Sandeep Pandey and Divesh Ranjan In the recently concluded elections in Assam, it turns out that if the votes of Mahajot alliance led by Congress Party and the alliance of Assam Jatiya Parishad and Raijor Dal are combined then they would have been in a position to prevent Bhartiya Janata Party from forming a government in Assam. If[Read More...]
Four states and a Union territory saw the elections in 2021. Despite the dangerous Corona wave the elections were held in a way which suited the ruling dispensation at centre. While West Bengal (WB) results were most awaited and later welcomed for different reasons, BJP also made some gains particularly in Assam and Pudduchery. Even in WB its voting percentage[Read More...]
Some political commentators have wondered why the BJP made the Bengal elections such a big deal. Former minister Yashwant Sinha puts forth the opinion on the NDTV site that it was done to nip Mamata Banerji’s national ambitions in the bud. Others felt that it was a crucial event for Amit Shah to “cement his position as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s[Read More...]
The results of five assembly elections are out. There was a lot at stake particularly for the ruling dispensation of RSS which made every effort to dislodge the West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee. Bengal was Amit Shah’s lab from where he wanted to show why he matters most for the BJP. As we all know, Amit Shah[Read More...]
With COVID cases swelling everyday and the declaration of the results of four poll-bound states and one Union territory, few questions have arisen in the present scenario of Assam’s politics. While speculations ablaze on who would take over the stewardship of the state, another question that needs to be addressed, is the position of the regional parties in the state.[Read More...]
Guest post by NAKUL SINGH SAWHNEY Some observations and takeaways from State Assembly elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Assam in May 2021 – from an original Facebook post. The observations are in the form of informal reflections but they point towards certain developments that might open up new, anticipated spaces for the … Continue reading Post-Election Musings -Federalism to the Fore: Nakul Singh Sawhney →
One of the lesser known aspects of recent Assembly elections which deserves to be known more widely is that the well-known social activist Akhil Gogoi has won the election from Sivasagar constituency from Assam even though he fought the election from behind the bars as he had been arrested following his opposition to Citizens’ Amendment Act ( CAA). Despite being[Read More...]
As I write this article, results of the Assembly elections in the five States are trickling in, diverting the public attention from the tragedy that India is today, with Corona patients waiting in queues and dying helplessly in ambulances, unable to get hospital care, critical patients gasping for oxygen and breathing their last, the kith and the kin of the[Read More...]
