The election results are out and the entire country has gone one way. Actually it is North India that has gone one way as it did in 1971 and 1977. People are comparing this with 1984 because that was the last time a single party got a majority. But in 1984, it was a sympathy wave after the assassination of Indira Gandhi due to which the Congress won. On the other hand the 1971 vote was a Garibi Hatao platform ...

The elections are about to end. The result will be out on 16 May. The results are as usual unpredictable and it does not matter who wins and who rules, because that is the decision of the electorate and everybody must honour that. However, the disappointing fact is those who are aspiring to come to power, their own behaviour, conduct and language leaves much to be desired. They are not inspiring personalities. Take Narendra Modi first. He has openly created ...

Newspapers are predicting a one sided picture — that the BJP and the NDA are gaining day by day. Now they have predicted that the NDA will get 275 seats and the BJP President Rajnath Singh has said that the BJP itself will get 272 seats. How much to rely on these prediction is another matter. The fact is that the media management of the BJP has been so perfect with money playing its due part that they have been ...

The election campaign is in full swing. On 10 April some 91 constituencies went to the polls and with the previous two phases, one fifth of the Lok Sabha, we can say, we have already voted for. Assuming that all these predictions by the various media are true, then the BJP and the BJP lead NDA is all poised to form a coalition Government with two, three or four partners. Ok, we had coalitions for the last 20 years. We ...

The sudden increase in activity within political parties has given a new twist to the election scene. The media would like to make us believe that everybody wants to run towards the BJP. It may be partly true in the States where the BJP has a good presence. It is true that their Prime Ministerial candidate has come out as a decisive person who wants to give confidence to the people and wants to say that he will give a ...

The country is in election mode. At election time, many parties make many statements to impress the voters and these statements must be taken with a pinch of salt. However, there are certain things that are happening which are not only unusual but which can have a far reaching impact on the country’s future. In Pakistan, it is very common that every time there is trouble within the country, the rulers try to raise the India threat or Kashmir to ...

There is an all round euphoria created by the Sangh Parivar that Narendra Modi is becoming Prime Minister with a large majority. First of all, this claim doesn’t meet any yardstick of calculation, considering the seats in different States and the total number of seats being contested by the BJP. However elections are always are unpredictable and it is quite possible that the BJP gets a good number of seats. There are two problems which need to be understood. First ...

We have for long been seeing the unending spectacle of pro Narendra Modi and anti Narendra Modi forces within the BJP and the RSS. At one time the BJP and its earlier version, the Jan Sangh, was known for its discipline. And the cadre was known to follow the party line without any dissensions. The RSS was also a respected organisation who’s one word used to solve many problems or give the correct line. All that is gone. Now the ...

The last session of this Lok Sabha has ended. With it, the last session of the Government — UPA 2 — came to an end. Who wins the election, is an open question. But let us look back the ten years – it is a fairly reasonable period to assess the performance of any Government. I do not hold the Government much responsible, as many people would like to, for the economic front. America is in crisis, Europe is in ...

The election time table has been announced and the model code of conduct has come into force. The elections will be held from 7 April to 12 May in nine phases. Considering the vast electorate and difficult constituencies where law and order could pose a problem, I am sure the Election Commission has worked out what is the optimal possible time table so that the elections can be held efficiently and in time. Paramilitary forces have to be moved and ...