TRICKY POLITRICKS

  As the results of assembly elections in the states of Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttrakhand and Uttar Pradesh have been out with the BJP bagging four of the five states and the Aam Aadmi Party forming the government with a record-breaking majority in Punjab, some tropes are bound to follow with the not so surprising results. Formation of a committee by Sonia Gandhi to scrutinize the reasons for the demeaning defeat, primetime shows with absurdly creative headlines discussing for the billionth time how the Modi-Shah duo is unbeatable and the usual frustration and agony of the minorities still looking for a viable option to stand against the BJP juggernaut. By now even the political pundits of tea stalls would have started getting bored with the no masala elections being delivered by the political dispensation. Courtesy: Onmanorama Though, these election results were pretty soothing for the channels banking on their exit polls to be the most accurate, for a political nerd what lies in t...

Today there are not many leaders in India on the national level who can challenge the cult of Narendra Modi and the juggernaut of BJP. But similar cults around leaders have been established in various states. Bengal was one such state where Mamata Banerjee owns the assembly, where BJP’s ‘ rath yatra ’ was stopped by her cult. A similar cult can be seen in Kerala where Pinarayi Vijayan was successful in breaking the one-term rule in the 2021 assembly elections, but it was a direct confrontation between LDF and UDF as BJP had no prospects in the state. Courtesy: Bloomberg Other than Bengal if there is any state where BJP was denied power even after regressive campaigning by leaders like J.P Nadda, Amit Shah and Narendra Modi himself then it is Delhi. Results of Delhi assembly are even significant than Bengal because of its proximity to Hindi heartland, demography and a largely Hindu middle-class population, a section that constitutes the core of BJP vote bank.  This feat was achieved...

For the last few months newsrooms have been abuzz with speculations of a rising third front, comprising of non-BJP and non-INC parties, to take on the BJP. This is not the first time that such an attempt has been made, no it will be the last. But the question is whether it is rational to think of a third front in India? These talks have gained momentum after the Congress wipe out in Bengal assembly elections and a defiance of the usual pattern in Kerala. This time, it is the National Congress Party president Sharad Pawar and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who are putting wind in the sails of this boat.  West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has been travelling lately to states where the MTC presence has been negligible. Her visits to various states and attempts to fill the void created by Congress, by and large, have been successful on some front. Former Goa CM and veteran Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro joined TMC and after the fiasco in Punjab there have been speculations that A...

Oldest party of the largest democracy in the world is struggling to find some wind in its sails. The harsh truth being told, it is not rise of the BJP that has made Congress land in this situation, but the mistakes made by the party's own leadership.  The issue is not only with the Congress not winning elections, but lack of acceptance in the Gandhi family. Even though INC has not fallen further down the graph since the 2014 general election, at least not in terms of vote share, it has been stagnant with its performance. Or maybe there is no room for going further down. It might sound offensive to some, but seemingly, the Indian National Congress is setting up its own deathbed. The ego of the high command and reluctance towards change is enough for fulfilling this death wish. Before someone terms these words to be merely opinionated rants, what follows is the base for these claims. Courtesy: ANI Here, it is important to underline that even though Congress is in a constant phase of ...

India is known as the country of heritage and land of diversity. Even after a bloody medieval era, in modern times diverse communities have been living in harmony. But lately, there have been multiple assaults on this harmonious coexistence because of the rise of right-wing politics all across the country. But the question remains, is only one party responsible for the saffronisation of Indian politics?  The Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janta Party are the only truly national parties with a presence in almost all parts of the country. Lately, with the fall of Congress, Aam Admi Party and Trinamul Congress have been working hard to fill the void and take the spot away from Congress, but presumption does not seem to be coming true in near future, at least not by 2024. Courtesy: Youth ki Awaaz Both these national parties, even at their worst, have been successfully getting a huge chunk of around 20% of the total votes. Even today, with only 52 seats in Lok Sabha, Congress ha...

India, that is Bharat, is the largest democracy in the world. Even though a partially free one now, it is popularly known for its ‘unity in diversity. Fortunately, or maybe not so, the politicians have been carrying this principle with them successfully. Despite disparities in various aspects, ranging from ideology and economics to caste and reservation, almost all of them have been united on exploiting divisive politics, because apparently, development could not have delivered them what identity can.  Courtesy: Weebly Based on ideological leaning many might think that some states, especially in southern India, are expectational to this fact. My advice to such readers is, think again. People tend to forget that India is a unique country. Maybe the only nation where even the voters of the communist party tend to hold their religious identity close to them. Net net, from the BIMARU states of the Hindi heartland to development models of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, identity has been dominat...

Human beings are funny creatures. The concept of the larger purpose of life, constant hustles and setting up new goals, all can be seen as ways to keep the human mind occupied and busy. But that is not it, human mind also needs entertainment, and when one does not get the same, they start getting impatient. One can only imagine the extent to which a person can go for the sake of entertainment and adventure. After all, heights of boredom must have compelled people to try out absurdities like the cinnamon challenge and choking game.  However, even after listening to tons of such stories people voluntarily becoming guinea pigs, I doubt if someone has ever set their own house on fire when everything in their lives is turning out to be perfect. But not anymore, as to fill that one spot Punjab Congress has worked day and night to ensure that their return does not seem evident. If you get to witness a close fight in the next Punjab assembly polls, thank Congress for the fun. In the last f...