'Youth have to be taken on board'
'The demographics is that the majority of our voters and the majority of the population are youth, so we must make serious efforts,' says Biju Janata Dal MP 'Jay' Panda.

'We drove out an evil force called Left'
West Bengal Congress leader Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury expresses his joy.

'Biggest gamble Third Front has taken'
West Bengal CPM chief Biman Bose gets candid.

'The Left have turned monsters'
Eminent writer Mahasweta Devi lashes out at the Left in West Bengal.

'If Maya wins 40 seats, politics will change'
on the emerging political scenario.

'It is no longer a feudal democracy. It is a middle-class democracy'
'I think the biggest danger to our democracy comes from huge widening divide between those who are on the trajectory of growth and those who are been left behind in this period of accelerated growth,' says Mani Shankar Aiyar.

'Abusing power is in the DMK's genes'
Madurai's MP P Mohan on the work he has done for the temple town and the Eelam situation.

'Polls are just change of strategy'
An interview with 'the Kashmiri voice in Indian parliament' Sajad Gani Lone.

'My music will help me get votes'
Unlike others, I didn't have to give money to voters, says Hans Raj Hans.

'We are not pushing Modi upward'
An interview with Yashwant Sinha, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former finance and external affairs minister.

'If the BJP gets around 170 seats, it will be secular'
Cho Ramaswamy on the 2009 Lok Sabha election.

'For 42 years, film stars ruled Tamil Nadu. It's time others took over'
'Best Ramasamy', president of Tamil Nadu's newest party, says it is time that the state had a change in its leaders.

'272 is not a magical number for govt formation'
'A majority in Parliament is not necessary to run the government,' says Constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap, explaining the legal options before the President once the election results are declared.

'Glamour has limited power, but power has unlimited glamour'
An interview with Bharataiya Janata Party leader shotgun Shatrughan Sinha.

'Congress is anti-Tamil'
Bharathiraja, the legendary Tamil movie director, is campaigning against the Congress party in Tamil Nadu.

'My agenda is the agenda of my janata'
Dr Kirori Lal Meena is perhaps the most influential Independent candidate in the fray in Rajasthan this general election

'In Chandigarh, parties court youth vote'
Ajay Goel, an Independent candidate, believes that drug and alcohol abuse are the main issues facing the youth.

'No constituency in India can be won on caste'
'There is no winning formula. If there was a formula do you think politicians would lose,' says Professor Dipankar Gupta.

'No lunatic right wing fringe in BJP'
'Modi obviously has support across states,' says Manvendra Singh.

''Biggest economic shocks in UPA's tenure'
Interview with Narendra Modi. Part III

Advani is harming government's efforts: PM
Dr Singh takes Advani on

'Constructing Ram temple is not the BJP's business'
BJP's Tamil Nadu president L Ganesan speaks out

'Church attacks have strengthened BJP'
The top RSS leader in Karnataka, in an exclusive interview.

'UPA will need both the Left and BJD'
DP Tripathi, general secretary, Nationalist Congress Party, says there is no UPA at the national level.

'In UP, Brahmins do tactical voting, not Muslims'
Dr Abdul Waheed, is an authority on socio-political issues related to the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh.

‘Politics has become a bad word’
Priya Dutt on what MPs need to do.

'SP & Shiv Sena are working together in Mumbai'
An interview with Congress candidate from Mumbai North-West Gurudas Kamat.

'Politics and spirituality should co-exist'
Swami Pragyapad talks about his 'Vote for a Change' campaign.

'Results may lead Left to see stars'
'Dr Singh will be the PM.' Pranab Mukherjee in an exclusive interview.

'Communism has ceased to exist in Bengal'
Malda MP Abu Hashem Khan Chaudhury says people are fed up with the Left and says Mamata Banerjee will be the next chief minister.

'26/11 was a decisive reason to contest polls'
Mahesh Jethmalani explains why he took up the challenge.

'The national election has become a local election'
'The issues dominating people's minds and debated upon are only local issues, local candidates, local caste combination or local nexus of criminals.' Arun Shourie speaks out!.

'An MP is not the mayor of the city'
"People should know that many media houses have voted me as the best performing MP. My performance in Parliament was very good. On an average, an MP asks 160 questions in Parliament, I asked 470 questions in my first term," says Milind Deora.

'I did not get a ticket because of my father'
'Nobody is hostile. My party workers have been extremely helpful and cooperative. How else do you think I managed to conduct 600 public meetings in such a short period?'

'The language of politics has to change'
In Guna, Madhya Pradesh, does the Scindia mystique endure and will it ensure a young royal's victory?

Arun Jaitley: Batting for the BJP
'This whole business of dual authority means the dilution of prime ministerial authority,' says Arun Jaitley.

'We are creating two Indias'
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The top-most priority for any government must be to bridge that gap, says Congress MP Sachin Pilot in frank conversation.

'So very little is being done for our security'
Interview with independent candidate from Mumbai South, Meera Sanyal.

'My father is the toughest person I know'
Daman Singh on the prime minister.

'I have not brought down my father's legacy'
Arjun Singh's daughter Veena Singh, who is contesting as an Independent in Sidhi, talks about her decision to contest, her relations with her father and brother, and about her fitness as a candidate.

The People's Guardian
This maverick citizen takes potshots at his opponents, political parties and the state of the country's governance.

'We don't bother about the Sensex'
Meet Madam Mayawati's top advisor.

'We will get the allies, you don't worry'
'Another thing I have been noticing is that these days Rahul, Soniaji and Priyanka are very concerned about the poor. They go into their huts. They stay overnight in their homes. They are making fun of the poor. If they don't like huts they should build concrete homes. For 60 years they have ruled us for most of the time. What did they do for the poor?' asks Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan.

'It's very important India has a strong government'
'We are at a very critical time in our history, partly because of India's growth in the last five years. We don't want to lose the momentum and partly because there is such a serious global financial crisis,' Sam Pitroda tells Aziz Haniffa.

Gopalaswami on poll process, Varun & Congress
He took on the ruling elite like few have done in past.

Exclusive! Narendra Modi: I am an apolitical CM
Modi discusses the flavour of the ongoing Lok Sabha election campaign, and his prime ministerial ambitions.

'I will never enter politics'
Priyanka on politics, Rahul & Buddhism.

'In 5 years, Indians stashed Rs 688,000 cr illegally'
'It is like this: A theft has taken place, and you are arguing about how much has been stolen. Nobody denies the theft! Nobody denies the loot!' S Gurumurthy, member of the BJP's taskforce on black money in banks abroad, lashes out.

Meet Capt Gopinath's chief campaigner
'It is very important to talk directly to voters. We believe it is necessary to understand their problems. That is why we have stayed away from the tamasha, usually followed by others,' says Bhargavi Gopinath.

'Naveen Patnaik's government is inept and corrupt'
But state Congress president K P Singh Deo does not rule a post-poll alliance.

'Despite drought and poverty, Chitradurga has a lot of potential'
Janardhan Swamy, a techie-turned-neta, is BJP's candidate in one of the most under-developed constituencies in Karnataka.

'The change you want is just a vote away'
Dr Jayprakash Narayan, chief of the Lok Satta Party, speaks about what he thinks ails the political system.

Team India manager in poll fray
D V Subba Rao, the BJP candidate for the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat, is campaigning on a wheel chair.

'Naidu betrayed the poor, we worked for them'
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy continues to be confident of romping home comfortably for a second consecutive term

'With opponents like Cong, BJP has nothing to worry about'
Karnataka Law Minister Suresh Kumar is one of the star campaigners of the BJP.

'Naidu is trying to fool the people of Andhra'
Union Minister for Women and Child Welfare Renuka Chowdhary is leaving no stone unturned to turn the tide in her favour.

'Did Cong try to buy Tytler's silence with a ticket?'
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal says that the agenda for the coming election is development.

'Chiranjeevi is the next Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh'
PRP general secretary P T Vikram has been touring the state extensively with the megastar-turned-politician.

'BJP won't oppose Pawar as PM'
Ashok Sahu, the BJP candidate from Kandhamal constituency in Orissa, in a no-holds-barred interview.

'The nation is waiting for a strong, experienced leader'
Narendra Modi discusses his political future.

'Gandhi has been forgotten by all political parties'
An interview with V Kalyanam, who was Mahatma Gandhi's personal secretary during the last few years of his life.

'People can see cracks in the Sena ideology'
South Mumbai MP Milind Deora seems confident of winning despite strong opposition from the Shiv Sena.

'I can humbly claim that I can lead the country'
For L K Advani, BJP's prime ministerial candidate, the general election is the most critical battle of his six decade-long political career.

'But for me, Kerala would have become a Kashmir'
'The main factor is not to allow the BJP, which is following a rule of hatred and communalism, come back to power and also to oppose the imperialistic agenda of the Congress,' says Abdul Nasser Madani, the chief of the People's Democratic Party

'CPI-M still lives in the Cold War mindset'
'In Kerala, after every five years, the Left goes out of power. We want to oust the Left from West Bengal as well. They have done nothing for the state,' says Vayalar Ravi, Congress leader

'Cong has young leaders because of its dynastic rule'
BJP President Rajnath Singh says the party's focus will be on economic issues as all sectors are hit by the adverse economic policies of the incumbent government..

'Swiss black money can take India to the top'
Professor R Vaidyanathan, Professor of Finance at the IIM-Bengaluru, explains the importance of bringing back the ill-gotten wealth that has been stashed away in the Swiss Bank and how the money got there in the first place.

'Cong have no guts to project a young PM'
Venkaiah Naidu, vice-president, Bharatiya Janata Party talks about his party's election strategy for southern states.

'Karat has caused confusion within the Third Front'
Veerendra Kumar, Janata Dal-Secular Member of Parliament from Kerala and a key constituent of the newly-made alliance, spoke to rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa and stated his perspectives.

'I trust the aam-aadmi and aam-aurat'
Politics need not be dirty. It need not be self-serving and vile. Our current politicians have made it so. We need to take a vacuum cleaner at them, says danseuse Mallika Sarabhai who is contesting the polls as an independent against L K Advani.

'BJP could have been more liberal to Mahajans'
'Since it is a party decision, I am going to accept it with humility. Mahajan had contested election from this constituency thrice and had nursed it,' says BJP's National General Secretary Gopinath Munde.

'NDA's thrust is on governance'
BJP leader Jaswant Singh says the core idea behind the NDA's bid for power is to provide a stable, efficient and result-oriented government where the commitments made are actually delivered.

'If not Bihar, where else would I contest from?'
'I am referred to as Bihari babu. If I don't contest from Bihar, where else would I fight from? But having said that, I must point out that so many people love me because of who I am. I am not a mercy petition case that I need to use pressure,' says BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha.

'Don't link friendship with ticket distribution'
K Keshava Rao, Congress general secretary in charge of Jharkhand, defends the party's decision to cut its UPA partner Lalu Prasad Yadav out of the deal in Jharkhand, which sends 14 Parliamentarians to the Lok Sabha.

Yechury on polls, Third Front and economy
CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury says global recession has intensified beyond expectation and in India this has become a bread-and-butter issue.

Congress' doors are open for me: Sadhu Yadav
Sadhu Yadav outlines his political plans.

'Only the BJP can tackle price rise, terror'
Sadananda Gowda, state BJP chief and member of Parliament, shares his thoughts on the prospects of his party in the forthcoming elections.

'Muslims have lost faith in UPA'
Ulema Council chairman Maulana Amir Rashadi speaks about the need to probe the real circumstances behind the Batla House encounter and Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare's death on November 26.

'Congress will explore all options to keep BJP out'
After serving as Madhya Pradesh chief minister for 10 years, Digvijay Singh has been entrusted with the responsibility of the Congress' affairs in UP. In an interview, Singh talks about the 'friendly fight' between the two parties in UP.

'The BJP will win 190-200 seats in the LS polls'
The situation is in our favour. The Congress has lost 12 elections and won only two. If they say that their mood is upbeat because of winning these two elections, then what about the 12 times when they have been defeated, asks BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.

'Involve all Indians in fight against terror'
Janata Dal–United President and National Democratic Alliance convenor Sharad Yadav speaks about the issues the alliance will raise during the coming Lok Sabha elections.

'It is going to be a close fight this time'
Today, no one is writing us off. In fact, the problem is that there are too many in the Congress who are writing premature epitaphs for the opposition, says Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.