'Bringing in Dr Mohan Yadav as the Yadav-OBC face from Ujjain as chief minister, and a scheduled tribe leader Jagdish Devda from Mandsaur district, and a Brahmin face Rajendra Shukla from Rewa, the BJP is making an attempt to put in place a new caste equation in the state keeping an eye on the general elections next year.'
Narendra D Modi and his party campaigned in these elections uncharacteristically without any big ideas. Of course, winning each election at all costs could be a big idea as well, observes Shekhar Gupta.
'Commentators have said that dealing with allies as equals will make Modi more sensitive.' 'Remember that the people Modi is dealing with are equally autocratic in their own lairs.' 'Further, Modi always has handy the threat of dissolving Parliament and calling for fresh polls.' 'Most of his own party, and certainly his allies and opponents having blown their budgets of efforts and resources in the just concluded elections, have no stomach for this.' 'They are all greatly looking forward to the loaves and fishes of office on offer.' 'That gives Modi an unbeatable advantage in any push-comes-to-shove situation,' explains Shreekant Sambrani.
The five-state assembly elections are seen as a now-or-never, no-holds battle for the Congress, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
The author suggests eight reforms that all parties competing in this year's general elections should embrace.
Religion matters. Aspirational India is still poor. India admires strong leaders. India values decency. Shreekant Sambrani highlights the reasons why the BJP pulled off improbable victories in the Hindi heartland.
Two students from St Xavier's College and the Director of a management college stand solidly behind Dr Fr Frazer Mascarenhas for writing a mail to his students that has been panned by the Bharatiya Janata Party as an attempt to influence young voters.
'A pro-Modi wave and anti-incumbency will be incomplete without strong candidates.'
RJD president Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya has entered the fray to wrest back her father's erstwhile pocket borough.
These games are not party's initiative but of their supporters, followers.
'BJP's ultimate ambition is to control Bihar independently.'
'The 2024 general elections proved that UP is not Gujarat.'
Our new series brings you all the excitement of Election 2014, on video. All you need to do is click on the play button.
A parliamentary committee on Friday batted for reducing the minimum age to contest Lok Sabha and assembly elections, saying it would give the youth equal opportunities to engage in democracy.
Indian-American Republican leader Nikky Haley has endorsed her former boss Donald Trump as the party's candidate for the presidential election, delivering the message of unity after their bitter rivalry during the presidential primary.
The 'Pesta Demokrasi' is a cause for celebration not only for Indonesia but also for democracy and forces for peace all over the globe, notes Sandeep Chakravorty, India's Ambassador to Indonesia.
This is the full text of the address to the nation by President Droupadi Murmu on the eve of India's 78th Independence Day.
Karan Bhushan rejects the charges against his father, saying the "allegations are political and made up. We will challenge them in court".
'Unless she joins one of the coalitions, she has a bleak future.' 'The NDA option is suicidal, but INDIA could help her.'
Here is a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh.
That he hasn't done so yet, has continued to be active on the political street, in public debate and on social media, signals an important change. It will give his party hope. Maybe the achievement of reducing Mr Modi well below the majority mark will now motivate him to stay committed, observes Shekhar Gupta
The Tamil film industry won't forget Vijayakanth's large-heartedness, how he took care of fellow industry persons, male or female, rich or poor, young or old...recalls N Sathiya Moorthy. How he sent money quietly for the family of a stunt artiste to meet his funeral expenses, how he always ensured that all female co-stars, including junior artistes, had secure accommodation on outdoor shoots, and how he would always the first to rush help if anyone from the fraternity was in distress.
Valdimir Putin loves to be in the headlines. This time around, the topic of discussion is his United Russia party's raunchy election campaign video, which has been branded as "unconstitutional".
Polling in Madhya Pradesh was marred by complaints of faulty EVMs and voter verifiable paper audit trail machines.
Here is a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh.
'With changing times, elections no longer are won by giving subsidies, doles and gifts before and after.' 'Entitlements, rightful gains of growth and economic development and the like are becoming important for increasingly conscious and demanding voters, especially younger voters,' points out Bheemaiah Krishnan Ravi.
The election tamasha that was successfully taken online by the BJP during the 2014 general elections is playing out in a bigger avatar, reports Sanjay Jog
With Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's grandson Aditya taking over the Yuva Sena's reins, the party, which once vociferously opposed Valentines' Day celebrations, has chosen to lie low on the issue, in a bid to woo young voters and avoid any controversy ahead of the civic polls.
'By naming Tejashwi as the next CM candidate, he has put us in a dilemma.' 'Who will lead us in 2025?' 'What will happen to the party after 2025?'
The decision to repeal the Act was taken at a late-night cabinet meeting on Friday as it is an obsolete pre-Independence Act of the British for the then province of Assam, the CM said.
Mouth-fresheners in wrappers printed with party symbols and fashion accessories like bands and bangles are now being used by various political parties to woo young voters in the poll-bound national capital."Over the years, trends in advertisement accessories have changed. From traditional flags and banners, it has changed to fresheners and fashion materials," Abdul Gaffar Ansari, a trader at Sadar Bazaar who has been supplying poll publicity material for the past 20 years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a pitch for electing a strong and stable government in an uncertain world beset by geopolitical tensions as the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday released its manifesto, prioritising development and welfare while shunning populist measures and contentious issues like the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Asked if it would not result in UPA disintegrating, Dwivedi snapped back: "Of course, there is UPA. But UPA does not fight elections. It is the political parties in UPA which contest elections."
The two major parties offer the United States choices that are basically unacceptable and the bench strength, such as it is, is not entirely capable of winning popular acclaim, notes Shreekant Sambrani.
Here are 8 factors to watch out for, says psephologist Yogendra Yadav.
In 2014, young Muslims became Owaisi fans. But five years of BJP rule and a weakening Opposition have drawn older Muslims too towards the AIMIM chief. Not enough, though.
Presumptive Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama has bounced ahead of his Republican rival John McCain in the race for the White House with a new poll showing that he has established a handsome double digit lead of 15 percentage point over the Arizona Senator. This is the first Newsweek poll after Hillary Clinton withdrew from the contest and endorsed Obama. It also shows particularly high support for Obama among the young voters.
A belated comeback to Rahul Gandhi's 'suit boot' jibe over Modi's infamous monogrammed suit.
Making his electoral debut from Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh as a Congress candidate, Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan says he hopes to convert his fans into voters.
