The protest at Jantar Mantar against alleged paper leaks and irregularities in public examinations, initially led by students, has now entered its seventh week and is increasingly drawing support from senior citizens, who view it as a fight for the nation's future and education reforms.
CBSE exams and unemployment are divergent concerns for the middle class and the poor, and the idioms of protest don't speak to all of India's young people, points out Kanika Datta.
Vijay's TVK is poised to win its debut Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, drawing parallels to Arvind Kejriwal's AAP's rise in Delhi. Both parties capitalised on public disenchantment with established political structures, promising change and fighting corruption.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Arvind Kejriwal, suffered a major setback in the Delhi Assembly elections, losing to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The loss marks a significant blow to Kejriwal's national ambitions and raises questions about the future of the party. The AAP had been in power in Delhi for the past 10 years and had also formed a government in Punjab. Despite the defeat, the party still holds 13 MPs from Punjab and Delhi. The article examines the factors that contributed to the AAP's defeat, including allegations of corruption, poor civic facilities, and the BJP's relentless attacks. It also explores the impact of the loss on Kejriwal's national aspirations and the party's future.
Delhi faces a severe financial crunch and the deficit is largely due to numerous welfare schemes without adequate revenue flowing in. The success of welfare schemes and electoral promises will need careful financial planning and out of the box thinking to whip up additional revenue, notes Ramesh Menon.
The BJP may win more seats in the February 5 assembly election, but not enough to trump AAP, notes Ramesh Menon.
From the time he first rose to prominence during the movement against the then UPA government, Arvind Kejriwal has regularly grabbed headlines for his surprise moves and decisions. Here are 10 such instances.
'I thought AAP will uphold administrative fairness which is not there. And it is an indication of the fact that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely'
Failing to get any reprieve from the Delhi high court, the Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will move the Supreme Court soon against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate and maintained the excise policy case was the 'biggest political conspiracy of the country' to finish the party.
In his absence, the party stares at uncertainty as many of its other senior leaders are either in jail or in political obscurity.
'The BJP was supporting him from behind in order to bring down the Congress government.'
The Congress now knows that it is the only force -- however weakened it might be -- that stands between the BJP and India's evolution into a single-party Republic. Because, once it is out of the way, the BJP could sort out the other regional powers: Co-opting some, demolishing others, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
The arrest, the first of a sitting chief minister, came hours after the Delhi high court refused to grant protection to the AAP national convenor from any coercive action by the agency.
'For the last two elections, the Congress manifesto has been thrown into the dustbin.' 'This manifesto will also be thrown into the dustbin.'
'Kejriwal could have easily deputed someone to step in as chief minister, but being the authoritative and self-centered personality that he is, he chose not to do it.' 'If the AAP loses Delhi, where it has a huge majority, the only one to blame would be Kejriwal,' asserts Ramesh Menon.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Bhagwant Mann takes the oath of office in Shahid Bhagat Singh's Khatkar Kalan village.
As the Kejriwal empire spreads, will he be able to keep the momentum going? And will it be at the cost of greater centralisation of authority in the party, asks Aditi Phadnis.
How did Arvind Kejriwal, a one-time votary of secularism, turn into a bargain-basement version of Narendra Modi, wonders Vir Sanghvi.
'She will forever be remembered for being a disrupter - a disrupter in a positive sense - as she disrupted the hierarchies that existed in society!'
Aam Aadmi Party calls Bhagwant Mann its people's choice for CM candidate in Punjab. Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com traces what makes Mann so indispensable for his party.
AAP will have to learn to be patient as such electoral changes do not happen in a hurry, asserts Ramesh Menon.
'I was not really aware that this movement was slyly being propped up by the BJP and RSS.'
In the unlikely event of the BJP-NDA losing all five states going to the polls in February-March, the Presidential electoral college numbers could be significantly altered, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Sanjay Singh, Sushil Gupta and Narain Dass Gupta were selected as AAP's Rajya Sabha nominees.
Delhi Police personnel had to baton charge activists of the India Against Corruption on Sunday as they gathered outside the Delhi residence of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to protest against his government's corrupt dealings in connection with allegations against Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and realty major DLF.
Mishra and AAP's women's wing chief Richa Pandey joined the BJP at the party office in New Delhi in the presence of vice-president Shyam Jaju and Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari, former Union minister Vijay Goel and leader of opposition in the assembly Vijender Gupta.
Arvind Kejriwal, social activist and founder member of the India Against Corruption, tells Sreelatha Menon their biggest mistake was not to give room to other issues and voices when support for the movement against corruption was at its peak.
Team Anna on Friday said it will not compromise on the issue of corruption, claiming that its fight was meant to change the system, not gain power."Anna is a hero of the people. How long he can remain deaf to the voice of the people? He has taken a decision to challenge the political class," a statement posted on the India Against Corruption website said.
India Against Corruption volunteers demonstrate in front of the UN headquarters in New York in support of Anna Hazare's fast.
Coming down heavily on Team Anna's agitation, the Bombay high court on Friday said it can't allow "parallel canvassing" when Parliament is seized with debate on Lokpal Bill and questioned its decision to seek exemption from charges to use MMRDA grounds for Anna Hazare's proposed fast.
'What does the poor common man do?' asks Brigadier Krishan Mehra (retd). 'He does not have the wherewithal to fight the system. Anna has provided this Aam Aadmi a ray of hope.'
The San Francisco Bay Area unit of India Against Corruption on Monday slammed the arrest of activist Anna Hazare. Nearly 150 members of the Indian American community gathered at the Civic Centre Plaza in Los Angeles to show their support to Anna Hazare on the eve of Independence Day.They expressed their support for Hazare and the millions of Indians who are demanding the Jan Lokpal Bill to end corruption in India.
Devinder Sharma, distinguished food security expert who has been with the NGO India Against Corruption since its inception, gives excusive insights into the making of the Jantar Mantar hunger strike and the people's outbursts that followed.
'Who are these people on the streets?' 'They are youth and students who were hoodwinked, bluffed by Modi for the last seven years, with a promise of 2 crore jobs every year.' 'And Mamata sings the same tune.' 'But the youth can see that as long as there is Mamata or Modi, there is no hope.'
Here's a look at some of the key contenders to be part of the Delhi Cabinet
Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman Kapil Mishra, 34, was on Wednesday named as the new law minister
Accepting his mistakes, Kejriwal asserted that it's time to get back to work.
Kiran Bedi, who recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, said she had tried several times to talk to Anna Hazare over the phone but was not able to do so as the anti- corruption crusader was either "sleeping or taking rest".
A day after she indicated that Bharatiya Janata Party's Narendra Modi was her preferred choice for the prime minister's post, former IPS officer and anti-corruption activist Kiran Bedi on Friday said she had not "joined any political party" but had only spoken for herself.
A list of prominent journalists who also became successful politicians.
