-The Indian Express Contrary to conventional wisdom, the UPA lost despite an inclusive, growing economy. Economists have been busy telling us that the economy decided the election result. We heard it during the campaign and they have been at it again in their post-mortems. They are wrong. Consider some evidence. Most Indians live in rural areas. Elections are won and lost there. So for any government, it makes good electoral sense to look...
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Gujarat’s inclusive growth-Surjit S Bhalla
-The Indian Express From high farm growth to wages for the disadvantaged, even their employment levels, Gujarat comes out on top. Both the opinion polls and the bookies suggest that Narendra Modi will be the next prime minister of India. There is a constant but healthy debate in the media about the likely pros and cons of a Modi administration. For each assertion made by the BJP, there is a counter presented....
More »Why India's migrants are unable to vote -Atish Patel
-BBC Delhi: A record number of people have taken part in India's general election, now in its home stretch with just one round of voting left before results are announced on 16 May. Part of the reason for the increase in turnout in the five-week-long polls, which began on 7 April, can be attributed to the Election Commission for successfully encouraging more women and low-caste Indians to vote. But many remain excluded. Because Indians...
More »The rains may just sail the next government’s boat -Sanjoy Narayan
-The Hindustan Times Once the remaining two phases of India's seemingly never-ending elections are done and dusted and the results are declared, for whoever it might be that wins and gets to form the government, the first thing on the agenda should be to get down on their knees and pray to the rain gods and wish that the monsoon doesn't disappoint this year - that it comes on time and...
More »New vote bank, traditional politics-Puja Mehra and Sowmiya Ashok
-The Hindu While migrant labourers see price rise as their primary concern, they still rate caste and religion as determining factors in their voting decision After the rural poor, farmers and the urban middle class, political parties are now seeking to make a vote bank out of migrant manufacturing labourers. The Bharatiya Janata Party's election manifesto promises the concept of "Industry Family" between workers and factory owners, but does not elaborate on...
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