-The Business Standard Nearly half the 3,337 politicians contesting elections in 5 states have not provided details of their I-T returns With total assets of around Rs 56 crore, Dhanvantri Chandela, fielded by the Congress from the Rajouri Garden constituency, is easily one of the richest among candidates for the Delhi Assembly election. But she neither has a permanent account number (PAN) nor has she reported details of her income-tax returns to...

-The Hindu Opinion polls should be regulated, not banned. Ideally, it should be self-regulation by pollsters and media organisations. The debate around the latest proposal to ban opinion polls is an opportunity in disguise. Beneath the familiar acrimony of partisan debates, a much-needed middle ground has emerged quietly. All we need is a group of stakeholders - pollsters, researchers, media heads and political leaders - to come together to turn this possibility...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Centre has decided to involve RTI activists in formal discussions on the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2013. A standing committee has, for the first time, asked activists lobbying to bring political parties within the purview of the transparency law to attend its November 6 meeting. RTI activist Subhash Agarwal, the National Campaign for People's Right to information and others have been asked to present their opinion to...

-The Hindu Despite accounting for 21.1% - 1.53 crore - of the State's population, Madhya Pradesh's Adivasis are not a force to reckon with in State politics. There are a total of 46 tribes in MP, three of which are classified as ‘Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups'. Bhils and Gonds form more than 70 per cent of the ST population. Kols, Korkus, Saharias and Baigas make up more than 20 per cent. Traditionally...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: As polls to five state assemblies draw near, cash counters in political parties can look forward to a busy period if historical patterns are anything to go by. An analysis of donations shows that national parties typically collect more than 100 crore each during such periods. According to the data from think-tank Association for Democratic Reforms, six parties together received almost 2,500 crore in donations at the time...