-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The 2G scam-tainted A Raja, DMK candidate from Nilgiris constituency in Tamil Nadu, had to taste humiliation not only at the hands of his AIADMK rival C Gopalakrishnan but also had to put up with a spoiler called NOTA. NOTA, short for none-of-the-above option introduced for the first time in this Lok Sabha election, polled the highest votes in Nilgiris, 46,559 to be precise, beating...
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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...
More »The political economy cycle in India-Pramit Bhattacharya
-Live Mint As a democracy matures, citizens become more willing to trust elected representatives to plan and take steps for the long-term growth and development One common complaint during this election has been that the election commission (EC) has to be consulted before the government and its regulatory agencies take any routine decision. Decisions relating to gas price hikes and bank licences all had to be cleared by the EC, whose over...
More »Low voter turnout in Bastar a cause of concern
-The Hindustan Times It is tough to hold elections in the Maoist-hit areas, also known as the Red Corridor, which include parts of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. In these areas, holding free and fair elections is just one part of the challenge; the bigger challenge lies in getting ballot boxes, polling officials and security men safely out of the Maoist strongholds once the...
More »‘Development is intrinsic to a secular project’-Garimella Subramaniam
-The Hindu If some communities have been denied the benefits of development on grounds of religion, this development is anti-secular, argues Rajeev Bhargava, political theorist Arch rivals the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party continue to trade accusations against each other of playing the communal card in the campaign to the general elections. These are classic instances of the confusion over what secularism is in India. Restoring clarity on the conceptual aspects...
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