-The Times of India Chandigarh: Months after making the educational qualification mandatory for candidates contesting panchayat elections, Haryana on Wednesday imposed a condition that municipal polls candidates must also be Class X pass. There was huge hue and cry when the education clause was imposed for panchayat polls, with the Supreme Court finally upholding the law. However, the Bill making educational qualification necessary for municipal polls was passed without any opposition. To make...

-The Indian Express The reasons for TMC's confidence that their 'rice politics' in the state will surmount all other criticism are rooted firmly in history. It is hunger that dominates discussions about elections in West Bengal. Starvation doesn’t need to be imagined in Bengal, it’s not a distant memory — the word still conjures up images of gaunt ribs, filthy rags and lethargic limbs with unnerving clarity. The reasons for TMC’s confidence...

-The Hindu The Election Commission met representatives from national and regional parties on Saturday. The Election Commission met representatives from national and regional parties here on Saturday to discuss a range of issues ranging from the need to maintain a high level of conduct in election speeches to that of protecting the secrecy of how votes are cast at a particular booth. “Hate speeches” and personalised attacks in poll campaigns came up for...

-Business Standard In the balance hangs the GST Bill, which enjoys some support across the aisle, but has been blocked in the Upper House by the Congress and some of its allies Will this be the year the BJP-led NDA gets a working majority in the Rajya Sabha? Consider that nearly 75 MPs in the Rajya Sabha will retire and be replaced by new faces. Some of them – like Venkaiah Naidu, Nirmala Sitharaman...

-Livemint.com A growth-first approach may work in the short-term, but India needs to prioritize sustainability simultaneously The Union Budget 2016-17, seeking to “transform India”, has been hailed for its emphasis on agricultural growth and sustainability. Symbolically, the finance minister put “agriculture and farmers’ welfare” first in his nine-point agenda. The words “agriculture” and “farmer” found 20 and 32 mentions, respectively, in the budget speech, the highest in the last decade. On the...