-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha polls are not only under the watch of the Election Commission and financial agencies for corrupt practices, but also under the scanner of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). For the first time, the agency, under instructions from the home ministry, will collect data on poll-related offences such as liquor/money distribution, communal or hate speeches, false affidavits by politicians, poll violence, bogus voting and...

-Outlook As subsidies for the poor continue to be under attack, a ground-up report from 10-states shows how well welfare schemes have worked over the last 10 years. Ahead of Elections 2014, rights-based welfare schemes are under attack. To those who argue ‘Dolenomics' doesn't work, a survey of five schemes in 10 states shows that the Rs 1,68,478 crore annually the nation spends is making a real and tangible difference on...

-The Indian Express Govt officials, opposition question Mamata doles to Muslims Kolkata: Communal clashes have jumped in rural Bengal, police records show. Such incidents, annually between 12 and 40 for five years until 2012, peaked at 106 last year. Government officials fear that in an election year, the growing conflict could lead to polarisation of the electorate. West Bengal has always been considered a peaceful state in terms of communal amity. But the...

-The Hindustan Times     An analysis of candidates fielded by Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for 2014 Lok Sabha elections shows that they continue to give tickets to candidates with serious criminal cases, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) have found. ADR and NEW analysed the background details of 188 out of 301 candidates announced by these major parties till March 8, 2014 who have declared serious...

-PTI Paid news has three aspects - print media, electronic media and expenditure by candidates Recognising the malaise of paid news, Election Commission has proposed to the government to make it an electoral offence even as it continues to tackle it itself by monitoring the expenditures of candidates. Addressing a press conference here to announce the Lok Sabha poll schedule, Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath said paid news has three aspects --...