Shekhar Gupta: The year that changed the 2019 race

Twelve months have rewritten India's political script and Lok Sabha elections this summer will see a real contest

One week may or may not be a long time in politics, but a year can be. A political year, doesn’t, however, necessarily follow the Gregorian rhythm but one that is so schizophrenic that you mostly feel it once it has left you by. It also changes from year to year, and not necessarily every year.

Let’s simplify. There can be years at a stretch when our politics remains fundamentally static. The three years between mid-May 2014 and late 2017 were like that. These years could be a political commentator’s nightmare if only the prime minister had not taken pains