Page 5 - Shekhar Gupta/undefined

The game is on

Doctrine of necessity and survival will now make the BJP concede spaces to allies

44-day polls: 10 hot takes

2024 was a one-candidate election. Narendra Modi was the only candidate for whom the BJP sought votes, and he was the only opponent most of its rivals wanted defeated

Writings on the Valley wall

Reading the writings on the wall in poll-bound Kashmir, we find change for the better, aspiration, a quiet celebration of peace, but don't confuse it for closure

Writings on the Valley wall - 2

This is the second set of excerpts from Shekhar Gupta's "Writing On The Wall" from the poll-bound Kashmir Valley

Abki baar 90 paar?

An additional 30 seats for the BJP won't make any difference to the strength and quality of government. Thirty fewer, however, will have several substantive consequences

Chamkila, Canada & dangers ahead

Even in the weeks leading up to Chamkila's assassination, there were massacres every other day. To airbrush all of this is sheer intellectual cowardice, if not a crime

Frontrunner & elusive poll theme

Excitement is often highest in 'wave' elections. There is a sense of anticipation, a better future, even vengeance. For these reasons, 2024 is turning out to be an unexpectedly themeless election

Six states to watch

While this election looks predictable in large swathes of our political landscape, it is also more keenly contested than 2019 in some states

Modi's new BJP at 44

As the BJP heads for a likely third successive term in power, it's fascinating to debate how true it looks to the original proposition: A party with a difference

Politics for nuclear winter

Opposition parties know better than most what they are up against. Much of the talk among them is more about where they could limit Modi, rather than having him voted out of power

Who threatens the court?

Modi's reference to the 'committed judiciary' takes us back to the 1970s, when Indira Gandhi's government twice superseded senior judges while appointing the CJI

The idea of Kejriwal

The 'idea' Kejriwal's politics grew around was a no-holds-barred fight against corruption. That is the reason the Modi govt has now tarred him and his entire party with the same paint

CAA: A fading story

For BJP, CAA was strategic move that did not quite work out because those it would benefit could've been accommodated under existing laws, and new entrants would remain excluded

Push for Modi 4.0

Leaders with 'mileage' believe they can overcome age and vintage. Think Xi, Biden, Trump, going ahead Erdogan and Putin, and now, we have sufficient evidence to say, Narendra Modi

Why politicians defect

Indian politics wouldn't be a fraction as fascinating if it did not defy any idea that seemed obvious or an answer that began with 'of course'. They would all fail the test of Indian politics

To-do list for Modi 3.0

A final view on who is OBC, agricultural reforms, and the abolition of anti-defection law and UPSC are among the key goals PM should pursue if he wins a third term

Pakistan Army & art of elections

This is the first time in its history that Pakistan's people have risen to vote against the Army and defeat it. If this isn't a win for democracy, how would you describe it?

3 defining political blunders

Indira Gandhi targeting the RSS during the Emergency, Rajiv deciding to give up the mandate in 1989, and Vajpayee and Advani advancing elections - these errors changed the course of India's politics

What Modi read in 'school'

Is this government really so mysterious? Is there a key to breaking the code of this BJP's politics? The answer lies in understanding old texts on the BJP-RSS ideology

Populism, not politics, missing in Budget

Read this Budget, therefore, as a declaration of victory a month before the Lok Sabha elections are announced