India’s constitution-makers went fearlessly into a terrain that other democracies took years to explore. Despite a bitter legacy of Partition and rampant illiteracy, all Indians bar none were deemed an equal part of the electorate. However, today, some questions are

The pre-Independence era was not really dynastic even though freedom fighters included, very often, complete clans, brothers and even tribes. But in post-Independence India, arguably, the first political dynasty was started when former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s daughter Indira Gandhi

Broadly speaking, the economic management by Modi sarkar evokes neutral sentiment among Indians. Due to careful management of food inflation there is lack of focused anger against the central government. However, the lack of anger should not be confused for

Reservation policy is the weapon of last resort in Indian politics. Quite akin to a nuclear strike, it leads to an uncontrolled chain reaction; the last time this weapon was wielded by an Indian prime minister, it changed the face

1984 was a year of madness. Our nation was engulfed in the fires of religious extremism and political overreach. The nation was at ‘war’ with itself, and Punjab was the focus of particularly violent events. The year ended with the

The BJP went into the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh with a strong leadership advantage at national and state levels alike. There seemed to be a consensus within and outside the party that the There-Is-No-Alternative (TINA) factor

In the fourth of a five-part series on opinion polls about the forthcoming Indian elections, pollsters concur that regional parties hold sway in the south, but disagree as to seat numbers and the implications for the next national government. South

(This is the Part III of a series of conversations between psephologists Yogendra Yadav and Yashwant Deshmukh. Read Part I here and Part II here.) Yogendra Yadav: The North is not much of a separate region. It is just that

n the third of a five-part series on opinion polls about the forthcoming Indian elections, pollsters agree that the Congress-led coalition is on the ascendant but disagree as to what degree. As election fever heats up, pollsters in India are

In the second of a five-part series on opinion polls about the forthcoming Indian elections, pollsters agree that the BJP-led coalition will lose seats but disagree about the scale of the losses. As election fever heats up, pollsters in India