Death of the INDIA alliance
“A grand alliance against a Modi-led BJP is desirable but I am not sure it is feasible..” a senior INDIA alliance leader in June 2023. Those cautionary words from...
Remembering Dr Singh
The year was 1999 when Dr Manmohan Singh contested a Lok Sabha election for the first (and only) time from South Delhi, an election he lost . I was...
A BJP win, a Congress self-goal
If the 2024 Lok Sabha election surprised India, the Haryana 2024 verdict has shocked many. Rarely has there been an election where every pollster, every pundit, every reporter has...
The Importance of being Vinesh Phogat
The male-dominated universe of Haryana politics hasn’t seen anything quite like it. In a crowded hall filled with burly-looking Jat men, one woman is the center of attention. Olympic...
Kashmir Goes to Vote
Kashmir never ceases to surprise and the 2024 state assembly elections are no exception. We are on the way to Bijbehara in Anantnag district, tracking the campaign of Peoples...
In The Name of Shivaji Maharaj
In the politics of deification, there are demi-gods who can’t be touched, much less allowed to crumble and fall. Every state has its iconic figures who are beyond the...
Food Politics and Kanwar Yatra
For several years now I have been doing a television programme, ‘Elections on My Plate’ that takes viewers on an election campaign trail with food as an added attraction....
BCCI’s Glory, Nation’s Pride
The news that the T 20 World Cup winning team would be paid a prize money of Rs 125 crores by the Board of Control for Cricket in India...
Reading continuity in a fractured verdict
If an extraordinary Lok Sabha verdict was meant to humble the political leadership, it appears to have had just the opposite effect. The Modi government is acting as if...
A Government Still in Denial Mode
If an extraordinary Lok Sabha verdict was meant to humble the country’s political leadership, it appears to have had just the opposite effect. The Modi government is acting as...