Indian Politics

As the world's biggest exercise in democracy gets underway, there is a sense of expectation and anticipation. With an electorate of 714 million people eligible to vote, there is a tremendous opportunity for the people of India to elect a government that will deliver results and improve the growth trajectory of the country. In the present election environment of personal attacks and popular slogans, it is important to look at the long term implications and a concrete developmental agenda. India's parliamentary elections are taking place at a time when the world is at a crossroads and the country has emerged as a highly significant global voice. While at one level the elections are necessarily about domestic challenges such as economic development and security, at another level they are also about the role India can play in shaping the world as the largest pluralistic democracy. It is from the perspective of the role India ought to play on the global stage, es...

With elections already on the woos, Lets try electing a party with a national mission and which has its presence wide spread in entire nation, as the parties based on regional aspirations have preyed on our emotions linked to roots and language and led us away from the dreams of a secu lar, vibrant and strong India.     We are reeling from the impact of a global recession which threatens to put on hold the necessities and aspirations of millions is being eaten away by reactionary forces. If a national party is elected with full majority having a mission for nation wide development, then there is a ray of hope for solving the major issues of the country.      India needs a stable government now  all the more as the country needs to get back to the high growth rates it has enjoyed in the recent past and restore confidence in the markets. “Supporting a government with a record of performance and (ensuring) economic progress and voting for stability’’ should be uppermost on our voters’ ...

Abiding the rules of the Election Commission, this poll campaigns didn't see the glimpse of huge hoardings of the local and national Political Heroes, Distribting freebies like caps, bands, ribbons etc..... But they took a new route for pulling the crowd wiz showcasing Glamour in the campaign, the most experimented and proven success of this formulae is Bihar and Jharkand. Bollywood personalities have descended in droves on the states to drum up support for various parties. Not all the celebs know exactly what they are doing, but that hardly matters when the crowds are happy. This is just a publicity act followed to grab huge number of votes; otherwise why would somebody get a person for the campaign who doesn't know for what reason his presence is required. Koena Mitra campaigned in Jharkhand for JVM (Jharkhand Vikas Morcha), was in a rally with former CM Babulal Marandi and also spoke to people in Bengali, she told the media that she was there 'just as a surprise element...

Just as debate rages over the issue of billions of black money hoarded abroad by India’s corrupt, a US-based organisation — Global Financial Integrity (GFI) — has ranked the country fifth in the list of 160 developing countries suffering from the outflow of huge amounts of money through illicit channels.      Quoting its report — ‘Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 2002-06’ — which came out in December last year, GFI said total illicit financial outflows from India during the period averaged from a low of $22.7 billion to a high of $27.3 billion per year. The report comes bang in the middle of a confrontation between Congress and BJP over the latter’s promise to bring the illegal billions back. Congress has accused BJP of exaggerating the issue by distorting facts for partisan ends. It, along with the Left, has also accused BJP of not taking measures to tackle the problem in NDA rule. BJP has returned the fire with full force, accusing Congress of ignoring the issue.   ...

Cashing in on the easy accessibility of the email, political parties are sending out messages in crores to voters. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sent over 3.5 crore emails. The Congress has sent 2.4 crore emails and will send 80 lakh more in each of the four phases of polling left.  "We have a database of around 3.5 crore people to whom we keep sending emails regularly. Whenever there is a big development, we send emails to voters. We plan to reach out to 10 crore voters during the entire campaign through various media, including SMSes. However, we take care that the SMS is not sent to voters who have registered for the 'Do Not Call,' service," said the BJP's IT campaign incharge Pradyut Vora. Similar is the strategy being followed by the Congress. The manager of their IT campaign, Vishvjit P Singh, said that they have reached out to voters thrice in the recent weeks through emails. "Around 80 lakh emails were sent every time we wanted to announce some...

As many as 1,473 voters in Madhya Pradesh did not cast their vote during the first phase of elections on April 23 as they did not find a suitable candidate to vote for. The voters came to the polling booth, got their name registered and then went out without voting for anyone when the state went to the polls for 13 parliamentary seats on April 23. The State Election Commission has for the first time in election history tabulated and found that 1,473 votes were cast under Section 49(0) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. Section 49(0) allows a person to go to a polling booth, register his/her presence by signing and then not vote for any candidate. Such votes are recorded by the presiding officer and are considered rejection of all candidates in the fray. The highest number of votes cast under section 49(0) were 712 in Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency which incidentally also recorded the lowest voting at 43.21 per cent. This was followed by 418 in Bhopal constituency, 189 in Chhindw...

In the run-up to polls, it’s not just Pakistan-based terrorists and Naxalites who are engaged in target practice in India. Cyber-terrorists have been equally at work, and far more successfully. Over the past couple of months, Indian government and political parties have been subjected to lots of attacks. The AICC was a target, as was the Bihar chief electoral officer’s computers, the Maharashtra chief electoral officer’s computers and even L K Advani’s website.      No, these are not attacks which stop you from using your computers. The cyber-terrorists’ world is more arcane than that — these attacks have been in the form of unintelligible gibberish like Bots, phishing, malware, etc, even viruses and Trojans that commandeer keyboards and webcams. Most of the time, you don’t know you have been attacked, or that somebody in a far corner of the world has maliciously taken over your computer and is using it to launch attacks.     Cyber-terrorism had increased exponentially in the past mon...

Politics, they say, is a game. In this digital age, that’s not just a metaphor but also the literal truth. Suddenly citizens, including those below voting age, seem to be participating in the electoral process simply by going online—and playing games.      Several web-based political games have been launched recently to cash in on the poll frenzy. Players can vote or run for prime ministership before they turn 18, or hurl virtual shoes at prominent politicians, or watch the likes of Chandrababu Naidu in shorts.           Riding on the popularity of shoeattack videos on YouTube, websites such as jutamaro . com  let users pick a politician and hurl a shoe at him or her. The quick-thrill game comes with a disclaimer, ‘This game is not influenced by politics but by good humour’.      Insite Digital has apparently also been influenced by the popularity of shoe-chucking, but in its game Chappal Ki Gunj, the shoe is on the other foot. Parties eye potential of political gaming   and  is riding...

Incarcerated candidates filing their nominations in absentia, sitting MPs surfacing only at election time and leaders making/breaking alliances at the drop of a hat — if you have had enough of them, rule 49 (O) — that allows a voter to not vote for any of the candidates — may be what you are looking for.      In election season, while experts and NGOs rue the dismal awareness levels about the no-vote rule, there are some who say the time has come to go ‘‘a step further’’ by including a novote button on the EVM to maintain secrecy of ballot.      As per Rule 49 (O) of the Conduct of Election Rules 1961, a voter can register his vote, but not vote for any candidate. The voter needs to fill a form that is available with the presiding officer. While the vote would not be counted, it will be included in the voter turnout figures. Unfortunately, the ‘‘negative’’ vote will have no effect on deciding the winner.      As an election official explains: ‘‘If all but 10 voters in a con stituency ...

Propaganda movies created and shaped their political destiny. For Election 2009 too, the two Dravidian parties will market their poll mes-sage through filmy campaigns and snazzy publicity ads — televised on their own channels.      The Sun TV group, the DMK’s media partner, will roll out a set of slick films highlighting the DMK government’s achievements. The text and lyrics of the films have been penned by DMK chief Karunanidhi himself. “The films are about 45 seconds long and  have a positive tone, projecting the achievements of the UPA and DMK governments”  .      The AIADMK’s media arm, Jaya TV, had decided to air a three-hour televised in-terview with Jayalalithaa. The channel had even invited a few art directors to submit their proposals for the backdrop for the interview, which was to be released as a six-part campaign film. In the 2004 Lok Sabha election, Jayalalithaa’s ad man-agers had chosen a redwood background  to complement the green saree she was wearing and the vitupera...

The state machinery and politicians may be bracing up for the May 7 parliamentary elections, but for the city youngsters better educational, economic and physical infrastructure are the issues that concerns them. Although a majority of them showed cynical indifference to the hoopla surrounding elec tioneering, jobs, safety and security were their main worries. Corruption in politics came to the fore as an issue for the young where the most cynical respondents agreed in unison. “Are our netas listening?” asked a youngster.      “I am not interested in elections where tax payers’ money is spent to elect rowdy representatives as law  makers,” said Amrin Jabin, a young entrepreneur. She added that no political party seems to be interested in the country’s welfare. “But as a citizen I would vote for the one who would at least do something for women’s emancipation,” said Jabin.      Neha, a fashion design student is not interested in knowing what the entire political process stands for. She...

 In a shocking incident, a die-hard fan of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi killed his father for not casting his vote for the superstar’s newly formed Praja Rajyam Party (PRP).      The incident took place in Visakhapatnam district in coastal Andhra after the first phase of polling on Thursday but came to light on Saturday.      The police said Kosuru Rajubabu, a labourer in Acchampet, became angry after learning that his 55-yearold father Kosuru Bullabbai cast his vote for Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and stabbed him to death on Thursday  night. Rajubabu, 23, with the help of few villagers, buried his father on the village outskirts the same night and the next day told the people that he died a natural death. The villagers, however, grew suspicious and one of them informed the police.      The police arrested Rajubabu, who confessed that he murdered his father for not voting for PRP. A police officer said further investigations were on.      Rajubabu is said to be an ardent fan of sup...

The relationship between RJD chief Lalu Prasad and the Congress appears to have further soured with the railway minister now blaming the party for the demolition of the Babri Masjid.      “The Babri Masjid was demolished during Congress rule. The Congress did nothing to stop the demolition,” Lalu said at an election meeting at Manigachhi in Darbhanga district on Friday.      He did not stop at that. “Jyada bole toh pol khol doonga (I will further expose the Congress if it continues to make baseless charges against me),” he said. Describing BJP leader L K Advani as the main culprit, he said the Congress was equally responsible for the masjid’s demolition.      Projecting himself as the ‘real secular’, Lalu recalled that it was he who got Advani arrested in Bihar. “The BJP is the Bharat Jalao Party and wants to break the country. As Bihar CM, I arrested Advani and saved the country. Only if the country survives will anyone become PM and MP,” he said.      Bihar Congressmen are  livid. “L...

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and film star Sanjay Dutt is in trouble over his obsession with "Gandhigiri". A case has been registered against him in Pratapgarh district of UP for passing sexist remarks against UP CM Mayawati at an election meeting recently. A case under section 294 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was lodged at the Kotwali police station in Pratapgarh on Saturday. The section deals with obscene language used to the annoyance of someone, and prescribes imprisonment upto three months or fine or both. Dutt was campaigning for SP candidate and outgoing MP Akshay Pratap Singh when he apparently got carried away as he waxed eloquent on his favourite theme -- "Gandhigiri". "I have come here to do 'Gandhigiri'... I have come to give ' jaadu ki jhappi'  (magical hug)... to give ' pappi'  (kiss)... I will give both to Mayawati, ' jaadu ki jhappi'  and ' pappi' ..." Sanjay Dutt said at the election meeting on Thur...

    AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi trained his guns on the BJP government in the state accusing it of not utilizing over Rs 1,000 crore of central funds allotted for Bangalore ’s development.       He expressed his angst at the ‘crumbling’ infrastructure and increasing incidents of moral policing, and suspected the sincerity of the BJP government, while also announcing a huge bonanza for the city if UPA is voted to power.       “I am sad to say that the present government is neglecting the city. UPA has tried to help Bangalore . We have sent huge sums of money to the city. But, more than Rs 1,000 crore lies unused. Public transport is crumbling and pollution is increasing. Money is there, but the government is not doing anything,’’ he said at an election rally on Friday.       He narrated how his late father Rajiv Gandhi believed in the potential of Bangalore . “If we are able to connect our talent to the rest of the world through communication, infrastructure and computers, we ca...

A Bad remark by the party men. Apology is expected. A slipper was on Thursday thrown at BJP leader LK Advani by a former functionary of the same party during a public meeting in Madhya Pradesh, the latest in the series of such episodes involving political leaders. The slipper was hurled by former Katni district president of BJP Pawas Agarwal, who allegedly was aggrieved at the party leadership for being "removed from his post due to groupism within the party," police said.He threw the slipper shortly after Advani reached the dais. Soon after the incident, he was taken to the backside of the stage and then whisked away by the police. The incident comes close on the heels of a journalist throwing a shoe at home minister P Chidambaram during a press conference in New Delhi and a retired school principal lobbing a footwear at Congress candidate in Kurukshetra Navin Jindal during a poll rally.

POLITICIANS GETTING rich faster than others is no surprise. But in Andhra Pradesh, which often scored over others in counting wealthy politicians, candidates are disclosing mind-boggling assets. In fact, of the top ten richie riches across the country, seven belong to Andhra. Their assets run into hundreds of crores and some have even seen their wealth grow 20 to 30 times from the last election. Of the 124 contituencies in the first phase, 21 per cent is from Andhra. And in terms of declared total assets, candidates from the state account for half the wealth. Among the 314 candidates contesting the first phase of elections for 22 constituencies, 64 are crorepatis - up four times from 2004. At that time, there were only 3 candidates in these constituencies with assets of more than Rs 10 crore; now there are 18. "There has been an innovative corporate-politician nexus at work. In the last five years, the state's wealth has been pocketed by a few companies and politicians patroni...

A lean bare man on the banks of a river near Champaran, his eyes moist with sadness, letting go of his shawl for a poor woman downstream to cover herself and her child. This poignant moment from Richard Attenborough's biopic on Gandhi is perhaps the most eloquent image of selfless politics. The gentle giant loved as Bapu and revered as the Mahatma epitomised the philosophy of public service as one who gave up everything to be one among the huddled millions. Nearly a century later there is little evidence in reel or real life of the high moral ground once straddled by that generation. The brazen parade of the Prada Prado set zipping across cities in cavalcades, appropriating security funded by public money is evidence that politics has since morphed into a largely self-serving enterprise. The pretense of khadi and Gandhian values went out of vogue with the Gandhi cap long before the Gucci generation stormed the political arena in the 1980s. The transition is best described by ...