Despite the flaws and challenges that beset the country, the AAP’s recent victory shows that India’s democratic roots are strong and deep. The first seeds of the anti-corruption movement in India were sown under the banner of...
The BJP’s rout in Delhi should serve as a wake-up call for the party and the prime minister. In India, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the Delhi state assembly elections, winning 67 seats out of 70, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing the remainder. The elections were held on...
India has voted in a new government, while electoral manifestos have become an important part of national politics. On May 26, the curtains fell on the “great Indian dance of democracy,” when Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became the 15th prime minister of India. To...
The AAP has attempted to make citizens more vigilant and to ensure that civil society plays a greater role. The general elections have come and gone, and India has a new prime minister: Narendra Modi. He led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a decisive victory at the polls. However, the...
Despite Kejriwal’s loss of public support, the AAP brings new ideas and fresh energy to Indian politics. It is said that good things come to those who wait. In the case of Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), this was true till December 2013. The party won 28 seats, surprising...
In India, deep divides between the powerful and the disenfranchised still persist. As India gears up for an election increasingly difficult to predict — one in which the controversial Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate, heads off against Rahul...
The world's biggest electoral exercise is upon us, as India heads to the polls. Background The Indian constitution provides a term of five years for the Lok Sabha, India's lower house of parliament that is elected directly by the people. It is the equivalent of Britain’s House of Commons,...
Why taxing property for accountable local government in India is essential. In our last piece, we had argued that taxation is the economic glue that binds citizens to the state in a necessary two-way relationship. A citizen's stake in exercising accountability diminishes if he or she does...
Lifting the veil of Indian politics often reveals corruption. Elections in India are known as a one-of-a-kind festival of democracy, replete with colorful pageantry, flamboyant personalities, and very large numbers. The size of the country’s electorate when India heads to the polls for...
Obsessed with spending, India's UPA has ignored the vital task of expanding the direct tax net. How one-sided has India's conversation on its government finances become. It is all about spending, spending, spending. For the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, of course, elevated...
