In early May, the eastern Indian state of West Bengal went to the polls. The state elections attracted global attention. The BBC’s analysis of the election was headlined, “West Bengal Election: Modi Loses a Battle in the 'War for Indian Democracy.’” Such attention to a state election is...
The Wall Street Journal reports on the Indian government’s intention to clamp down on social platforms that have played a role in the recent farmers’ protests. According to Wall Street Journal sources, Narendra Modi’s government has threatened to jail employees of Facebook, WhatsApp and...
Indian culture venerates tools of trade. Indeed, a special day in the festival calendar is dedicated to worshiping them. In this context, tractors and farm implements are considered almost sacred. Burning a tractor is one of the most symbolic forms of protest. Members of the main opposition party...
Revulsion for corruption and nepotism makes Indians vote for a leader with humble roots despite his poor track record and authoritarian tendencies. In April, this author called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic record abysmal. Yet he has now been re-elected with a thumping...
As congratulatory messages for Modi pour in from all parts of the world, it is important to remember that the journey doesn’t end at victory. Narendra Modi, the god-like leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), appears to have won another landslide victory. Predicted to secure at least 300...
In the last of a five-part series on opinion polls about the Indian elections, national security has overtaken the economy to become the main electoral issue, but things may change by the time the polls close. The CVoter Tracker, an opinion survey of voters, found that Indian Prime Minister...
The Modi-led BJP government has emulated Indira Gandhi and emasculated the economy, causing burning resentment among core supporters. Once upon a time, not a very long time ago, the Indian economy was mired in the Hindu rate of growth. The notorious license-permit-quota raj starved the economy...
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 India has a different historical memory to the...
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 are debating outcomes. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen...
In the first of a five-part series on opinion polls about the forthcoming Indian elections, pollsters agree that the BJP-led coalition is poised to make gains in the east of the country. As India goes to the polls in 2019, election fever has hit the country. Two of India’s pollsters, Yogendra...
Will Narendra Modi live up to the heightened expectations? India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can ignore its defeat in the by-polls only to its peril. The loss of the BJP ally Apna Dal’s seat in the state assembly to the Samajwadi Party is particularly galling. The assembly is in...
India must take charge to promote better relations between all countries of South Asia. On May 16, the recently concluded Indian general elections to constitute the 16th Lok Sabha (lower house) of the Indian Parliament resulted in a landslide victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) —...
A decade-long anti-Modi campaign from India's political left has fueled the new prime minister's rise. The Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) achieved a thumping victory over India's Congress party, led by the Nehru-Gandhi family. Election results indicate that most Indians see Modi...
India has just elected the equivalent of a Sarah Palin or Ted Cruz. The victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India’s elections is being hailed in some Western media as a hopeful sign for US-Indian trade and for Indian business. But like the US Tea Party movement, it is rent by...
Modi’s main focus will be the economy and India will look to increase trade, attract investment and boost employment. Indian Finance Minister and Congress leader P. Chidambaram recently declared that opposition prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s knowledge of economics can be written...
