My mother told me she was at Queen Mary’s college in then Madras as a student on August 15, 1947. Her face was lighted up. I could only get a glimpse of the joy she felt. Three days of holidays, no tickets on buses. People pouring out on the streets, celebrating. Not only in Madras but […]
Reports
Social Media and Changing Nature of Election Expenditure
Today’s innovation becomes the norm for tomorrow. This can be rightly said about the social media’s role in election campaigning in India. During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, political parties were exploring this medium for their campaign to influence ‘online’ voters through the virtual mass media. However, by the time for Lok Sabha 2019 election […]
Following a Trail of Digital Breadcrumbs – Are the 2019 Elections Truly Safe?
The Neta app, which sprung up last year and allows users to rate their leaders, has some murky connections to media houses, political analysts and big businesses, raising red flags on the possible misuse of data. The front page of The Tribune on March 21, 2019, carried the following full-page advertisement: It promises people to help them […]
Opposition wants paper ballot in 2019: No faith in EVMs or excuse for fear of losing to BJP?
A majority of opposition parties, including the Congress, have demanded a return to ballot paper or cross-checking of at least 30 per cent of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs). The demand was put forth at an all-party meet convened by the Election Commission Monday to discuss electoral reforms. Critics, however, believe that the opposition is […]
Black Money and Politics in India
SPECIAL ARTICLE Black Money and Politics in India Jagdeep S Chhokar The issue of black money in politics in India is multifaceted. A number of questions about its role in politics, how it is generated, its volume, its ill effects, and how it can be eliminated do not have answers that are always specific or […]
Know your leaders: 24% of newly-elected Karnataka MLAs face serious criminal charges
By Maj. Gen. Anil Verma (Retd) The results are in for Karnataka but the jury is out as to who will provide a stable government due to the hung verdict of the electorate. The next two weeks will be full of political action and drama with the Governor, Opposition, BJP and the Supreme Court […]
Need to change electoral system to serve people – By Prof. Trilochan Sastry
Even a T-20 match could not have been more exciting. But the stakes in elections are far higher than in a cricket match. Right up to the end, the BJP was moving towards a decisive win and there were celebrations about it forming a government on its own. At the last moment, the results […]
No demand for Electoral Bonds of smaller denomination
There was an intense debate around the introduction of electoral bonds by the government. Data obtained from SBI reveals that there is hardly any demand for electoral bonds of smaller denomination while 99.9% of bonds sold in terms of amount are of Rs 10 lakh & Rs 1 crore denomination. The Electoral Bonds were first […]
नख-दंत मजबूत करें चुनाव आयोग
पांच विधानसभाओं के चुनाव अंतिम दौर में हैं। आखिर, चुनाव आयोग ने अब जाकर धर्म-जाति के आधार पर भड़काऊ बयान देकर वोट मांगने वालों को चेतावनी है। क्या चुनाव आयोग का कर्तव्य चेतावनी के बाद समाप्त हो जाता है? या फिर, इसके अलावा वह और भी कुछ कर सकता है? पांच राज्यों में विधानसभा चुनावों […]
पारदर्शिता से परहेज करते राजनीतिक दल
केन्द्रीय सूचना आयोग के फैसले को डस्टबिन में डालने के बाद सरकार राजनीतिक दलों को सूचना अधिकार कानून 2005 के दायरे से बाहर करने की जुगत में है। सरकार के इस प्रस्ताव पर लेफ्ट-राइट किसी के भी ऐतराज करने की गुंजाइश नहीं है। पारदर्शिता और खुलासा हमेशा से ‘पड़ोस’ की वस्तु रहे हैं और राजनीतिक […]