Based on shifts in Tamil Nadu’s economy and polity, the prospects for emergence of political alternatives to the two dominant Dravidian parties are examined in the context of the upcoming assembly elections. Despite the emergence of cracks in the constituency forged by Dravidian mobilisation, the core elements of Dravidian ethos continue to hold electoral appeal.
Election Commission of India: Institutionalising Democratic Uncertainties by Ujjwal Kumar Singh and Anupama Roy, New Delhi: Oxford University Press,pp 384, ₹1,100 (hardcover).
The first report of the Fifteenth Finance Commission has allayed many fears that arose after the notification of the terms of reference of the commission. The main report for the period 2021–22 to 2025–26 will have to factor in the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the economy and provide adequate fiscal space to the states for socio-economic response and recovery.
As the United States gears up for presidential elections in November, a review of its electoral processes suggests a deepening structural crisis, which, along with the fractured political and social scenario in the country, has laid bare the hubris of “American exceptionalism.”
The most significant development of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab was the victory of the Congress, making the state an outlier in almost all of India, except for Kerala. Neither the Bharatiya Janata Party’s narrative of national security nor its strong leader could find much traction in the state. The significant loss of the core social constituency’s (read the Sikhs) support of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the decline or almost decimation of the Aam Aadmi Party were important developments of this election.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s sweeping victory in Haryana in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections has highlighted the changing nature of politics in the state. The BJP overshadowed the regional parties which used to be its coalition partners in past elections. Dynastic politics which was one of the main features of Haryana politics was rendered ineffective as the BJP was accepted across various socio-demographic indicators.
