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The economic liberalisation of the 1990s brought with it malls and shopping arcades. However, the timeless allure of traditional marketplaces, deeply ingrained in the collective consciousness of Indian society, persists. A significant part of that allure is individuals who earn a living vending goods, spices, vegetables, clothing, toys and more from movable wooden carts or from pavements, commonly known as ‘street-vendors’ or ‘hawkers’ in India.

Fuel consumers would do well to be ready to loosen their purse strings and face the post-election nuanced reality after they enjoyed a Rs 2 per litre cut in prices before the Lok Sabha elections. There has been a pattern in the price behaviour during and after every election. The most curious part is that while the pre-election price cuts are credited to the government account, subsequent price increases are invariably attributed to market forces.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has now decided to go ahead alone and has started reviewing relationship with INDIA bloc. The party’s path ahead is already embattled with legal battles, with its three key leaders – CM Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Satyendra Kumar Jain – put behind the bar. The Enforcement Directorate has made the party an accused in a money laundering case, and the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi has recommended investigation in allegations of receiving funds from a terrorist organization. Apart from that, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said during election campaign that there were other 7 cases of corruption against AAP Supremo Kejriwal. Moreover, AAP could gain only a lacklustre public support during the Lok Sabha Election 2024. All these show AAP’s political path ahead is uncertain and rocky.

It is the same old story. The boringly repetitive drama of Congress leaders imploring Rahul Gandhi to take on a plum post – this time that of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The two sides never tire of the game. On one side, Congress leaders and on the other side, the Gandhi scion. The last time Rahul Gandhi played hard to get was for the Congress President's post, which finally went to Mallikarjun Kharge.

It might have been far-fetched, but even then the Trinamool Congress’s Young Turk Abhishek Banerjee took pains to fly to Mumbai to meet the Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aditya Thackeray, for exploring opportunity for a third front government to take over in Delhi. What compelled TMC’s Abhishek to call on Uddhav was the latter’s decision to skip the Delhi meet of the INDIA leaders. Keen to grab the opportunity and form INDIA government, Uddhav had nevertheless come to know that the Congress leadership was reluctant to form the government. Obviously, as a mark of protest against the Congress-led decision, he did not go to Delhi.

Influence of Indian Secular Front (ISF), the "one legislator party" in the West Bengal Assembly is not to be judged by its representation. It contested on its own in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and cut into the support bases of Congress and several Left Front partners triggering them to slide below the ISF in some of the constituencies after votes were counted.

Forty-four seat and 19.3% of the votes in 2014; 52 seat and 19.49% of the votes in 2019; and 99 seats and 21.26% of the vote in 2024. One of the stories of these elections has been turnaround of the Indian National Congress, one made all the more remarkable by its improved overall strike rate (defined as seats won to seats contested expressed in percentage) of 30 per cent compared to 8.3 per cent in 2019 and 9.4% in 2014. Further, as against the BJP in head on head fight, the Congress strike rate was 29 per cent in 2024 as against 8 per cent in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Unprecedented unemployment crisis under PM Narendra Modi’s first two terms since 2014, is most likely to continue in his third term , unless the jobless growth model is changed. Out of about one billion working age population, the number of people in employment has been hovering around 40 crore for the last few years.

Nothing odd, but reports speak of unrest in the ranks of the Shinde Shiv Sena. The Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Sena looks the better bet. Amidst this, the crowning of Narendra Damodardas Modi as the leader of the NDA parliamentary party. Were the Shinde Sena MPs present in the Central Hall of the Old Parliament when Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi held forth on what the prospects of an NDA government at the Centre holds for the states?

It was shocking to see incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who is even followed and revered by Lord Jagannath of Puri, prostrating before two mortal politicians Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu for their support to satiate his desire for becoming prime minister for third consecutive term. During a phase when the saints and religious gurus nurse earthly craving for enjoying political power, a politician certainly cannot be expected to perform a reverse role and behave like a saint.