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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress in Kerala suffered a severe legal as well as political setback when the vigilance court in Thiruvananthapuram rejected the petition filed by party MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan seeking a probe against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter Veena on the allegation that they had received a monthly payment from the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) in return for favouring operations of the company.

KOLKATA: Political difference is meshed with an almost personalised rivalry at Berhampore and Krishnanagar constituencies in the run up to May 13, the day of the electoral battle of the fourth phase of the 18th Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal. Careers of a stalwart and an upcoming leader would be made or marred on this day as the campaign is witnessing corruption charges shouted from the rooftops together with dragging out of "dark deeds" of long deceased ancestors drowning debates on real issues which an election should be all about.

With the passing of every phase, the anguish gripping the RSS and traditional BJP cadres and supporters is getting more pronounced and discernible, notwithstanding the attempts of the top RSS leaders to make them relent and ensure the victory of the BJP candidates.

RSS Pariwar union government and Sangh Pariwar ruled states have enacted various laws that are anti-people and unconstitutional during the last ten years since 2014. These laws are draconian and have conditioned police, bureaucracy and judiciary to violate people’s fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India with impunity. As a result, country has transformed into an electoral dictatorship.

The role of State Bank of India in suppressing information about the Supreme Court-struck down electoral bonds has been well-exposed. Now more evidence of SBI’s ‘political mandate’ is emerging. For no rhyme or reason, an inhouse economist has debunked what he describes as the myth of voter apathy in the current elections. His study covered only the first two phases of polling, but the turnout in the just-concluded third phase also indicates a decline, compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress will not be able to do a repeat of the November 2023 assembly election victory. KCR’s Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) hasn’t recouped its loss and isn’t in shape despite party head K Chandrashekar Rao’s frequent pep talk to party leaders and party workers. Politics has veered to the communal in the interregnum and “Samajik Nyay” is the key.

The suspense is over—it is Rahul Gandhi, not Priyanka Gandhi, who is contesting from Rae Bareli, the seat their mother, Sonia Gandhi represented five times since 2004 until she entered Rajya Sabha a month ago. And party worker Kishori Lal Sharma will face BJP’s Smriti Irani in Amethi.

In the beginning, Narendra Modi promised “good days”, but it didn’t come even after 10 long years of his rule in India. Then there was opposition’s hue and cry against him. General Election 2024 was knocking at the door. Under his nose, in the capital city, his seat of power, the most vociferous noises against him were being heard, being made by Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi.

If Mayawati, the Czarina of Dalits, has betrayed her Dalit comrades, the self-proclaimed Vishwa Guru and the public face of Hindutva, Narendra Modi, has lost the trust of the Hindus. Mayawati has been known for her cunningly crafted political stratagem, but the manner in which Modi’s lieutenant Amit Shah coerced her to withdraw her party candidates right in the middle of the Lok Sabha elections, has portrayed her as an object for pity and mercy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laughs at politicians you never think he thinks of. Like for example, Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, the quietest politician in the hemisphere and not even remotely a threat. But Prime Minister Modi sees an adversary and Patnaik gets Modi's goat, even when he is minding his own business and doing a swell job of it. Not all politicians are in the business of yakking for a living.