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No, it is not a simple 'unusual & worrying' case. The allegation levelled by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, that the BJP has hatched a plan to switch EVMs being used in the Lok Sabha polls with the 1.9 million machines went missing in 2019, certainly cannot be outright rejected as a simple case of speculation. Mamata, of course, did not directly name CEC as the BJP’s cohort; but her allegation nevertheless made it abundantly clear that this has been done by the EC at the behest of BJP, especially Narendra Modi.

Lok Sabha election in Chhattisgarh will conclude with polling in the rest 7 constituencies in the third phase on May 7. Election campaigns are at its peak. The contest is chiefly between the BJP and the Congress, and there seems to be very close contests between their candidates in almost half of the constituencies. Obviously, the election outcome will be laden with some surprises, since Congress seems to be recovering some of its lost grounds to much frustration of the BJP.

The poll bugle has sounded in Andhra Pradesh. Voting takes place on May 13. Both for assembly and Lok Sabha. The big fight is between Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP and former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party, which is allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party and actor Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena, a three-way tripartite tie. The last assembly elections, YSRCP polled nearly 50 percent and won 151 seats. Will it retain hold? Naidu’s TDP believes it won’t.

In the mineral-rich heartland of India’s Bastar region in the state of Chhattisgarh, a severe onslaught against indigenous communities, known as Adivasis, is currently unfolding. The Indian government officially recognizes the major Adivasi community in the region, the Madia, as a “particularly vulnerable tribal group.” Despite this recognition, the ongoing state-led aggression against them poses a grave threat to their existence, putting thousands of lives at stake.

The Supreme Court’s probing questions about the timing of arrests by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of political figures spotlight growing concerns about the propriety and implications of such actions, especially when juxtaposed with the electoral calendar. The apex court’s concerns telescope the potential misuse of central agencies as instruments of political influence, which could undermine the democratic ethos of fair and free elections.

Releasing the final voter turnout on April 30, 2024 by the Election Commission of India after a delay of 11 days from the first phase of election held on April 19, and after 4 days delay from the second phase of election held on April 26 has given rise to a suspicion of voter turnout manipulation. Lack of transparency at several stages in the election machinery has been alleged, which can’t be ignored, especially when a research paper of August 2023 had found evidence of voter turnout manipulation in the Lok Sabha election 2019.

Narendra Modi, who for years boasted of the sobriquet “Hindu Hridaya Samrat”, could not have imagined even in his dreams that the RSS would one day distance itself from him and denounce him as its prime ministerial candidate. From the day the Lok Sabha elections were announced, the manner in which Modi has undertaken the poll campaigning had made it obvious that Modi was still the public face of the saffron ecosystem for the third consecutive term.

The Congress’ alleged Muslim quota plan has the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a blue funk. Or so it seems. Even Sam Pitroda’s “inheritance tax if the Congress comes to power” has the Prime Minister fuming. Modi has been warning Hindu women of the threat to the “mangalsutra” if Rahul Gandhi replaces him. Question is, how worried is Prime Minister Modi about losing his prime ministerial shirt and is all the talk of “abki baar 400 paar” hot air and balloon?

The third phase of Lok Sabha polls on May 7 will witness an acid test of the solidness of the alliance between Congress and CPI(M) in West Bengal, both being allies in INDIA coalition. The four seats, Murshidabad, Jangipur, Malda (North), Malda (South) which go to the polls on May 7 were once part of an apparently impregnable stronghold of Congress in the state.

During 2021 to 2023, Brent crude oil prices increased by over 60 percent. Surprises to many, prices of petrol and diesel in India did not rise proportionately. Global sanction on Russia, which led crude oil price spurred and dashed EU economy, became boon to India. Not only it shielded India from oil shock, but also rejigged its economy and exports.