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Pre poll survey for 2019 Lok Sabha election predicts a victory for Modi. An impression has been created by the media, especially the TV channels that he will return to power. Prediction does not deserve outright rejection. But the past experience make one skeptical of its credibility.

Even before the February Balakot strikes, the opinion polls conducted always had lucidly stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was well ahead of other opposition leaders like Congress president Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, BSP supremo Mayawati et al. Obviously, after the February Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent developments pushed nationalism ahead of other critical issues. Undoubtedly, the ruling BJP is the first and foremost beneficiary of these developments.

One of the BJP’s general secretaries, Ram Madhav, who is on loan from the RSS to the party, has said that Parliament will take the final decision on the future of Article 370 relating to Kashmir.

Indian billionaires are far outpacing the country’s industrial and economic growth numbers. Notably, the number of individuals in the Barclays Hurun India Rich List, 2018, having a minimum wealth of Rs.1,000 crore, grew by a 100 percent since 2016 to a record level of 831. India’s private wealth creation rate is, ironically, now all-time high despite rupee depreciation, rising crude oil prices and fall in industrial investment. The number of unicorns — any tech startup company that reaches a $1-billion dollar market value as determined by private or public investment — have crossed 20 for the first time. Interestingly, the pharmaceutical sector accounted for the most of wealthy entrepreneurs in the country’s fast growing list of rich individuals, followed by the software and services sectors. The average wealth of these super rich Indians in the Barclays list is around Rs. 5,900 crore.

The fourth phase and it stands alone. Three gone and, after this one, three more left. And the fourth has its importance, especially to the Bharatiya Janata which had in 2014 won 70% of the seats where elections took place in this fourth phase of 2019. The attention, however, was on Begusarai in Bihar where JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was in the fray on a CPI ticket against Union minister Giriraj Singh; Asansol in west Bengal where Union minister Babul Supriyo’s car was vandalized and he entered polling booths to confront presiding officers who he alleged were in cahoots with Mamata’s Trinamool.

People on the march are a common sight in Berlin here lately. On March 8 it was mostly (but not only) women demanding women’s rights and an end to the 20 percent wage gap with men. A big majority were young.

BHOPAL: After filing nomination for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat Pragya Thakur is creating controversies which not only polarise voters but also causes embarrassment for the BJP and also RSS. Almost at every public programme she speaks with the objective of provoking Muslims. For instance she has been claiming that she took active part in the demolition of Babri Mosque and by doing so she succeeded in erasing the blackest chapter of Indian history.

Narendra Modi has a special knack of making decisive moves at crucial times. Whether the results would be entirely positive or negative, one can’t say.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has made a prophetic announcement; no national party will get a majority in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. From all indication it appears so; neither the Congress nor the BJP is likely to get a majority. What has to be seen is that which party emerges as single largest party. That means horse trading and unfair means to form a coalition or a multi-party government. Such a dispensation will inevitably lack stability. Pollsters predict that such a government may not last for more than two years and a mid-term poll is inevitable.

Now we know ‘winning the polling booth’ is not BJP President Amit Shah’s coinage, it is that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ‘Majboot Booth’ rings with ‘Majboot Desh’ and ‘Majboot Sarkar’ and Modi, with vanity in every cell of him, wants to win with an all-time record number of votes. He has set that goal in every Kashi BJP karyakarta’s head and heart, asking them to conquer every polling booth in the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.