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BHOPAL: The massive Sherpur rally held by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has added few feathers in the cap of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. The BJP's win in the Maihar Assembly by-poll just on the eve of the rally helped in boosting the morale of Chauhan which was adversely affected after the BJP lost Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seat. Sherpur is located in the rural areas of Sehore district about 40 KMs from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh. Predominantly rural area was chosen to project Modi's pro-farmer image.

From 'maximum governance' and 'minimum government' - the Modi brand - India in no time has descended into a disturbing phase of social and caste tensions, triggered by sectarian outfits asserting majoritarian power and indulging in assaults on liberal-minded university students allegedly “anti-national”.

Nationalism has been the most expedient weapon to browbeat the political opponents. This has been used in the past by the Congress. But what makes the present machination of the RSS and BJP in the case of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar different is blending nationalism with sedition.

Poll scenario has been changing fast as elections in the five states draw nearer. Elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry are scheduled to be completed by May this year. In a fresh development the Congress and the Left Front are close to sealing a “tactical alliance” in West Bengal. The Congress leadership is veering toward the decision after coming to the conclusion that it has little option other than tying with the Left. The party’s state unit is vehemently against an alliance with Mamata Banerjee and has been under tremendous pressure for an alliance with the Left led by CPI-M.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the State is in a blue mood these days. The reason: the party’s much-hyped efforts for an alliance to fight the crucial Assembly elections have yet to fructify.

NEW DELHI: United Arab Emirate’s flag-ship carrier Emirates Airways has emerged as India’s darling given its popularity both among passengers as well as the Government. It is another matter that national carrier Air India and other Gulf carrier Qatar Airways continue to cry hoarse over what they call “extra-special” treatment to the Emirates by India’s civil aviation ministry.

Tamil Nadu once again looks headed for a straight fight in the main between the two battle-hardened Dravidian majors, ruling AIADMK of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and the DMK of Mr Karunanidhi (93), which has been rebuilding its image in the aftermath of its quota of scams.

The Congress losing the by election to the Harlakhi assembly seat to the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) a constituent of the NDA has diverse interpretation for different political parties and alliances. While for the NDA, its constituent retaining the seat implied “a referendum on the functioning of the Nitish Kumar government, it is certainly not a major political development for the grand alliance and its leader Nitish Kumar. Nevertheless the secular alliance suffered the jolt just about three months after its stunning victory in the state assembly election.

With the elections just a few weeks away, the picture in West Bengal is getting clearer by the day with the Congress and the Left getting ready for a tactical tie-up to defeat the ruling Trinamool Congress. The idea is to extend it to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls if this succeeds. It is indeed a gamble whether a Left Front-Congress alliance will be able to deliver the desired result.

LUCKNOW: Ahead of assembly polls due early next year, ruling Samajwadi Party appears to be in serious trouble by losing two out of three by-elections results of which were declared on Tuesday.