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KOLKATA: The Second phase of 18th Lok Sabha elections starting on April 26 will have a strange commonality with the first phase in West Bengal. Just like the April 19 elections, it remains to be seen whether the three constituencies represented by BJP MPs in the second phase stand their ground or fall to Trinamool Congress or INDIA coalition's onslaught when the results are declared on June 4.

LUCKNOW: The visible anger in powerful Thakur-Rajput community which constitutes 10 per cent of total votes in the population of Uttar Pradesh can spoil chances of BJP candidates in eight seats of Western UP going to poll in second phase on April 26.

Narendra Modi “spreading fear” among Hindu women by claiming that the Congress would not even spare their mangalsutra if it comes to power, as well as maligning Dr Manmohan Singh for his reflection on share of power to the minorities, such as Muslims, are the top headlines this election season. A couple of days back, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh while addressing a rally in West Bengal, openly challenged that no mother’s son can dare to repeat the incident of Sandeshkhali if the BJP government is formed in the state.

Winning Karnataka is central to the BJP’s plans to make deeper inroads into the south. The saffron party tasted power for the first time in South India in 2008, when B S Yediyurappa formed the government in Karnataka despite falling short of a majority. While a clear majority has been evading the BJP in the assembly polls, it has broken the Congress monopoly in the state and paved the way for alternatives (coalition government). Another significant shift has been the BJP emerging as the preferred party in parliament elections. Since 2004, when the party bagged 18 of 28 seats, the Congress has been reduced to single—digit results.

Illegality and bribe are unacceptable under any circumstances. But so is tarring those with the same brush who did not indulge in these unlawful practices and obtained teaching and non-teaching jobs from 2016 School Service Commission test in West Bengal.

Multiple overt and covert wars have pushed the Middle East to the edge of a cliff. Increased tension between Iran and Israel complicates efforts to pull the Middle East back from the abyss. With the two archenemies walking a fine line between waging covert or overt war, escalation between Israel and Iran has the greatest potential to push the Middle East off the cliff.

South Korea’s unpopular conservative president, Yoon Suk-yeol, and his People Power Party (PPP) suffered a well-deserved defeat on April 10 when voters went to the polls to elect a new National Assembly. The governing party could only manage 108 out of the 300 seats. Yoon now looks set to be a lame-duck president for the remaining three years of his five-year term.

The second phase will be between ‘Mangalsutra’ and ‘Muslim’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and, to a lesser extent, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have seen to it. The Congress manifesto mentions “encouraging Muslims” to fight for their rights, but later in the document chooses “ensuring Muslim rights”, raising doubts on the party’s intentions bolstered by the charge that the Congress never loses an opportunity to appease Muslims.

The elections for the18th Lok Sabha are taking place in a context which is extremely crucial for our country. A lot depends on how our country will decide about the survival of our Constitution and Parliamentary democracy. A plethora of rhetoric and empty promises are going to be hurled at the people of the country using every means possible by the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Some of the most salient issues are likely to sink in this money created din. If the last 10 years are any clue, the BJP’s continuation in power will mean a death knell for the values enshrined in our Constitution like ensuring common welfare, equality and also secularism.

The 93-member Maldivian Parliament, People's Majlis, is now having the supermajority (more than three-fourths of total seats) of the People’s National Congress (PNC), the party that President Mohamed Muizzu belongs to. In the general elections on Sunday, PNC won 71 seats out of 93. Together with its coalition partners, Muizzu’s party has 75 members in the parliament. The opposition Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) is reduced to only 12 seats from 65 in the previous parliament.