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From Uttarakhand in July to Bihar in August and now in the assembly by-elections across several states, the results show that the high tide of the much-vaunted Modi wave has passed.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The hastily-formulated excise policy of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Government received a stinging judicial snub when the Supreme Court stayed the Kerala Government’s move to shut down all bars in the State except the five-star ones.

Burying all speculations, Mr Narendra Modi –granted accolade for reforms and predicted to reboot radical economic reforms – unpredictably gave thrust on social and socio-economic reforms after becoming the Prime Minster. He triggered the necessity for toilets for every school within one year, emphasizing the priority for ladies, development of one model village initiative in every constituency by its representatives of Parliament by 2016 and left no stone unturned in launching the opening of bank account for every villager, which he committed from the rampart of Red Fort in Independence Day speech. Mr Modi disappointed anticipators, who were hoping for big ticket economic reforms.

In West Bengal, ruling Trinamool Congress leaders are re-learning the old adage, bad news never comes alone. Already under intense political pressure over the highly damaging Saradha chit fund scam disclosures involving its top leaders, the party now faces an ever more serious charge: involvement in anti-national activities!

Next month – October – will be crucial both for the Congress and the BJP when Haryana and Maharashtra go to polls to elect their respective assemblies. The assembly elections in the two states will be crucial as they will show if the Modi wave is as strong as it was in April-May this year when the BJP swept the Lok Sabha election or its momentum slowed down. The October polls will also demonstrate if peoples’ wrath against the Congress has abated or the fury still continues. The fate of Delhi assembly still hangs in balance. The question that is agitating minds of Delhiites is – whether there will be a BJP-led government or the state will go for fresh elections within a year? Polls in Jammu and Kashmir are also due but they are likely to be postponed because of unprecedented floods and disruption of life in the state.

India which has recently spurned the ratification of the WTO-piloted Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) till a permanent solution to its public stock-holding for distribution of foodgrains on subsidized sale to legions of its poor people is found, may perhaps draw comforts from the latest Trade and Development Report (TDR) of the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD).

BHOPAL: Whether a government servant can or should attend a meeting of a political party? This has become the subject of a fierce debate in Madhya Pradesh. On one side is the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and on the other, the opposition Congress.

At the start of a month of hectic summit-level diplomacy (September), Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a grand debut on the world stage, on the back of a strong mandate at home for governance, bringing off landmark agreements with Japan on support to India’s infrastructure development and meeting high-technology defence needs. The traditional bilateral relationship has now been elevated to one of “Special Strategic and Global Partnership”.

Will Delhi have a new government or will it go for fresh polls? The capital may not be a full state as the Delhi assembly and government have only truncated powers, but it is politically important. Most right thinking people believe that fresh elections are the only answer to the present imbroglio. The sting video by the AAP party showing the BJP allegedly trying to lure its MLAs only reinforces this opinion. Nobody wants a fresh election so soon but it is clear that without resignations or defections no new government could be formed.

After the debacle in Bihar by elections, BJP is facing serious challenge to retrieve its prestige in Uttar Pradesh, where by elections for 11 Assembly and one Lok Sabha constituencies are taking place. The personal prestige of its President Amit Shah is at stake. He was made the party President because of unexpected success of the party in the most populous state of India, where BJP with its allies Apna Dal won 73 out of 80 seats.