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Present Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to secure his fifth presidential term in the March 17 elections, extending his leadership to over 25 years, the most prolonged tenure since Joseph Stalin’s. With the Kremlin managing the electoral process with an iron grip, Putin encounters no significant challengers. His continued presidency comes amid the ongoing two-year conflict in Ukraine and as Russia’s economy adjusts to severe international sanctions, ensuring that his governance extends at least until 2030.

Who will be the next President of the United States? Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the current and former Presidents, are competing for the White House. They won most of the seats in the Super Tuesday primary. This is the first time in almost 70 years that such a competition is taking place. However, Americans find it difficult to decide between the two candidates as there is little enthusiasm.

The far right trends in the elections in European countries continued as Portugal voters gave the centre-right Democratic Alliance(AD) and the far right Chega Party a clear mandate to rule the country of 10.2 million people for the next term defeating the ruling Socialist Party and the other small left groups including the Communist Party. The elections for the 230 member national assembly held on March 10 was one of the closest in the history of Portugal which has been considered a comparatively liberal nation in the continent till now.

Why would an election commissioner abruptly resign on the eve of a general election? Prime Minister Narendra Modi is bereft of an answer. Could be he doesn't want to provide one. As it is, the Modi-Shah duo is loath to answer "naughty" questions and it has been so since May 2014. The nation finds this highly suspicious behaviour and the nation demands an answer. Is there hanky-panky afoot? Is Election Commissioner Arun Goel's resignation part of the scripted "Abki Baar 400 Paar" operation to install Narendra Modi Prime Minister of India for another 10 years?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Murphy’s Law is operating in full cry in the case of the Congress party in Kerala. Nothing seems to be going right for the benighted party, which is struggling to get its act together, with the Lok Sabha elections just two months away.

BHOPAL: The Congress, particularly Madhya Pradesh Congress suffered a rude shock when one of the senior most leaders, Suresh Pachauri, severing his almost fifty year old ties joined the BJP.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) may be trying hard to control questionable electioneering practices which have been increasingly corrupting the process of free and fair election over the years, but it is unlikely to find it easy to influence or direct the behaviour of ruling political parties and their candidates. The official spending limit per Lok Sabha candidate varies between Rs.7.5 million and Rs.9 million. The federal government covers around 10 percent of the predicted gross expenditure for holding the elections. Officially, it spent Rs.38.70 billion for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. The rest was spent by political parties and candidates. However, the legal or accounted expenses represent only a fraction of the actual amount spent by candidates and their parties. Unofficially or in real situations, the money spent by a candidate could be 10 to 15 times the official spending limit or even more. The EC could do little about it.

Congratulations to the Supreme Court bench headed by the CJI Dr. D Y Chandrachud once again for exposing the political game of the Narendra Modi Government on the disclosure of the electoral bonds details. The CJI showed his firmness on Monday by asking the SBI to submit the electoral bond details to the Election Commission of India by 5 PM on March 12 as against June 30 this year demanded by the SBI in its review plea.

Election Commission of India (ECI) itself suffered a serious casualty on the eve of Lok Sabha election with resignation of election commissioner Arun Goel, just a couple of days before announcement of the General Election 2024. Obviously, it needs to heal itself first, in absence of two election commissioners in a three-member Election Commission, before mustering courage and strength to firmly deal with coercive activities, including political and administrative authoritarianism, to make the election free and fair.

As the BJP inches forward with its seat-sharing exercise with current and potential allies, including its estranged former partners in the NDA, its faultlines, till now given cover by PM Narendra Modi’s authoritarianism, have started coming out into the open. The BJP-BJD alliance talks took a direct hit after an open revolt by the party's state unit. It is the latest hint of greater troubles waiting in the wings for the BJP and the NDA across the country. Lying dormant until now, the troubles will erupt if Modi doesn't rein in his streak of authoritarianism. Discontent within the BJP, and in the NDA, has gone up to ominous levels.