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India’s electoral democracy has reached a critical juncture where judicial intervention can no longer remain confined to procedural scrutiny and expressions of concern. The mounting controversy surrounding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the unprecedented scale of voter deletions under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), and the government’s increasingly coercive response to public protests have created a constitutional crisis that demands an extraordinary response. The Supreme Court, having permitted the controversial exercise to proceed under judicial supervision, now carries a particular responsibility to ensure that its authority has not inadvertently facilitated the erosion of the fundamental right to vote.

The unprecedented security arrangements in Delhi, which have virtually turned the capital into a cantonment, are reminiscent of the British Raj, when colonial rulers resorted to brute force to suppress popular movements and crush dissent. The arrests of leaders and activists of CJP, AISF, SFI and AISA, along with students and youth, not only in Delhi but across the country in large number, lay bare the Modi government’s growing panic and insecurity.

Much to the surprise of many informed watchers of Indian business’s triumphant entry into highly competitive economies, the announcement by President Donald Trump himself of Essar Group to herald the building of the largest ever steel plant in the United States found scant coverage in our media, including the business newspapers. Mercifully, The Times of India was an exception whose prolific and perspicacious Washington based correspondent Chidanand Rajghatta did full justice to the breakthrough development in the US steel industry involving an Indian group by penning over a thousand words on the story.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is good news for the elderly population in the State. The Keralam Government has just unveiled a 12-tier elderly care plan for healthy ageing.

The byelection results of the five assembly constituencies – Thattanchavady in Puducherry, Madurantakam and Dharapuram in Tamil Nadu, and Rejinagar and Nandigram in West Bengal, along with Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency in Assam, have given clear signal that regional parties of the country still hold central position in the Indian politics. As for national political parties, BJP’s gain in West Bengal still does signal its consolidation, which has become doubtful after reports of largescale rigging, while Congress’ loss in Assam signals continuance of its vulnerability to political poaching by the BJP.

KOLKATA: By-poll results are usually predictable going in favour of the ruling party but the victory margin of twin electoral contests at Rejinagar and Nandigram declared on Friday, October 9 came as surprises. Even as a motley Opposition cried itself hoarse alleging electoral malpractices, thumping victories were registered by BJP candidates in both constituencies inhabited by a sizeable Muslim population who had not voted for the saffron outfit in successive elections.

Notwithstanding accomplishing significant organisational expansion in post assembly election period, the West Bengal unit of RSS was facing the incredible threat of committed Sangh cadres turning inactive and withdrawing from energetic participation in the Sangh activities. RSS was put in a piquant situation; whether to rejoice the lateral expansion of Sangh in Bengal or bemoan at the old cadres, committed to the Sangh ideology turning disinclined.

India’s GST reform has reached its real test: not how much tax the government collects, but how much time, money and uncertainty businesses must absorb to pay it. Lower rates and a widening tax base have strengthened the case for moving beyond rate rationalisation. The next battle is against an administration in which refunds can languish, input tax credit can trigger years of litigation, routine discrepancies invite notices and procedural lapses can carry the threat of criminal prosecution.

BJP Government is facing crisis of legitimacy. Over a decade of governance failures, official denials, organized loots, attacks on institutions and subversion of democracy and many other such, the party has been facing an identity crisis. Added to all this is the conduct of the Election Commission of India, that has triggered mass protests all over the country.

The first week of anti-CEC agitation – 2 to 8 October, originally called by 19 political parties of INDIA bloc on September 30, now looks like the beginning of a broader electoral-rights movement in India. Several streams are converging: INDIA bloc parties, the youth-led by Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), student organisations, civil-society activists, academics, and increasingly ordinary citizens. The next big thing to watch is October 10 Jantar Mantar mobilization in New Delhi.