Writing this piece, I find myself thinking of Shakespeare’s Margaret. Those who have read the Henry plays or Richard III will understand why. Margaret rose from nothing to the heart of English royal power. She fought, she governed, and she eventually became an irrelevant shadow haunting the court of her enemies, clutching at past glories, refusing to accept defeat. On the political stage of West Bengal, that scene has just been performed again. Let me go back a little to some

New Delhi: The recent electoral outcomes in West Bengal are more than mere numbers, but they carry a clear message that Bengali Hindus are now openly voicing their demands for security, dignity, and a future of young and next generation. For the past fifty years, and especially over the last fifteen, the Hindu community in the state has often been treated as second-class citizens. Their lands have been encroached upon, their homes and families threatened, and their social, cu

By dismantling old certainties, voters in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have exposed the fragility of India’s most durable political models. While Assembly elections often promise upheaval, rarely do they deliver it with such clinical force. The 2026 Assembly results in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have produced a seismic shift by dismantling long-standing political narratives. In Kerala, the fall of the Communist-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) ends nearly half-a-century in which the Left

The 2026 Assembly poll results have shown that India’s voters are shifting from familiarity to aspiration by rewarding those leaders and parties who promise a credible path to the future. Something significant has shifted in Indian politics, and we are still trying to explain it using the comfort of old ideas. For decades, we believed elections in India were won on the strength of grassroots connection. The party that knew the people best, that walked their streets, spoke the

BJP candidate for Bhabanipur and Nandigram constituencies Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the prestigious Bhabanipur seat, shows a certificate of election on Monday. Pic: PTI Mumbai: The Bengali word “Poriborton” translates to profound change. While it was initially fiercely utilized as the central battle cry for the assembly elections in West Bengal, the final tally from all five state elections reveals that the spirit of the word

BJP's Bengal 2026 victory stemmed from grassroots organization, "Panna Pramukh" strategy, high turnout, anti-incumbency, youth support, targeted campaigns, and Amit Shah's planning, turning electoral psychology into decisive political success. New Delhi: Major shifts in Indian politics are rarely born out of noise, but they emerge from the quiet, layered execution of strategy and patience. The 2026 West Bengal election results reaffirm this enduring truth. This is not merely

While exit polls sketch a dramatic map of India’s electoral mood, the line between projection and verdict remains perilously thin. With the ballots across five politically pivotal arenas of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry falling silent until the results are announced on May 4, poll surveyors have filled the vacuum with exit poll numbers that excite, alarm and often mislead. These projections have already begun shaping narratives well before D-Day on May

A proposed rule for taxi drivers is turning into a wider test of Marathi identity and the political risks of enforcing linguistic pride. Maharashtra marked the 66th year of its foundation yesterday. As with every other May 1 celebration that has taken place in six decades, this year, too, Maharashtra Day was celebrated not just with mere pageantry, but with a memory of fire. The state’s birth in 1960, wrested from the old Bombay State after a turbulent Samyukta Maharashtra Mo

BJP Candidates coming out after filing their nomination for the upcoming Legislative Council Polls from Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on Thursday. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Typically, when a ruling coalition enjoys a formidable and comfortable majority, elections to the Rajya Sabha and the State Legislative Council are quiet, predictable affairs. They are often viewed as mere formalities, rarely capturing the public imagination or dominating front-page headlines. Historically, t

Beed: In an emotional yet bitterly contested by-poll, the people of Massajog village in Beed district rejected caste and sympathy politics to elect a prominent local leader Swarupanand Deshmukh as their new Sarpanch, defying most political punditry. Swarupanand edged past his rival, Ashwini Deshmukh - widow of the slain Sarpanch Santosh Pandit Deshmukh, a local Bharatiya Janata Party leader killed in December 2024 - by a narrow margin of 92 votes. The by-election, held on Tue

Mumbai: Cracks have surfaced within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after the Shiv Sena UBT announced the nomination of former leader of opposition Ambadas Danve for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections slated for May 12. Congress has announced that it will field its nominee in the elections, especially after Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray opted out of the polls after his present term in the Upper House ends on May 13. The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee

Mumbai: The upcoming Legislative Council elections for 10 crucial seats are rapidly transforming into a volatile political battleground. What initially appeared to pass off as a routine democratic process like Rajya Sabha elections earlier this year is now increasingly shaping up as a fierce, silent competition for dominance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Simultaneously, this power struggle is casting a long shadow over the opposition

Political circle wonders whether the historic 92.88 per cent turnout reflects anti-incumbency or stronger support for the ruling regime Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves during a roadshow amid the ongoing West Bengal Assembly elections in Dum Dum, North 24 Parganas district. New Delhi: West Bengal's political landscape appears to be scripting a new narrative this time, one written through numbers, but rich in deeper meaning. In the first phase of the assembly elections, 92.8

Jay desires to contest election in 2029; Rohit reacts strongly Mumbai: Barely had the voting for Baramati Assembly by-election ended, a potential ‘Pawar versus Pawar’ battle in 2029 spooked the immediate contest in which Nationalist Congress Party President and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra A. Pawar is the prime contender. The by-poll itself – compelled by the demise of former NCP chief and ex-Dy.CM Ajit A. Pawar in January – witnessed a large turnout after an emotionally-cha

BJP finalises strategy with four seats Mumbai: The upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections have exposed clear fault lines within the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. Based on its current numerical strength in the state assembly, the opposition alliance is likely to secure only one seat. This bleak reality has triggered a fierce tussle between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress over the single nomination. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is staking a firm claim on the seat

Tamil Nadu elections spotlight custodial violence, systemic bias, and weak justice delivery New Delhi: Tamil Nadu's Assembly elections are once again set to determine the political trajectory of the state. This time, however, the debate extends well beyond development, welfare schemes, or the proclaimed success of the "Dravidian model." Questions of law and order, justice, and accountability have moved decisively to the center of the electoral discourse. Beneath the cold surf

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday launched a blistering, wide-ranging attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments at the Centre and in the state, targeting what he termed as a ‘toxic political climate’, rising crimes against women, and a ‘hire-and-fire’ culture hurting workers. Addressing the 58th annual general meeting of the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, Thackeray delivered a strong political cocktail laced with jibes, concerns over labour rig

India’s long-delayed delimitation, now entangled with women’s reservation and an overdue census, risks turning a democratic necessity into a major political standoff. The greatest strength of Indian democracy lies in its population and its diversity. Yet, this very strength now raises a fundamental question has political representation kept pace with the country's rapidly growing population? And if not, can we claim to be upholding the spirit of democracy by continuing to de

Samrat Choudhary’s ascent marks the BJP’s long-awaited primacy in Bihar but escaping Nitish Kumar’s towering legacy will define his rule. Reaching the summit of power in Bihar has never been easy. Staying there, while commanding acceptance across the state’s intricate social mosaic, is harder still. The recent elevation of Samrat Choudhary as Bihar’s 24th Chief Minister marks the beginning of a new political phase, one in which the Bharatiya Janata Party finally assumes the r

Mumbai: The recent address by former RSS Sarkaryavah Suresh aka ‘Bhaiyaji’ Joshi in Mumbai offers more than just a philosophical reflection on the concept of ‘Rashtrabhav’; it serves as a contemporary blueprint for the ideological transformation India has undergone over the past few years. As the nation navigates its post-centenary transition of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the lines between the organization’s foundational directives and the state’s policy framework have