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Guardian of the Ballot
In India’s political imagination, the Election Commission occupies a curious space. It is one of the republic’s most powerful constitutional bodies, yet it often behaves like a nervous clerk caught between warring political factions. That is partly why Gyanesh Kumar has become such a consequential figure, especially after his recent triumphal conduct of key Assembly polls, particularly that in the volatile eastern state of West Bengal. At a time when institutions are routinel
Kiran D. Tare
May 83 min read
Trust on Trial
Mamata Banerjee’s EVM protest bodes ill for Indian democracy New Delhi: Mamata Banerjee’s EVM protest spotlights a deeper crisis. When constitutional officeholders question institutions like the Election Commission, it risks eroding public trust, blurring accountability, and weakening democratic legitimacy. The greatest strength of Indian democracy lies in its institutional credibility, the trust that assures citizens that the systems created by the Constitution are fair, tra
Akhilesh Sinha
May 14 min read
Largest ever deployment to stop violence
Craftsmen at a handloom unit manually print the BJP logo onto large pieces of cloth ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections in Nadia on Friday. Pic: PTI New Delhi: Elections in West Bengal have long outgrown the idea of being merely a democratic festival; they now represent a complex socio-political reality where hope is persistently shadowed by fear. With each electoral cycle, the same unsettling question returns: will the grip of violence loosen this time, or is repetit
Akhilesh Sinha
Apr 33 min read
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