The LDF banks on its achievements on public health, education and infrastructure development fronts to weather the challenges posed by the Congress-led coalition and the BJP.

The Delhi government Bill and other legislative measures adopted by the Narendra Modi government and State governments headed by the BJP fit in well with the Sangh Parivar’s long-term project of dismantling the symbols and institutions considered anathema to the ‘Hindu ethos’.

With the passing of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021, the Centre has usurped the Delhi government’s powers and overturned people’s mandate in favour of the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi.

Recent clinical research work carried out on COVID-19 convalescent patients has shown that the role of memory T-cells is significant in providing protection against the newly emergent variants.

Interview with Prof. Manoj Jha, RJD spokesman.

Even as India is in the throes of a second wave, having failed to use testing as a means of checking the spread of the pandemic, all that the Central government has done is to emphasise “COVID appropriate behaviour” and place the onus on the States.

Interview with Sitaram Yechury, general secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist).

The BJP’s obstinate stand on the CAA, the resentment of those excluded from the NRC list and the unity of the opposition threaten to undermine its efforts to retain Assam.

The opposition parties in Bihar have come out in protest against the Nitish Kumar government’s decision to create a special armed police force with draconian powers, a Bill for which was passed in the Assembly amid unprecedented scenes of violence.

The main combines in the fray continue to trade charges even as they are plagued by internal issues.

Non-compliance with safety measures is causing numbers to rise in Maharashtra.

The rift in the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir and the aggressive posturing by G-23 supporters in the party are a pointer to a larger discontent brewing over Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.

Despite the steadfast indifference of the Narendra Modi government and its refusal to hold talks, the farmers’ protest has not seen any abatement. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has now announced fresh plans, including a march to Parliament from all all border points.

The DMK-led alliance forges ahead in the last leg of the campaign as the AIADMK government’s decision to give internal reservation for Vanniyars within the MBC quota proves to be counterproductive in southern and northern Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to provide exclusive reservation to Vanniyar will sow the seeds of dissatisfaction among other castes within the MBC category, disturbing social harmony.

A study of past elections indicates that the 131 constituencies where the Dravidian majors are facing each other directly hold the key to determining who will emerge as the single largest party and form the government.

Details emerging from the investigations into the bomb scare incident near Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai and Sachin Vaze’s involvement in it seem to indicate that the situation is less about the initial case and more about politicians and their desperation to hold on to power.

The recent rulings of Brazil’s Supreme Court annulling former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s conviction for corruption expose a corrupt nexus in high places and have bolstered the Left’s campaign for the 2022 elections.

What started as a criminal case following the arrest of policeman Sachin Vaze flares into a political crisis for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government even as COVID-19 numbers reach new highs in the State.

The Supreme Court admits petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, giving rise to fears that this will reopen old wounds that were sought to be healed by the provisions of the Act.

After a Muslim boy was assaulted for drinking water inside a temple in Dasna near Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, the surrounding areas have turned into a hotbed of communal tension.

The return of military rule in Myanmar has upended the lives of the Rohingya refugees in India where they face the terrifying prospect of being deported by a Central government hell-bent on exploiting the situation for political gain.

The U.S. recognises India as “a major defence partner” as it prepares for a confrontation with China. The special status gives India access to military technology but it comes with a caveat that India must not buy arms from Russia.

Interview with Anil Chaudhary, president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.

While Mamata Banerjee tries to safeguard the Trinamool Congress’ bastions in south Bengal and the BJP prepares to make a dent in southern districts while retaining its hold over north Bengal, the Sanyukta Morcha threatens to upset their plans.

A PEW study points out how the COVID-19 pandemic led to the middle classes shrinking in number even as it pushed more people into poverty in South Asia and India.

Any party or coalition that wins in an Assembly election needs to win a majority in both the general vote and the postal vote if it wants to effectively deliver the public services it has promised in its election manifesto.

“Making a stranger a neighbour” was William Radice’s goal as he moved Rabindranath Tagore into English. This selection showcases Tagore’s humour and irony as he places the other worldly within an ordinary and realistic frame.

India expects its smaller neighbours to call it uncle and the Great Powers to call it brother.