On 15 August 1947, when India gained Independence, it was a weak nation with enormous diversity. Many in the Western world had forecasted its doom and had professed that it was bound to disintegrate. Consequently, the founders of modern India in the initial years focused on keeping India together and took steps that would strengthen Indian nationalism.
These are surreal times in the US. Even as the political system is gearing up for next year’s Presidential elections, the legal drama being played out in various courtrooms is shaping the political dynamic more potently than political debates. In fact, politics has been subsumed by the legal issues surrounding key political actors, most importantly, former US President Donald Trump.
Political parties and legislators see the identity of the candidate first, and consider the politics they represent to be irrelevant; this represents the success of the BJP’s clever use of identity politics of caste to reinforce and consolidate Hindutva politics.
Imagine the malicious turn that the politics of Maharastra could take with unprecedented defection from the ruling Shiv Sena. Although in politics, which is now a lucrative bazaar, there is nothing called the concept of unusual or accidental. So we do not know if it is a semi-final before July 18th of the final climax of the 16th Presidential election. Whatever its significance can by means be local or provincial. Rather the picture is becoming clearer as we can guess who is pulling the strings from behind. Put in that perspective, it can be said that the ensuing 2022 Indian Presidential election won’t be a matter of simple choice, rather it is going to be another interesting episode for national politics in the coming days. That is why, consequent to the expiry of the 5-year tenure of President Ram Nath Kovind, New Delhi, being the main political chessboard is brimming with a lot of political moves and chicaneries. Or, in other words, a kind of tug of war is going on between the ruling party and the opposition to win advantages to get their respective Presidential candidates elected.
