With the oath-taking ceremony of Modi 3.0, one can sense the maturing of our democracy. The last decade of the Modi-led government saw institutional and economic development and a culture of inclusive governance — sabka saath sabka vikas sabka vishwas. With his focus on GYAN (Garib, Yuva, Annadata, Nari Shakti), PM Modi showed that he is the flagbearer of growth, youth development, gender equality and nation-building.
The INDIA bloc’s ability to rein in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vaulting ambition to godhood does not extend to addressing a vast democracy deficit
In an interim assessment of the election results, I made six points:
One, India’s next government would be a coalition government.
Two, Indian democracy has become stronger with the emergence of a strong Opposition, and a clear verdict that the people do not appreciate the politics of hatred and division, peddled aggressively by Prime Minister Modi.
Three, the Congress has halted its steady decline, which had persuaded several of its aspiring leaders and spokespersons to defect to the BJP.
Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard had aptly noted, “…it’s not the voting that’s democracy. It’s the counting...". Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections is still on, but the current trend so far suggests the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to form the next government in New Delhi, India.
The tables have turned for Naveen T Patnaik and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha. Analysts and even the diehard supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could not have imagined that the saffron party would unseat Patnaik, the formidable and popular chief minister of the eastern state since 2000. While it was expected that the BJP would drastically improve its Lok Sabha seat share in the state, largely aided by the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not many had thought that a comparatively weak BJP would dominate the assembly elections.
Like many other countries, India struggles to meet the needs of its vulnerable populations — especially widowed women who often experience social exclusion and financial hardship. In response to this pressing issue, the Government of India introduced the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) in 2009.
The integrity of elections now depends not on the integrity of the election officials but on the integrity of the software and engineers of 2 EVM manufacturers.
The essential task of a voting system is to make sure that a vote that is cast is cast as intended, recorded as cast, and counted as recorded. Many fear that the ongoing Indian elections, presided over by one of the least inspiring Chief Election Commissioners of the recent past, will fail to fulfil this task.
The first of the four rounds of elections in Odisha ended on May 13 (the fourth phase of the general elections) and the second round will be held today. Far from Delhi and away from the mainstream noises, elections in this coastal state assume critical significance for two reasons.