Kavitha Iyer
Kavitha Iyer works as Associate Editor with The Indian Express, Mumbai.
Articles By Kavitha Iyer
Maharashtra: Eight villages in Parbhani seek to become UT
Villagers say the approximately 5,500 voters of these villages executed a near-total boycott of the recent Assembly elections, but district and taluka officials remain unmoved.
‘Giving away money is a lot harder than it seems’
The scale of India and the scale of India’s problems are such that even if you combine all the government spending and all philanthropic spending, we’re not going to make enough of a dent," says Ingrid Srinath.
After drought, Marathwada’s farmers hit by untimely rain
Marathwada’s eight districts, which bore the brunt of acute water scarcity through the first seven months of 2019, are now worst affected by the latest floods, with lakhs of acres of standing crop, including soyabean, cotton and bajra, washed out.
As rain lashes Maharashtra, crops over 17 lakh hectares hit
For farmers who had already harvested their crops, rainfall has drenched the crops, which has led to untimely germination of harvested beans. Similar damage has been reported for bajra and maize.
Maharashtra elections: In battle of Munde cousins, Dhananjay defeats Pankaja by 30,701 votes
For Gopinath Munde’s eldest daughter, who was seeking a third term from Parli, this election was the first test of her track record as an MLA — in 2014, there was a sympathy wave after her father’s sudden death.
Little luck for turncoats at the hustings
Several heavyweights who switched sides ahead of the elections taste defeat
Marathwada: BJP-Shiv Sena improves tally on Article 370, drought-free pitch
“In Nanded, the BJP had one MLA, and we now have three MLAs and one PWP MLA who will support the BJP,” said Pratap Patil Chikhalikar, who was leading the campaign management in the district.
Wins in Bhokar, Nanded— BJP can be kept out of power: Ashok Chavan
Asked about Congress’ poor showing in comparison with that of ally NCP, Chavan conceded that there were problems in some areas with candidate selection, but said an exhaustive study of the party’s performance, including lacunae, would follow later.
Maharashtra: Minister says Rs 4,700 crore allocated for Partur, ‘maximum among all constituencies’
Claiming that his home district of Jalna in drought-hit Marathwada received development funds totalling Rs 20,000 crore in five years, Lonikar candidly says he ensured that Partur received the largest chunk.
Campaigning for old friend, Nanded MP keeps it short and straight with voters
The 57-year-old first time MP, who has contested 16 elections since being elected sarpanch in the late 1980s, caused a major upset when he defeated former chief minister Ashok Chavan at the Nanded Lok Sabha poll this summer.
Maha Assembly polls: In jail for ‘multi-crore scam’, sugar baron pitches himself as ‘official’ BJP-led alliance candidate
Ratnakar Gutte is in custody in connection with a bank fraud case involving his Gangakhed Sugar & Energy Pvt Ltd. Associated with the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP), an ally of the ruling BJP, Gutte has filed his nomination as an Independent candidate.
Ashok Chavan: ‘How does Article 370 make any difference in Nanded?’
Ashok Chavan says that the electorate is ready to vote on issues such as agrarian crisis and debt relief.
Maharashtra elections: Pankaja has failed to fulfil her father’s dream, says Dhananjay Munde
Dhananjay, whose politics Gopinath Munde had nurtured until he handed the Parli baton to daughter Pankaja, says that Pankaja does not even know her father’s dream, “the one she is again promising to fulfil after failing to do so for five years as minister”.
Maharashtra elections: In battle of cousins, an attempt to claim Gopinath Munde’s legacy
In the 2014 polls, Pankaja won comfortably with 96,904 votes to Dhananjay’s 71,009. While the Shiv Sena did not field a candidate against her, the Congress candidate finished with 14,946 votes.
How does Article 370 make any difference in Nanded? — Ashok Chavan
"How does Article 370 in Kashmir make any difference to the common voters in Nanded or in Maharashtra? The real issues are the agrarian crisis, the debt relief that has not reached a very large percentage farmers, the economic crisis," says Ashok Chavan.
Devendra Fadnavis 2.0 — As Maharashtra heads to polls, the 49-yr-old looms large
In 2014, as a Brahmin CM in a Maratha-dominated political landscape, Fadnavis had a tall order — the Maratha quota agitation was threatening to blow up, and ally Sena and Opposition NCP-Cong were snapping at his heels. Five years and some deft politicking later, as Maharashtra heads to polls, the 49-year-old looms large
Maharashtra polls, Bhokar seat: In once stronghold, Congress a muted presence
The Bhokar Assembly constituency in Maharashtra is one of the few that has been loyal to the Congress since the 1960s, barring two occasions when it elected an Independent and once an NCP legislator.
Satellite imagery, artificial intelligence to improve farm yields in Maharashtra
The Maha Agri Tech project attempts to mitigate agricultural risks by using data anlytics to plug gaps.
Ashok Chavan’s only pitch is that he is Shankarrao’s son: Prataprao Patil Chikhalikar, BJP MP from Nanded
BJP MP Prataprao Patil Chikhalikar, who upset former CM Ashok Chavan’s bid for a second term in the Lok Sabha, tells The Indian Express he expects his arch rival to taste defeat again.
Sabarmati, Swachh Bharat on Oct 2: Toilet pit manure in 10,000 jars
The Maharashtra government has christened the manure Sona Khaad, alluding to a gold standard of sustainability — the toilet pits can be re-used only once they are emptied, and the decomposed waste simply goes back into the soil.