Coomi Kapoor
Coomi Kapoor has been a journalist for the last four decades. Her forte has been political reporting. She has witnessed the shifting
power equations in the capital — from Indira Gandhi’s regime to the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party. She is presently contributing editor to The Indian Express. Earlier, she worked for the newspaper as chief reporter, special correspondent and editor, Delhi. Coomi has worked in several publications in different capacities. She was principal correspondent, India Today, editor news, Sunday Mail, bureau chief, Indian Post and political editor, Illustrated Weekly. She has been writing a political diary in a lighter vein since 1985 and her syndicated column was carried by many newspapers. She was also stringer for The Times, London, and columnist for The Star, Malaysia.
Articles By Coomi Kapoor
Inside Track: Sub-editor needed
Many in the BJP are convinced that L K Advani did not pen his nuanced, well-crafted blog on the eve of the BJP’s foundation day entirely on his own. The blog was a source of considerable embarrassment.
Decision 2019: Opposition arithmetic weighs heavy on BJP in western UP
In 2014, the BJP’s most spectacular margins of victory in UP were in the west partly because of sharp polarisation in the wake of communal violence in Muzaffarnagar in 2013.
Inside Track: Heavy duty armour
The bouncers and hunks, who earn a reported Rs 5,000 daily, do not just add to the candidates’ status, they are also known to intimidate and even threaten voters.
Inside Track: Gujarati link
Apart from Narendra Modi, there are several connections between Gujarat and the Prime Minister’s constituency.
Inside Track: In-house talent
The PM pulled a rabbit out of the hat by turning around Rahul Gandhi’s accusation “Chowkidar Chor Hai’’ to his advantage with the campaign “Main bhi Chowkidar Hoon”.
Inside Track: Art of recovery?
2019 will be the first election when the BJP leaders once described by the media as the party’s Gen Next will be mostly out of the fray. Student leaders who came into prominence during the JP movement and the Emergency, they are now in their mid- or late.
Inside Track: Timely cover-up
When commercial satellite photographs were finally taken more than a week after the air strike, the site did not look as ravaged as the first satellite image, thanks to Pakistan’s swift restoration efforts, officials believe.
Inside track: The Pulwama edge
The Opposition fears that Modi has stolen the narrative and issued a statement urging the PM not to politicise the action against Pakistan.
Inside Track: Pulwama and after
JP hopes that the televised scenes of the farewells will work to its advantage in the elections, as was the case during the Kargil War.
Except for walking with a brace, Arun Jaitley is almost back to normal
The cancer probably predated the kidney surgery and it was, in fact, Arun Jaitley himself who realised something was amiss when he noticed the skin bloating every time oil was rubbed on his leg.
Inside Track: Pawar games
The three main issues which will dominate the Opposition’s campaign in the 2019 election will be joblessness, farmer distress and the ‘attack on democratic institutions’ by the BJP government.
Inside Track: Holes in the net
True, the DMK is now with the Congress, but by propping up the weak AIADMK government led by E K Palaniswami and O Paneerselvam, the BJP has alienated the main inheritor of Jayalalithaa’s mantle.
George Fernandes: Firebrand political rebel to Defence Minister to lonely end
In his heyday, Fernandes was a romantic figure and an inspiration for many, particularly during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, when he called for a violent overthrow of her dictatorial regime.
Inside Track: Bigger share of pie?
Those who once dismissed the Congress as a spent force in UP now acknowledge that with Priyanka’s presence the party has a fighting chance in constituencies such as Kanpur, Jhansi, Barabanki, Allahabad, apart from the family pocket boroughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli.
Inside track: Enemy within
The recent rumbles in H D Kumaraswamy’s government was due to the infighting between Congress stalwarts, former CM Siddaramaiah and senior minister D K Shivakumar.
Inside Track: Ides of Jan
Uddhav is playing hardball and insists that if there is to be an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, an agreement should first be reached for the Assembly.
Inside track: Dress up
Manmohan Singh comes from a humble background and temperamentally felt more comfortable in a secure government job than a temporary position in power.
Inside Track: Flying Baraat
The three oath-taking ceremonies, in Bhopal, Jaipur and Raipur, were all held on the same day, and Rahul Gandhi took a jumbo party of a few senior Congresspersons and leaders of various alliance partners to each venue.
Inside track: It is Behenji who will decide what form the alliance takes with Congress
The Congress believes that the BSP leader will eventually climb down under public pressure for a united front.
Inside Track: Modi monitors
The Government of India’s calendar for next year is almost ready with photographs of Prime Minister Modi highlighting major social welfare schemes in the country.
