
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.
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More From Coomi Kapoor

Inside Track: Dogged ActivitySign In to read
August 24,2025 07:20:35 AM
Bombay’s first riot was in 1832, when a mob of 200, mostly Parsis, attacked policemen who were trying to round up strays. The community has special affection for the canine breed and even includes a dog in its funerary rites.
Sun, Aug 24, 2025
Inside Track: Wheeling in CirclesSubscriber Only
August 10,2025 07:24:18 AM
At the start of 2025 we were led to believe that we were Donald Trump’s special friend and that India would probably be the first to conclude a trade tariff agreement with the US. Now we are not just back of the queue, but could be blackballed!
Sun, Aug 10, 2025
Inside Track: Shock TreatmentSubscriber Only
July 27,2025 07:15:34 AM
While a silent behind-the-scenes tussle between Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and the BJP high command had been brewing for months, both sides were caught off guard by the speed at which matters blew up.
Sun, Jul 27, 2025
Inside Track: Maratha latecomersSubscriber Only
July 13,2025 07:05:07 AM
Sitting in the safety of Delhi, away from Raj Thackeray’s slap-happy goons, I admit ashamedly that although my formative years were spent largely in Mumbai, my Marathi remains rudimentary. I am not alone — just 36 per cent of people in the city consider Marathi their mother tongue.
Sun, Jul 13, 2025
Inside Track: Plane Truths?Subscriber Only
June 29,2025 07:05:19 AM
The conflicting versions of US President Donald Trump and India as to what abruptly brought the India-Pakistan four-day war to an end is better understood in the context of a report from well-placed Western diplomatic sources and military strategists.
Sun, Jun 29, 2025
The Emergency, 50 years on: When the government pushed, and a newsroom pushed backSubscriber Only
June 25,2025 07:20:22 AM
Information and Broadcasting Minister V C Shukla was determined to take control of The Indian Express. But owner Ramnath Goenka was a tough nut to crack
Wed, Jun 25, 2025
Inside Track: Emergency TacticsSubscriber Only
June 15,2025 07:07:01 AM
This June marks the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, a black mark in India’s history when Indira Gandhi used sledge hammer tactics to silence the media. Even before the Emergency proclamation was signed, electricity supply to Delhi newspapers was shut off.
Sun, Jun 15, 2025
A new biography of John Matthai discusses his policy contributions in the early years of independent IndiaSubscriber Only
June 14,2025 16:44:59 PM
Matthai is probably best remembered today as the main author of the Bombay Plan of 1944, an action plan for economic development in independent India, underwritten by a few industrialists. He worked on it at the behest of JRD Tata, as Matthai had had a long and successful stint with the Tata group.
Sat, Jun 14, 2025
Inside Track: Pak’s PR PlusSubscriber Only
June 01,2025 08:00:22 AM
Ironically, during Operation Sindoor dissenting views within India reflected its plurality, while the Pakistani intelligentsia spoke in one voice while backing its military dictatorship against terror sponsorship charges
Sun, Jun 01, 2025
Inside Track: 1PM’s Crisis MeetSubscriber Only
May 18,2025 07:05:43 AM
On Thursday, May 8, the Prime Minister summoned a meeting of all GOI Secretaries at noon. The atmosphere was tense as Modi warned that India must be prepared for a "long haul" as the other side was "foolish".
Sun, May 18, 2025
Inside Track: Work and PlaySubscriber Only
May 04,2025 07:09:56 AM
US V-P J D Vance’s recent visit to India, accompanied by US government office-bearers, including Ricky Gill, senior director, South and Central Asia, National Security Council, was a mix of official and unofficial engagements.
Sun, May 04, 2025
Inside Track: Push from AIADMKSubscriber Only
April 20,2025 07:06:19 AM
Tamil Nadu BJP workers flew to Delhi seeking the removal of Annamalai, the opinionated BJP state president. But the party high command still has faith in the former police officer, despite his poor advice in the Lok Sabha polls.
Sun, Apr 20, 2025
Parsis of Delhi: How the small community survived, thrived and made the Capital their homeSubscriber Only
April 20,2025 05:30:13 AM
The first set of Parsis, who started settling in Delhi in the 19th century, were mostly shopkeepers and traders. Historian and author William Dalrymple mentions that during the Delhi siege of 1857, Parsi merchants undercut the prices of beer of their English competitors. By 1912 the population had increased from 27 to 74
Sat, Apr 19, 2025
Inside Track: Rip Van Winkle CBISubscriber Only
April 06,2025 07:43:18 AM
Government departments specialise in circular movements leading nowhere to please the government of the day. But the CBI surely takes the cake in its recent claims of still investigating the Bofors case.
Mon, Apr 07, 2025
Inside Track: The RSS AngleSubscriber Only
March 23,2025 07:22:58 AM
The buzz in the BJP was that the choice for the next BJP party chief would boil down to Bhupender Yadav or Dharmendra Pradhan. Yadav is backed by Suresh Soni and Pradhan by Dattatreya Hosabale, both RSS heavyweights. But recently, Manohar Lal Khattar’s name also cropped up as a potential contender.
Sun, Mar 23, 2025
Inside Track: Khas AadmiSubscriber Only
March 09,2025 07:35:44 AM
After the Delhi blow, Arvind Kejriwal undertook a fence-mending exercise with former founders of the India Against Corruption movement and also participated in Vipassana sessions, but a lesson in humility still eludes him.
Sun, Mar 09, 2025
How Bofors Deep Throat stuck his neck out – to reveal truth, nail lie of Congress govtSubscriber Only
February 28,2025 07:17:41 AM
Subramaniam nicknamed her principal source simply as “Sting’’. His real name, Sten Lindstrom, surfaced for the first time in 2012 and even then went largely unnoticed.
Fri, Feb 28, 2025
Inside Track: Will Kejriwal wilt?Subscriber Only
February 23,2025 07:21:39 AM
The Congress and the BJP’s assumption that the AAP sprouted overnight like crabgrass and will wilt as quickly could turn out to be wishful thinking. Kejriwal, after all, changed the dynamics of the Capital’s politics by converting the traditionally bi-polar political space into a triangular contest.
Sun, Feb 23, 2025
Inside Track: Amit Shah to the rescueSubscriber Only
February 09,2025 07:25:21 AM
The BJP appeared handicapped by a lethargic and late start in the Delhi Assembly election, besides poor selections. But in the last lap of the campaign, Amit Shah decided to take charge of the party’s leaderless flock.
Sun, Feb 09, 2025
Inside Track: Who is in charge?Subscriber Only
January 26,2025 07:35:00 AM
On paper, it would appear that the BJP has an edge in the Delhi Assembly poll, what with the Congress cutting into the AAP’s vote share, and Arvind Kejriwal’s declining popularity and tarnished image.
Sun, Jan 26, 2025
Inside Track: Too Reddy to bossSubscriber Only
January 12,2025 07:15:17 AM
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s popularity has plummeted ever since he adopted an unnecessarily harsh approach towards superstar Allu Arjun.
Sun, Jan 12, 2025
Rajdeep Sardesai analyses the surprises and miscalculations of the 2024 Lok Sabha election in his latest bookSubscriber Only
January 05,2025 05:30:53 AM
In his racy, readable, though slightly rambling, book, Sardesai provides valuable insight into the diverse election scenarios across the country
Sun, Jan 05, 2025
Inside Track: Snakes & laddersSubscriber Only
December 29,2024 06:00:20 AM
End of the year round-ups customarily sum up the winners and losers of the year. But in the political rat race of 2024, it was a snakes and ladders scenario, with many ups and downs for prominent players.
Sun, Dec 29, 2024
Inside Track: Not Very PleasantSubscriber Only
December 15,2024 02:00:26 AM
Residents of the uber exclusive Mount Pleasant Road in Mumbai’s Malabar Hill are waiting anxiously for their neighbour, Eknath Shinde, to vacate the chief minister’s bungalow, Varsha
Sun, Dec 15, 2024
Inside Track: Do It My WaySubscriber Only
December 01,2024 05:00:24 AM
The NDA’s Maharashtra victory overshadowed the significance of Yogi Adityanath’s impressive feat in UP. The BJP alliance won seven of nine Assembly by-elections, turning the tables on the Opposition, which earlier represented six of the constituencies, including four by the SP.
Sun, Dec 01, 2024a better experience