Columnists

Gilles Verniers

The author is assistant professor of political science, Ashoka University.

The UP model, or how not to face a pandemic

Mon, May 10, 2021

Nowhere else in the world has anti-terrorist legislation been invoked to threaten citizens voicing their needs during a pandemic, adding fear to their despair.

Explained: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana — two states, two election stories

Thu, Jun 06, 2019

The results of the Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have shown both the strengths and weaknesses of regional parties. The elections have also demonstrated that the BJP can continue to expect to expand wherever the Congress remains the main opposition party

Breaking down the Uttar Pradesh verdict: In biggest bout, knockout

Tue, May 28, 2019

Data from Uttar Pradesh suggest the BJP pursued in 2019 the same strategy that helped it sweep the state in 2017: cater to all the groups that are not affiliated traditionally with either the SP or the BSP.

Explained: Why so many MPs are dynasts

Mon, May 27, 2019

A record 30% of the new Lok Sabha MPs belong to political families. Among states, Punjab and Bihar have the highest proportions of dynastic MPs. Among parties, Congress remains the most dynastic but BJP is catching up, while CPM is the least dynastic. Two political scientists examine the trends and reasons

Explained: In Hindi heartland, upper castes dominate new Lok Sabha

Mon, May 27, 2019

Election results decoded: The last decade has seen the return of the upper castes and the erosion of OBC representation.

How UP was conquered: BJP victory validates electoral mobilisation based on emotional appeals, patriotism

Sat, May 25, 2019

Flagship schemes and Modi’s personality did play their role, certainly. But the delinking of economic realities and political performance raises the thought that there is more to it than government performance and individual leadership.

The invisible man

Sat, Apr 20, 2019

One finds little discussion on the place or role of citizens, who are depicted mostly as passive recipients of state intervention on the economy. The various flashbacks principally serve to underline the merits of the current administration, using contrast as a tool of comparison.

Anatomy of a choice

Tue, Mar 05, 2019

SP-BSP partnership in UP makes the contest open and competitive in India’s politically most important state

How to read December 11

Sat, Dec 08, 2018

These assembly polls saw conventional campaigns. Congress counts on anti-incumbency, not its own story

Absence on the bench

Mon, Sep 10, 2018

Except that the professionalism of the judiciary tends to decrease as one climbs down the judicial institutional ladder.

The dwindling minority

Mon, Jul 30, 2018

Drop in Muslim representation in legislatures is related to the rise of the BJP.

What Kairana means

Fri, Jun 01, 2018

What looks like an ideological battle from afar, BJP vs Rest, is an accumulation of local factors on the ground.

Gorakhpur in perspective

Thu, Mar 15, 2018

What do SP-BSP victories in UP by-polls prefigure for 2019? Not much

Constructing Democracy

Sun, Mar 04, 2018

What went into the makings of India’s democracy and the crucial role of bureaucratic cogs, big and small, in defining citizenship

Reading Gujarat verdict: Rural-urban divide underlined, Congress gains for future

Tue, Dec 19, 2017

The BJP has fallen short of the 150 seats promised by Amit Shah. More worryingly for the party, no regional leader has emerged.

Caste of characters

Fri, Dec 15, 2017

In Gujarat, religious polarisation remains a dominant theme. And caste is back, in a different version

The Gujarat difference

Mon, Oct 16, 2017

BJP successfully occupied the space of a regional party in the state. Congress strategy is still made in Delhi.

Tweedledee, tweedledum

Thu, Oct 05, 2017

Lines between Congress and BJP are regularly crossed in Gujarat. The BJP gets the advantage

Upper hand for upper castes in House

Mon, Mar 20, 2017

The return to power of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh has led to a resurgence in the representation of the upper castes. The new Assembly consists of 44.3% upper caste MLAs, 12 percentage points more than in 2012, and the highest share in UP Assemblies since 1980.