| Opinion/Commentary |
Right to Information Act now applies on political parties -
Business Standard
Several abiding mysteries about how political parties in India are run will now have the sunlight shine on them. In a move that is likely to transform Indian politics, the Central Information Commission (CIC) on Monday said political parties are answerable under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. A full bench of the Commission, comprising Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra and Information Commissioners M L Sharma and Annapurna Dixit ruled that six parties - the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) - to whom RTI queries were directed, fulfil the criteria of being public authorities under the RTI Act. |
Arvind Kejriwal to contest against Sheila Dikshit in Delhi assembly polls -
Naziya Alvi Rahman, ToI
Aam Admi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal raised political temperatures in the capital on Sunday when he announced that he would contest against chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the coming assembly elections, calling it a battle of corruption versus non-corruption. Kejriwal raised the stakes higher by challenging BJP state president Vijay Goel to join in the battle against him and the CM. The AAP leader said he would take on Dikshit irrespective of where she chooses to contest from. |
Nitish's politics faces test in Maharajganj -
Giridhar Jha, India Today
All eyes are riveted on the crucial by-election to Maharajganj Lok Sabha seat scheduled to be held on Sunday. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar faces the toughest test of his development-centric politics in the bypoll necessitated by the death of RJD MP Umashankar Singh earlier this year. |
Which way to Vidhan Sabha? -
Sweta Dutta, Indian Express
Ten years ago, when Vasundhara Raje got off her rath and promised "parivartan (change)", people were taken in by the grandeur of what they saw—a "maharani" in a royal chariot reaching out to her "subjects". That worked, helping the BJP sweep the 2003 polls. Raje became chief minister. That was the first time Rajasthan had witnessed a political rath yatra and the Congress was left thinking why they hadn't thought of it earlier. |
686 presidential candidates try to succeed Ahmadinejad in Iran -
Holly Yan and Talia Kayali, CNN
Hundreds of candidates are vying to become Iran's next president, with hopefuls ranging from friends to foes of current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A total of 686 candidates have registered for the June election, Iran's state-run Press TV reported. Ahmadinejad is term-limited and cannot run for a third straight term. But other big names are in the mix, including Ahmadinejad's top aide Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. |
Could Jaya be India’s next Prime Minister? -
Bharat Bhushan, Asian Age
When Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa completed two years in office in mid-May, she unleashed a slew of full-page advertisements in the national dailies. Since she has no compulsions to impress a central leadership, the ad-campaign can be seen as her first public declaration of an ambition to be at the Centre. How probable is a scenario where Ms Jayalalithaa becomes the next Prime Minister? Four political trends emerge clearly from the recent opinion polls. One, there is a massive anti-incumbency wave against the UPA government in urban areas. It gets weaker as one moves to the rural areas, where other social factors start to determine voting behaviour. |
Casting the die in UP -
Sunita Aron, Hindustan Times
Uttar Pradesh, one of the most crucial states in India when it comes to deciding who’ll rule Delhi, is churning as usual before the elections. But the all-too-familiar scene looks different this time. The Brahmins — considered politically regressive since the rise of the scheduled caste and Yadav politicians and uncertain about their own loyalty — are being wooed this time as much as the Muslims. |
Iran's bitter battle of guardianship -
Najeeb Mubarki, Economic Times
It is an election whose results have been decided even before votes are cast. Iranians will vote to choose the next president, and to fill around 200,000 seats on city and village councils, on June 14. But they don't have all the choices they want. The Guardian Council, the body of clerics that ultimately decides things, "vetted" well over 600 candidates and disqualified all but eight - including heavyweights like former president Hashemi Rafsanjani, President Ahmadinejad's nominee Rahim Mashaei, and former intelligence and foreign affairs ministers. |
Nitish, Lalu cross swords for Maharajganj -
Dheeraj Kumar, Pioneer
Maharajganj Lok Sabha by-election has virtually become a battle of nerves for both Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad as none of them wants to leave anything to chance, particularly when the result of the bypoll is likely to cast a shadow over the 2014 general elections, barely a year away. Lalu, camping in the constituency since May 25, has completely engrossed himself in an aggressive campaigning, which includes an average three-four public meetings daily and also road shows. |
A code to defend -
Hindu
The Model Code of Conduct that the Election Commission relies on to bring some semblance of order to India’s election scene has regularly faced attacks from sundry politicians, especially during polls. The code has served to ensure a level playing field for political parties and keep campaigns fair and healthy. Its main purpose is to ensure that ruling parties, at the Centre and in the States, do not misuse their position of advantage to gain an unfair edge. Considering this fact, a parliamentary panel’s suggestion to review the model code can only be seen as yet another bid to weaken the EC’s hands. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Election Calendar 2013
|
| Assembly Elections |
| |
Madhya Pradesh |
Before Oct 2013 |
| |
Chhattisgarh |
Before Oct 2013 |
| |
Jammu & Kashmir |
Before Oct 2013 |
| |
Rajasthan |
Before Oct 2013 |
| |
Delhi |
Before Oct 2013 |
|
|
|
| International Elections |
|
|
|
| Maldives |
Presidential |
7th Sept 2013 |
| Germany |
Chancellor |
September 2013 |
| Australia |
Parliamentary |
14th Sep 2013 |
|
|
|
|
