| Opinion/Commentary |
Karnataka Assembly polls: lessons ahead for Cong, BJP -
Shekhar Iyer, Hindustan Times
There's no discernible wave in favour of any party but the Congress is seen as the natural beneficiary of the BJP's maiden rule, which has left deep disappointment due to severe infighting, corruption and unfulfilled promises. If the Congress makes a clean sweep when the votes are counted on May 8, the BJP can blame only itself for failing to deliver in the last five years of its first government in the south, analysts say. |
Pakistan: Make-or-break time -
Sonya Fatah, Times of India
When Ayaz Amir, a journalist known for his satirical writings, ditched the leading Punjabi party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N ) on April 19 this year for a seat with Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), it was because election officials rejected his candidacy from the Chakwal region of Pakistani Punjab. Their reason? Amir had encouraged consumption of alcohol, they said, which is banned in Islam and in the country. Not one to take his rejection lying down, Amir filed an appeal, won a reversal , and switched sides. Scores of other candidates were disqualified by the courts for not being 'a good Muslim' . Judges even rejected the papers of some young mothers , telling them that their responsibility was to be at home with the kids Despite bumps like these on the road to democracy, the 2013 general elections are seen by many as having ushered in many 'firsts' for Pakistan. |
India fed up of dysfunctional Govt -
Swapan Dasgupta, Pioneer
For reasons that are quite inexplicable, people outside New Delhi's charmed circle expect journalists to have answers to the most complex of questions. One question that dogs representatives of the media at social gatherings and at casual roadside meetings with relative strangers is: When will elections be held? It's a question that, ideally, shouldn't be asked. On the face of it, the UPA-2 Government may be in a minority but it still has the capacity to outvote the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. It has the ability to get the Finance Bill passed, albeit without any worthwhile discussion; it still possesses the numbers to get the Land Acquisitions Bill and the Food Security Bill passed, regardless of their inherent imperfections; and in the event of someone actually getting the numbers to move a no-confidence motion, the Government still has the manoeuvrability to get it defeated, using means that are both fair or dodgy. There is no real threat of the Government falling on the floor of the House. |
Karnataka Elections: Congress all set to form the next government? -
Manisha Singh, ZeeNews
The Congress must be keeping its fingers crossed despite the fact that most of the pre-poll surveys have predicted that the grand old party will get the maximum number of seats in Karnataka and form the next government. The beleaguered Congress at the Centre – with scam after scam plaguing it left, right and centre, with perception of policy paralysis hitting it hard, with allies leaving it at regular intervals, and with the Supreme Court lashing out at it, a victory in Karnataka will give it the much needed oxygen and a boost before the General Elections 2014. The party, if it manages to cross the winning line, will also heave a sigh of relief after the losses it suffered in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and of course Gujarat. |
In Malaysia, a Historic Chance for Reform -
John PangJOHN PANG, NYT
MALAYSIANS are going to the polls Sunday for the most important election in our history. The opposition stands a real chance of winning, for the first time since independence from Britain in 1957. Recent polls show the People’s Alliance, the opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim, running neck and neck with the governing National Front, led by Prime Minister Najib Razak. The National Front, the direct successor to the Alliance Party of the 1950s, has been one of the world’s longest-governing parties, outside of authoritarian regimes like China, North Korea and Cuba. For half a century, until 2008, it had a two-thirds parliamentary majority, which allowed it to amend Malaysia’s Constitution at will. |
2014 Elections: A strategy for the people -
V Mahalingam, Times of India
The founding fathers of the nation or the architects of the constitution had perhaps never in their wildest of dreams imagined that the Indian democratic system would one day become a forged democracy. The Constitution envisages the people of the country electing their representatives to the Lok Sabha. The largest political party in the Lok Sabha in turn was expected to choose their leader to be appointed as the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister was to nominate his council of Ministers from amongst his party MPs and those amongst the coalition partners based on his perception of the capabilities and experience of the elected representatives. |
Naveen plays health card to woo voters -
Sandeep Mishra, Times of India
Continuing its pre-poll sop extravagance, the state government on Saturday announced free medicines for all diseases to all patients at state-run health facilities and establishment of a dedicated procurement corporation, Odisha Medical Service Corporation. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who has during the past few months unveiled schemes for different categories of voters with an obvious eye on the next urban and general elections, played the healthcare card at a meeting of the State Health Mission here. |
For Congress, a rare election win in Karnataka is likely -
Aradhana Aravindan, Reuters
Crony capitalism, plunder of resources and corruption in government are usually issues main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party loves to talk about, but not in Karnataka, where it faces elections after five chaotic years in power. Polls show the Congress party, which heads the central government, is likely to win the Karnataka elections on Sunday, after what critics say is shoddy governance by the BJP in the state. |
Karnataka elections: Lessons from the campaign trail -
Nistula Hebbar, ET
Elections create their own legends, and the ones about Karnataka are not very complimentary. The southern state is reputed, through several elections in the past, to reflect the exact opposite of what the national political mood has been. In 1977, while the rest of the country was swayed by the Janata experiment, Karnataka voted in Congress, and not just that, provided a safe haven for Indira Gandhi in Chikmagalur to be elected back into Parliament. |
Karnataka will be a close race -
Praveen Patil, NitiCentral
In Bangalore, about 1362 respondents were polled in our mobile survey and BJP has an interesting lead of 5 per cent over Congress. This survey was done after Modi addressed Bangalore, but mostly before his speech in Belgaum, where the lead surprisingly stretches to over 9 per cent. One lakh random mobile phone users were chosen for this survey and were asked to SMS back on the five options of A) Congress, B) BJP, C) JDS, D) KJP and E) None. 15847 of them spread over 945 pin codes of the State chose to respond back to our query. Most of these users are regular cricket enthusiasts and regularly use the SMS system of the company to respond to cricketing queries, therefore there is hardly any political bias in our survey. |
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| Election Calendar 2013
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| Assembly Elections |
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Madhya Pradesh |
Before Oct 2013 |
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Chhattisgarh |
Before Oct 2013 |
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Jammu & Kashmir |
Before Oct 2013 |
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Rajasthan |
Before Oct 2013 |
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Delhi |
Before Oct 2013 |
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| International Elections |
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| Iran |
Presidential |
14th June 2013 |
| Maldives |
Presidential |
7th Sept 2013 |
| Germany |
Chancellor |
September 2013 |
| Australia |
Parliamentary |
14th Sep 2013 |
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