Cong will find that gimmicks can no longer get slumdwellers to vote en masse. Technology, TV and phones mean slumdwellers are connected with issues larger than bijli, paani and gutter. They are talking about corruption, price rise and more.
It is not easy to guess why Raj Thackeray wants to bank Modi but not the BJP. Clearly, he is playing for larger stakes in the state.
Priyanka in Rae Bareli was what could have still given the Congress some hope, had Rahul managed to work half her charms. Sadly, her defence is too little, and most importantly, comes too late.
Shazia Ilmi meant to say something and said pretty much the opposite. She does not understand in a heated election cycle a savvy politician should never ever play sarcastic semantic games with words like “communal” and “secular”.
It is assumed that Muslims everywhere will vote against Modi. But some straws in the wind suggest the Muslim vote is not going to be monolithic, as there is also disenchantment with secular parties.
Kolkata's sandesh have jumped into the electoral fray. As Trinamool, CPM, BJP and Congress battle it out on the campaign trail for the hearts and minds of voters, their sandesh counterparts are engaged in a proxy battle for the city's sweet tooth.
The PM's previous media advisor, Harish Khare, has bashed Sanjaya Baru's book on the PM. He has called all media advisers as Grand Nobodies. But the attacks lack credibility.
The Aam Aadmi Party is being written off too quickly by pundits. But the idea of AAP is larger than the ideas currently exhibited by its leadership. It's real impact this time should be counted in vote share, not seats
Despite a mild Modi breeze, the south will remain tough territory for the BJP. It may not gain much in terms of seats, but it will gain votes that may not translate to seats
Got a touch of election fever yet? Head spinning? Losing your bearings? Don't worry. Here's our handy ABC guide to the campaign trail.
Mohammad Adil Qureishi standing at his store in a narrow lane lined with tandoori chicken shops says Kapil Sibal has a secret weapon in this three-cornered race
The whole BJP campaign has focused on Narendra Modi as the Man Who Knows It All. That’s the gist of what Rahul Gandhi alleged when the BJP’s manifesto was missing in action. The Man was the Manifesto. So what was the point of poring over Murli Manohar Joshi’s fine print. Modi has all the answers. Modi knows all.
By picking on Sonia as a replacement for Rahul - apparently when the former was found to be ineffective - the BJP and its leaders such as Modi and Jaitley are perhaps falling into the trap that Sonia has laid. By this comparison, they have accepted her as a formidable leader of the Congress forgetting that all these years, they had never accepted her of any political acumen and had mostly made fun of her.
Due to some degree of communal polarisation, Mayawati's chances have been written off. But her potential is probably being underestimated - especially since Muslims will be voting tactically this time to defeat the BJP
By snubbing a skullcap and embracing a veshti, Narendra Modi faces an uncomfortable question. Why is a veshti a sign of respect for someone’s traditions and a skull cap a symbol of pandering?
By making Rahul seem like a reluctant brat in Indian politics, a softie in the wrestling ring of Indian politics, the Opposition is also making Modi look like the authoritarian patriarch exuding grizzled authority.
Supriya Sule is expected to win easily in Baramati, but she's also preparing for a larger role, of fashioning the NCP's future.
Modi’s meeting with Rajinikanth and the latter speaking good things about him was not surprising, but Jaya lashing out against the the BJP was unexpected indeed.
Modi's meeting with the Tamil superstar hasn't gone down well with another superstar who's allying with him.
'Acche din aane waale hain,' the container trucks promised. But hardly good days for three truck drivers hauled off to court for driving without campaign permissions or documents.
In a small jhuggi in the shadow of giant new towers, a few hundred people, dispossessed of their homes by the Metro, wonder if the elections will bring them anything at all. Perhaps blankets.
The entry of muscular Ajai Rai and the main challenger to Narendra Modi in Varanasi will impact Arvind Kejriwal the most. His Muslims votes vanish, and he is scrounging for votes in rural chaupals.
Following the former chief minister as he talks of development and people's issues in Nanded.
Yogendra Yadav is a good man say even his opponents in a village in Haryana. But can he change age-old ways of voting in areas where jaat, biraadri and religion often trump everything else?
On-ground reports and opinion polls indicate that the BJP is becoming the No 2 party in Odisha. This will make it tougher for Naveen Patnaik to cosy up to the BJP after the elections.
Impressive crowds turned up to listen to the BJP's PM candidate in the Congress bastion of Latur, hometown of the late Vilasrao Deshmukh.
This is the problem with national leaders darting across the country, only equipped to shock and awe the public.
The arrest of two Youth Congress office-bearers for the murder of a female Youth Congress worker in Latur has provided the BJP a stick to beat it with. And Modi will take full advantage of the situation.
With many unresolved issues, the state will vote for the 16th Lok Sabha today, hoping for some concrete answers in the heap of tall promises, made by political parties.
Why would Sonia Gandhi claim something that was different from what was told to the media by Dwivedi? The media reports clearly said that she was in US, even though she might not have received the summons.