Campaign Diary News - Page 3

Secular parties are dividing the Muslim vote, uniting castes

The evidence is that Muslims are going to vote solidly against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. But the unseemly lunge for the Muslim vote by so-called secular parties may end up achieving the exact opposite

Those 49 days: Kejriwal plays down future to defend past

It seems Kejriwal still has to keep explaining himself even to the party faithful

TDP-BJP has the edge, but all Telugu parties will need Delhi after polls

The BJP-TDP alliance has gained the upper hand in Seemandhra. But the BJP is in the happy position of choosing from among the other Telugu parties even if this alliance loses.

In Gopinath Munde's Beed, the curious case of 39 candidates

It's 39 degrees Celsius. But the heat is the least of the worries for election officials in Beed, in Maharashtra's Marathwada region.

Tharoor is still a star, but will caste factor spoil his party?

He makes no big, flashy speeches, instead asks people to evaluate him on the basis of what he has done in his constituency in the last five years and vote for him to repeat his performance for the next five years.

Rahul Gandhi rakes up Snoopgate, Modi to woo back Delhi

Rahul Gandhi’s big rally in Dakshinpuri in Delhi was clearly a source of great anxiety for his party. The last one before the Delhi Assembly elections had proved to be a gigantic dud. This time the Congress went all out to mobilize the faithful.

Only in India: UP turncoat says "Don't vote for me"

What happens if you switch sides after your party nominates you and you then decide to defect? Ask Ramesh Tomar in Gautam Budh Nagar for some tips on this one

Advani's rally in Delhi: Who's afraid of the M-word?

Lal Krishna Advani, the patriarch of the BJP had descended from the Great Sulk to give his blessing to the 2014 campaign. But was he going to take the name of Narendra Modi?

Seven signs you are trapped in a village election rally

Political rhetoric aside, one thing was for sure, this was not a city rally anymore. Here are seven signs:

Cong plotting straight fight in Varanasi against Modi

The Congress is making behind-the-scenes moves to ensure a joint candidate against Modi in Varanasi. If it happens, the fight could get even more polarised than now

Can Gandhi's grandson win for AAP in Gandhi Nagar?

Eventually at 2:30 the Kejriwal road show finally reaches Gandhi Nagar. The street is galvanized into action. The garlands are fished out. The patriotic music pumped up.

Poser to Sonia: How is seeking Muslim consolidation secular?

Sonia Gandhi's appeal to Muslims to not split their vote is also communalism of a kind. It appeals to Muslims to chose her brand of secularism over someone else's.

People back me for my stand on Nido Taniam's murder, says Ninong Ering

Fighting the national elections for the second time, Union Minister Ninong Ering is confident of his victory and rejects the Narendra Modi wave.

Shiv Sena vs MNS war of words has only begun: 5 reasons why

The real battle for the two is in October when Maharashtra elects a new Legislative Assembly. For now, the brothers are priming themselves for battle.

Ground report: In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal has still got it

To leave a chowkidar's job is hard, says Arvind Kejriwal. But to leave a chief minister's job takes kaleja. Despite his brave words, Kejriwal has to persuade supporters he is not a runaway from responsibility.

Stalin Vs Alagiri: Will the battle ruin DMK in Tamil Nadu?

The DMK chief M Karunanidhi never had such a nerve-racking spectacle within his family - the younger of his politically active sons wants the party to do the best in what appears to be a bad election, while the older son is bent upon wreaking havoc.

Sexual minorities in TN ahead: Two transgender activists to contest polls

Two leading voices of sexual minorities in the state - Kalki Subramaniam and Bharathi Kannamma - will fight as independent candidates from the western and southern parts of Tamil Nadu.

Why Modi, BJP should not count on Mamata post elections

The non-minority base of support for Modi in Bengal and Mamata Banerjee's vociferous backing from mullahs make the possibility of the latter backing Modi after the elections a remote possibility

Is Jayalalithaa the canniest politician in the country?

Never underestimate Jayalalithaa. It seems like pretty much every post May 16th configuration includes her which is not something one can say about all the other regional players.

In Mumbai, a green clad Rakhi Sawant to fight for dukhi janata'

Sawant has declared that she will fight from the Mumbai north west constituency and her focus, apart from dressing like her party's symbol of a green chilly will be to serve the 'dukhi janata' (sad people).

The lessons from Imran Masood, Sabir Ali's fall from grace

When candidates switch parties their past slate is not wiped clean. So the Congress cannot escape the fallout from Imran Masood's statements just because he was with the Samajwadi Party when he allegedly made them.

A lout, a slap and Nagma: She owed it to women to act tougher

It's inexplicable that aspiring Parliamentarian Nagma chose not to take her offenders to the nearest police station. A slap is no deterrent. Sexual predators are not waiting to be chastised.

LS polls: Why nobody speaks against BJP in Tamil Nadu

In his inaugural election speech on Wednesday, DMK chief M Karunanidhi spoke about his commitment to secularism by offering a post-poll alliance chance with the Congress if it kept away from communal elements, but chose not to attack the BJP or the NDA.