The Chennai candidate

Patience and calmness are the hallmarks of Gukesh's game

Order and chaos

Even the opposition may not be safe from the backlash of the recent Calcutta High Court order that cost more than 25,000 jobs

Gandhi's India is being converted into Godse's India

INTERVIEW - MEHBOOBA MUFTI PRESIDENT, PDP

THE OPPOSITION DOES NOT HAVE A FACE, POLICY OR PRINCIPLE

INTERVIEW - SAMRAT CHOUDHARY, BIHAR DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER

GRIPPING CONTEST

The fight between the NDA and the INDIA bloc is the most intense in Bihar

BJP WILL SWEEP CHHATTISGARH

INTERVIEW - VISHNU DEO SAI, CHHATTISGARH CHIEF MINISTER

BAGHEL VS BJP

With five of 11 seats in Chhattisgarh expecting a close contest, Congress is once again relying on Bhupesh Baghel and his record as chief minister

SAFFRON CITADEL

Shivraj Singh Chouhan's popularity and the infighting in the Congress leave no room for change in Madhya Pradesh

CONGRESS NOT WEAKENED BY DESERTIONS

INTERVIEW - GOVIND SINGH DOTASRA, RAJASTHAN CONGRESS PRESIDENT

PEOPLE CAN SEE THROUGH BJP'S DIVISIVE POLITICS

INTERVIEW - ASHOK GEHLOT, FORMER RAJASTHAN CHIEF MINISTER

FIGHTING CHANCE

A united Congress eyes a few seats, hoping to exploit divisions within the BJP and discontent against its new government

Divide and win

I am blown by the amount of research the BJP's speechwriters have put in. They have gone way back in time to dig out and wilfully misquote something Manmohan Singh said in 2006 at a meeting of the National Development Council (NDC), which is \"Our collective priorities are clear.

THERE IS A WIND BLOWING AGAINST THE BJP, AND IT WILL ONLY PICK UP SPEED

INTERVIEW - AKHILESH YADAV, FORMER CHIEF MINISTER, UTTAR PRADESH

HEART OF THE MATTER

While the socio-political polarisation gives BJP the edge, there is as much of a caste divide, which could help the opposition

LORD ON THE BALLOT

The BJP has its task cut out in the Hindi heartland: raise its tally in Uttar Pradesh, while maintaining its score in other states. The Ram Temple campaign could well help the party pull it off

CONGRESS GUARANTEES HAVE EATEN INTO OTHER DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES

INTERVIEW - B.Y. VIJAYENDRA, KARNATAKA BJP PRESIDENT

Votes, notes and prison terms

There is a sympathy vote in this election, too. No cause for alarm. No big leader has been assassinated. Perish the thought.

BIOPIC AND BEYOND

Randeep Hooda may have proved his acting credentials with biopics, but typecast him at your own peril

Flutter of flimsy wings

Butterfly Research Centre in Bhimtal boasts 3,500 butterfly and moth specimens

SIMILAR STATES, DIFFERENT BATTLES

The Congress seems to have the edge in Telangana while in Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu and Jagan Mohan Reddy are locked in a bitter battle

A RIDE TO REMEMBER

On board Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s bus as he was attacked

Winning 14 of 17 seats is my target

Anumula Revanth Reddy is on a mission to demonstrate a democratic and egalitarian facet of power and leadership.

LOTUS TAKES ROOT

Buoyed by its slowly growing acceptance among the voters in Tamil Nadu, the BJP is mounting its fiercest offensive ever

BLANK CHECK

Several factors favour an increase in the BJP’s vote share in Kerala, but whether the party can win a seat remains uncertain

CONGRESS HAS A HISTORY OF MAKING ADJUSTMENTS WITH COMMUNAL FORCES

In April 2021, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was leading the CPI(M)’s assembly poll campaign to win a second consecutive term, a spirited debate erupted in Kerala over an epithet that party workers had bestowed on him.

POLL PLOT

Congress hopes its five guarantees’ will blunt BJP’s aggressive push

MODI'S GUARANTEES REMAIN IN SPEECHES, MY GUARANTEES ARE FULFILLED

The transformation is unmissable. The old-school mass leader Siddaramaiah has suddenly switched into the new avatar of a master strategist.

DAZED IN DECCAN

In the murky, shifting, swirly landscape of Karnataka politics, the only thing that seems to look dependably solid is Modiji

HEADING SOUTH FOR THE SUMMER

THE HOTTEST BATTLE THIS ELECTION SEASON IS IN THE SOUTH. WHILE THE BJP WANTS TO EXPAND AND PROVE ITS PAN-INDIA APPEAL, THE CONGRESS AND REGIONAL PARTIES WANT TO HOLD ON TO THEIR TERRITORIES AND THEIR IDEA OF INDIA

HUSH AT THE HUSTINGS

With the ethnic conflict in Manipur now closing in on a year, the state is witnessing a subdued election season