GAPPI VERSUS PAPPI

Channi, Pappi, Rinku, Tinu, Bittu, Babbu, Bobby— cutting across party lines, regions and caste segments, catchy aliases are in the Lok Sabha fray from Punjab.

CAPITAL OF CUTTACK, ANYONE?

Since when did districts start having capitals? A comment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a poll rally in Odisha’s Kandhamal on May 11 has sparked this non-question, whose non-answer is the same as what you get when you multiply zero by infinity.

The New Star Pracharak (SP)

The Yadav family of the Samajwadi Party (SP) has a new star campaigner: Akhilesh’s daughter Aditi.

Flower Power

It’s more usual to find thorny barbs being exchanged in West Bengal. And you can’t fault Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury if he’s always expecting a vitriolic word or two being hurled his way.

BREAK TIME

During the ‘silence period’ between a high-octane campaign and voting, star campaigners in Telangana went off politics—well, almost.

SELLING THE AMERICAN DREAM

That the common Punjabi’s aspirations often involve the idea of flying abroad to greener pastures is no secret. So it makes eminent sense to have a former ambassador to the US in the race from Amritsar... it’s like holding out the idea of having an emigration counsellor as your MP! Taranjit Sandhu, the BJP candidate, is not disappointing either.

The Omelette That Wasn't

In the final days of the campaign, the Congress in Telangana showcased a jumbo egg-shaped delight at several rallies.

BJP's Go-to Man in Bengal

Suvendu Adhikari, the most popular Opposition leader, is rallying resources to defeat the TMC and carry the momentum into 2026

THE BOOSTER DOSE

Kejriwal’s release from jail has given a fillip to the AAP’s campaign in Delhi and Punjab. Even the INDIA bloc hopes to benefit from the return of this popular Opposition leader

THE MUSLIM FACTOR

FRAGMENTED IN THE PAST, THE COMMUNITY’S VOTE SEEMS TO BE CONSOLIDATING IN THIS GENERAL

THE SILENT REVOLUTION

A GROWING FORCE, THE WOMAN ELECTOR IN INDIA IS REALISING THE POWER OF HER VOTE AND USING IT TO DIRECT HER OWN AND THE NATION'S DESTINY

WHAT WOMEN WANT

While political parties give them schemes and promises based on their gendered roles, women across the country tell INDIA TODAY what they really expect-jobs, education, development-the same things that men desire

The Forbidding Fruit

The disturbed snow cycle, the price of imported urea, cheaper imports from the South Asian neighbourhood-the whole world, it would appear, has been conspiring against the apple farmers of Himachal Pradesh.

Chicken Soup for the Heart

Former veejay, actor and now travel influencer, Shenaz Treasury is out with a book based on past romances-All He Left Me Was a Recipe

CITY OF DREAMS

This anthology of stories about Mumbai is like the city itself-crowded and chaotic, but ultimately illuminating

Diverse Vignettes

Edited by Arunava Sinha, The Penguin Book of Bengali Short Stories is a landmark new anthology which includes several previously untranslated works

A BREATH OF FRESH PERSPECTIVE

Ganesh V. Shivaswamy brings a sharp and balanced approach to his three volumes on Raja Ravi Varma

Time Travel

An exhibition in Bengaluru is showcasing an unseen artwork by legendary artist Raja Ravi Varma

INDIA AT CANNES 2024

The 2024 Cannes Film Festival marks the first time in 30 years that India has a feature film in the Palme d'Or competition section. And there's lots more...

Cusp of Greatness

Shriya Pilgaonkar comes into her own as an intrepid reporter in Zee5's The Broken News

THE GREAT DISRUPTOR

Rapper SlowCheeta is trying to shake things up with his EP, Scene Mein Bawaal

Back to Roots

Known for his lavish musicals, theatre director Feroz Abbas Khan returns to classic theatre with his latest, Letters of Suresh

A TOUGH FIGHT ON JAGAN'S HANDS

N. CHANDRABABU NAIDU'S TDP MATCHES Y.S. JAGAN MOHAN REDDY'S YSRCP IN VOTER OUTREACH FOR LOK SABHA AND ASSEMBLY POLLS. BUT HIS WELFARE SCHEMES MAY GIVE JAGAN AN EDGE

IN A STATE OF FLUX

DEFECTIONS AND INTERNAL SQUABBLES BECOME A NORM AS PUNJAB GEARS UP FOR A QUADRANGULAR CONTEST UNDER THE SHADOW OF UNRESOLVED LEGACY ISSUES

GUARDING ITS BASTION

AFTER AN EMPHATIC WIN IN THE STATE ELECTION, THE BJP LOOKS SECURE IN ITS CENTRAL INDIA FORTRESS. FOR A BATTERED CONGRESS, THE ONLY HOPE LIES IN EXPLOITING ANY CHINK IN THE SAFFRON ARMOUR

THE CHARM OFFENSIVE

THE UNION COMMERCE MINISTER STEPS INTO THE HURLY BURLY OF ELECTORAL POLITICS IN HIS MAIDEN ATTEMPT TO WIN A LOK SABHA SEAT

Boss In Da 'Hood

Crop rotation may be good for the farm, but not necessarily for politics.

NO RETURN GIFTS

From amanuensis to would-be nemesis: Dinesh Pratap Singh managed that role reversal against Sonia Gandhi, wangling 38 per cent votes against her from Rae Bareli in 2019.

POLI PAHILWANS

Maharashtra loves its wrestlers. And why not? Many villages in western Maharashtra have an akhada and a fair share of grapplers, and cities like Kolhapur, Pune and Sangli are known for their talims (wrestling schools).

A Li'l Shindig

He’s incisored right between a giant Modi and a smaller Devendra  Fadnavis, with a diminutive Ajit Pawar on the far left, quite the smallest matryoshka doll.