BATTLE OF PATILS

Will the Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT) fracas over Sangli impact the prospects of the MVA in Maharashtra and the pan-nation interests of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc?

OF RANIS AND ALSO-RANS

A royal family member dons saffron robes to dip her toes in politics, and invites the TMC's censure

A FLUID STATE

THE SAMAJWADI PARTY GIVES OLD ALLIES A SNUB EVEN AS DIFFERENCES EMERGE BETWEEN ITS CHIEF AKHILESH YADAV AND JAILED LEADER AZAM KHAN; THE BJP LEAVES SITTING MPS HIGH AND DRY

"THERE IS ALREADY AN UNDECLARED EMERGENCY"

As convenor of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.), Mallikarjun Kharge has the humongous task of getting the 26-party combine on the same page on seat-sharing arrangements and a common narrative to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. The 81-year-old Congress president also has to galvanise the Grand Old Party to improve on its abysmal tally of 52 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Kharge took time off his hectic schedule to speak exclusively to Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa and Executive Editor Kaushik Deka on a range of key election issues. Excerpts:

GUJARAT - RUPALA GETS TOO RADICAL

Union minister Parshottam Rupala's egalitarian turn has boomeranged on him.

ANDHRA PRADESH - Food for Thought

As a vote-getting device, free rations are a common item on political menus these days.

MADHYA PRADESH - COUPLE OF ISSUES

Alliance-making is tricky enough at the party level. But the upcoming Lok Sabha polls have left no room for informal adjustments even at home for a political family in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh.

MINI MANTRIS

In military terms, the Congress has earned the right to see Karnataka as a position of advantage-a high Deccan spur castle from which it can easily pick out any invading horde.

RAJASTHAN - R.I.P., OR 'OM SHANTI'?

Defectors have a sense of direction: their GPS is mostly set saffron-ward these days. So, when a stray migrant comes walking into the Congress camp, you'd expect it to be bowing in gratitude.

MAHARASHTRA - THE 'LOK TANTRIKS'

Politics is a high-stress profession in these turbulent, uncertain times.

WEST BENGAL - The Revolution Will Be Webcast!

Shall we call it digital dialectics? The Left has long tried to shed the stereotype of being head-in-the-sand Luddites-one that it had earned back in the Eighties, the early days of computerisation, when it pressed the Ctrl X keys more than anything else.

TAMIL NADU - THE LONE THEVAR WITH FIVE SHADOWS

Cast adrift from his lifelong alma mater, Ottakarathevar Panneerselvam can be pardoned for feeling a little befuddled these days.

MAHARATHIS @MAHABHARATA

For all the Opposition's giant-killing ambitions, expressed in high moral tones from the stage, their actions don't quite match up to stated intent.

MORE DISGUISED THAN EMPLOYED

India's growth story is one of paradoxes.

STORM IN A FRAGILE TEACUP

Just a month and a half back, on February 23 and 24, over 4,000 Indians attended the annual St Anthony's Feast in Katchatheevu Island, with an equal number of Sri Lankan devotees also present. For the feast of the guardian saint of fishermen, the Lankans provided food, drinking water and sanitary facilities.

Why Luxury Trains Are The Smartest Way To Travel In 2024

Forget high-speed rail. Steve King applauds the revival of sumptuous - and soporific - trains, from the Royal Scotsman to the relaunched Orient Express

On the Waterfront

Exquisite cocktails, a delicious mezze platter and a stunning view of the sun dipping into the Mandovi river makes Feri Bar, north Goa's new haunt.

Fine Dining Minus the Fuss

Papa's recasts familiar Indian dishes in modern, artful forms, liberated from geographical boundaries.

Breath of Fresh (Ai)r

With the first thin laptop designed with artificial intelligence (AI) in the forefront, Apple's new MacBook Air M3 is future ready.

Creature Comforts

Bookmark Resorts, Jogi Mahal, Ranthambore brings an elevated luxury experience to tiger country

Sleek Sophistication

The newest Range Rover builds on its well-earned cache and also promises comfort and style

With Delhi at its Hearth

Under the mentorship of Michelin star chef Vineet Bhatia, the eponymous Dhilli at the Oberoi, New Delhi celebrates its formative first year.

COLOUR ME GREEN

Even with the inclusions, fractures, and fissures that are integral to an emerald, it's allure remains undiminished. The question is what enhancements should you allow?

THE LATITUDE THAT LONGITUDES ACCORD

As the world of whiskies expands beyond the Scottish highlands, America, Ireland and Japan, Spice dots the map with new world centres of spirited joy.

HOLIDAY IN THE WILD

WITH KENYA OFFERING VISA-FREE TRAVEL NOW, THE AFRICAN WILDLIFE FANTASY HAS COME HOME TO ROOST.

Life's Enduring Seescapes

Actor Arjun Rampal travels down memory lane and holds forth on the transformative journeys that have defined him, and his life, beyond work.

LEADING MAN

Randeep Hooda dons the added mantle of director with the biopic, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar

ONCE AND FUTURE GODDESS

An ongoing exhibition at DAG - Kali: Reverence and Rebellion brings together depictions of the goddess over the centuries

CHURNING the FURNACE

The Shakti: Fair & Fierce exhibition at NGMA, New Delhi, sees women artists expressing themselves in a range of material

THE BOOK SELLER

Rajen Mehra's Never Out of Print recounts the fascinating journey of Rupa Publishers