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By Kalyani Shankar

By Kalyani Shankar Decades ago, the first DMK chief minister C.N. Annadurai compared the post of a governor to a  redundant goat’s beard. It was after Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru dismissed the E M S Namboodiripad government on the recommendations of the then Kerala Governor on July 31, 1959. Once again, today, the role of […]

The post Political Parties Must Arrive At A Consensus On The Role Of State Governors first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Congress would like to rebrand Rahul Gandhi as a young, caring, and ideological leader before the 2024 polls. Has Rahul shown a new image after the Bharat Jodo yatra, completed over 100 days as intended? For the first time after many years, the grand old party is trying to reach out to […]

The post Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra Has Presented A More Mature Persona Of Him As A Leader first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar What is in store for the year 2023? Will it be good or bad? For the past three years, the world has faced an unprecedented pandemic – Covid – which has devastated the globe. Crystal ball gazers are hoping for a better scenario next year. They expect the economy’s health will be […]

The post 2023 Is The Year Of Rahul Gandhi To Prove His Mettle Through Nine State Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar The BJP has weakened Congress in the past eight years, but can it decimate the growing number of influential regional leaders who will be the primary challengers in the 2024 polls? In July, the BJP vowed to eliminate the family rule in the Hyderabad executive meeting. However, to their dismay, one more […]

The post DMK Promotes Udhayanidhi As Third Generation Dynast Politician In Tamil Nadu first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Now that the voters in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh have given their verdict, what next? Each of the main parties got some gains but also suffered some losses. The immediate challenge before them and the Opposition are to set right things before the final  2024 polls. BJP won a spectacular victory in […]

The post Congress And Regional Parties Can Jointly Give A Good Fight To BJP In 2024 Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Has Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s low-profile poll gamble worked? Rahul skipped the campaign in Himachal Pradesh and canvassed barely in Gujarat while concentrating on his Bharat Jodi yatra. Was it part of a strategy, or was it an ill-advised move? Could Rahul’s strategy be to save the party’s ammunition for more significant […]

The post Rahul Gandhi Wants Bharat Jodo Yatra For His Long Term Battle Against RSS first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Will a potential Joe Biden versus Donald Trump presidential race happen in 2024 in the United States? It is the question after the two current and former presidents have thrown themselves in the presidential ring two years in advance. Democrats and Republicans are already preparing for the 2024 presidential polls. Polls show […]

The post Another Biden-Trump Contest Is Likely In 2024 Presidential Elections first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Despite trying hard for decades, the BJP has little or no presence in the southern states except ruling Karnataka. The South contributes 129 seats, of which the BJP has only 29. Notably, political churning is happening in Tamil Nadu, where BJP is all set to capture the space riding piggyback on its […]

The post BJP Is Planning Big For Its Southern Conquest In Coming Two Years first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Now that the Congress Party will have a non-Gandhi Chief, what happens to the three Gandhis- Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka? Will they continue to dominate? When a reporter asked about their future role, Sonia said, “Of course, you have to ask the party, I suppose.” But one can see a clear game […]

The post Rahul Gandhi Will Remain Central Leader Of Congress Irrespective Of President first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Image building is a politically important tool for present-day politicians worldwide, and India is no exception. They employ specialized image-building companies, who tell their clients what to wear, how to speak and what issues should be focused on at considerable costs to capture power. In the past decade, many leaders have engaged […]

The post Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra Has Good Potential To Connect To Masses first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar A day before his assassination on January 30, 1948 Mahatma  Gandhi proposed in his ‘ last will and testament to dissolve the Congress Party and replace it with a Lok Sevak Sangh (people’s service organization.) He said, “Congress in its present shape and form, as a propaganda vehicle and a parliamentary machine, […]

The post Congress Has To Come Out Of Its Crisis By Reinventing Its Ideas And Party first appeared on IPA Newspack.

  By Kalyani Shankar   Indian democracy presently suffers from its lack of a strong Opposition. Some feel that the secret weapon of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s success is the divided Opposition.   Even Supreme Court Chief Justice NV Ramana recently lamented, “There used to be mutual respect between the government and Opposition. Unfortunately, the […]

The post On 75th Year Of Independence, India Lacks A Strong Opposition first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar How should the newly elected President Droupadi Murmu be addressed? When congress leader Adhir Chowdhury referred to her as ‘Rashtrapatni’ and claimed it was a slip of his tongue later, still minister SmritiIrani held the word as derogatory. Even when the first woman president, Pratibha Patil (2007-2012), took over, Shiv Sena supremo […]

The post Droupadi Murmu Can Make A Difference In The Life Of Tribals, If She Wants first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Dynastic politics is perhaps the antithesis of democracy. Critics say it is amongst many political evils in the Indian democratic setup where most parties, including the Congress, are being run like family enterprises. The paradox is many regional satraps have emerged in the past 75 years and co-exist in a democracy. More […]

The post Major Theme For 2024 Lok Sabha Polls Is ’Dynast Free Bharat’ first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Is the overpopulation a boon or a bane for India, and will we be able to convert its human resources to productive use? Experts say it could be a boon, but only if the people are involved in regulating it. The topic has come in focus as India will be the world’s […]

The post India Need Major Planning In Its Policies To Get Demographic Dividends first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Just as Shiv Sena split in Maharashtra, the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu is engaged in a power struggle between two former chief ministers, E. Palaniswami (EPS) and O. Panneerselvam (OPS). In a fast-developing drama, the EPS camp would like to relieve OPS of his present post of party treasurer and deputy leader […]

The post AIADMK Is Facing Another Split As EPS Marginalises OPS In Power Struggle first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Is the ongoing Maharashtra political crisis an ideological battle within the Shiv Sena or the inability of  Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to convince his Sainiks about his soft Hindutva? Or is it the BJP’s ambition to eliminate all non-BJP governments, or is it for the realignment of political forces? It is […]

The post Uddhav’s Soft Hindutva Is Being Challenged By Shiv Sena Hardliners first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Presidential elections are the buzz of the season as India is poised to get its new President next month following the retirement of incumbent Ramnath Kovind. Since Independence, these polls have witnessed close contests, surprises, and upsets. Generally, the ruling party gets its candidate elected, and the contests are a mere formality. […]

The post Presidential Elections In Last Seven Decades Have Been Eventful first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Elections and defections go together despite stringent anti-defection laws in the country. The law proves ineffective as the legislators are lured by money and position. The lawmakers skirt around the rules, find loopholes to their advantage, and defy them. In last week’s Rajya Sabha polls, Rajasthan’s BJP legislator Shobharani Khushwaha, Congress’s Haryana […]

The post Parliament Must Plug Loopholes In Present Anti-Defection Law first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Will a caste census trigger a disaster or settle the demand of many political parties? While it plays such a dominant role in our social, economic, and political life, it is strange that no credible Caste data has existed since 1931. Also, the prominent four main castes, Brahmin, Kshatriyas, Vaishya, and Shudra, […]

The post Caste Census Has Now Emerged As A Major Issue For Political Parties first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Why are the Indians curious about the British Royal family even after India’s Independence? Even the present generation of Indians know of Queen Elizabeth 11. We have listened to the nursery rhyme in our childhood, “Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been? I have been to London to look at the […]

The post Britain Celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s Reign’s Platinum Jubilee In June first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar The Composition of Rajya Sabha will soon mirror Lok Sabha giving an advantage to the ruling BJP. Though it might reach double digits, it will not gain the majority yet. Stakes are high for the BJP and the opposition parties because of the upcoming Presidential and vice-presidential polls in June – July. […]

The post Coming Biennial Elections For 57 Rajya Sabha Seats Significant first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Where does Congress go from Udaipur Chintan Shivir? Was the conclave an exercise in futility, or will it revive the party?  It all depends on the implementation of the decisions taken at the conclave. Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that the Shivir should not become a ritual. “I request your full cooperation […]

The post Congress Chintan Shivir At Udaipur Has Laid No Road Map To Take On BJP first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Tamil Nadu chief minister M. K. Stalin completed one year in office on May 7. He has emerged out of the shadows of his famous father and late former chief minister M. Karunanidhi. After winning the state last year, Stalin now had to live up to the voters’ expectations, as he assumed […]

The post M K Stalin’s One Year As Chief Minister In Tamil Nadu Shows Great Promise first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Once again, the role of the Governors has come to the fore after the Tamil Nadu state Assembly last week passed two bills clipping the powers of the Governor in the appointment of vice-chancellors. The harmony between the chief ministers and non -BJP ruled state governors has been disturbed for some time […]

The post Time Is Ripe For Giving A Close Look At The Present Powers Of Governors first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has taken a conciliatory step by not confronting the rebels in the party ( G 23) by postponing her decision on poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s entry into the party. It, however, does not mean that it will not happen, as she is biding time and preparing the ground […]

The post Sonia Is Firm On Bringing Prashant Kishor To Congress At ‘Right Time’ first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Will the poll strategist Prashant Kishor be an asset or a liability if he joins the Congress party? It is a million-dollar question as Kishor waits for the Gandhis to announce his induction. This speculation arose after Kishor had a four-hour meeting with the Congress top brass, including the Gandhis, on the […]

The post Can Prashant Kishor Shake Up Lackluster Congress From Within? first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar The 2022 presidential election will occur when President Ramanath Kovind’s term ends on July 25. Though it is more of an ornamental post as the real power exists in the hands of the elected Prime Minister, there are always speculations about the polls. It may be too early to speculate but the […]

The post Narendra Modi Has Started Exercises For Picking His Next Presidential Candidate first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar The ongoing Sri Lanka crisis finds echoes across the Palk straits in Tamil Nadu as refugees have started arriving in the state over the past fortnight. Since the Eelam war ended in 2009, this is the first time refugees have arrived on the Tamil Nadu coast. The crisis has further deepened with […]

The post Centre Has To Extend All Possible Assistance To Beleaguered Sri Lanka first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar The BJP has reposed faith in the incumbent chief ministers in all the four states where it won in the recently concluded Assembly elections. Whether it was a coincidence or by design, the big picture is clear: the party high command did not want to disturb the winning formula in these states. […]

The post BJP Opts For Continuity, Stability And Youth In CMs Choice first appeared on IPA Newspack.