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Harihar Swarup

By Harihar Swarup The debate on “one nation, one election” seems to revolve around two related themes — technical feasibility and political motives. The supporters of this motive evoke several technical issues—the ever increasing cost of elections, administrative technicalities and possibilities of corruption, the negative impact of frequent elections on governance and the election-centric focus […]

The post ‘One Nation, One Election’ Proposal Needs Extensive Debate And Discussion first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed credit on the eve of G20 summit for converting a heads of government meeting into “a people’s festival”. The government did well to popularize the Indian G20 agenda among people across the country and the world, even if this was something done a la Bollywood style. […]

The post Converting G20 Summit Into A People’s Festival Is Highly Welcome first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup The most significant political development this year is not the formation of the Indian Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a congregation of forces opposed to the BJP. It isn’t the tentative alliance that BJP is seeking to build with its older and newer partners. And it it’s the G20 summit, which is much […]

The post High Inflationary Pressure On Economy Has Emerged As Major Issue For 2024 Polls first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup India successfully crossed a decisive milestone by accomplishing the demanding task of soft landing a robotic spacecraft on the Moon. Chandrayan-3’s Vikram lander is now firmly sitting on the South polar region of the lunar surface and getting ready to collect valuable data about the moon, its interior as well as the […]

The post Chandrayaan 3’s Success Vindicates India’s Indigenous Technical Capability first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Days speech seems to have disappointed two very different kinds of political observers. For Modi admirers, the speech does not offer any new mantra. Except for the slogan, “demography, democracy and diversity”. Modi did not make any extraordinary or unexpected claim that could be highlighted as master […]

The post Prime Minister’s Tenth Address From Red Fort Makes A Distinctive Political Statement first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup Over the last year, Rahul Gandhi has been attempting political resurrection. First, via the five-month walkathon of Bharat Jodo Yatra that saw him play the role of a doughty fighter. Second, a subsequent five month spent outside of Parliament which allowed Gandhi to assume the role of a martyr. The martyrdom parade […]

The post Congress Has A Big Dilemma For 2024 Polls: How Far It Can Go To Restore Its Space? first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup   India is on the move, on the fast lane. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on boosting infrastructure as an engine of growth, the country added more than 50,000 lane kilometers (length of each new lane built) to its highway system in the past nine years. New expressways are being built […]

The post Nitin Gadkari Is The Best Performing Minister In Narendra Modi Cabinet first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

  By Harihar Swarup Uttar Pradesh’s political waters are calm, for now. Or, perhaps, that is just how it seems, as no grand  alliances have been formed, no active partnerships sought, and there has been no getting together of likeminded parties. The 2024 elections are still months away. That is too long a time in […]

The post Opposition Alliance Against BJP Is Facing Many Hurdles In Uttar Pradesh first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup To understand the BJP’s rapid political moves across India, think back to 1996. That year sagging under the weight of a raft of corruption, scandals and internal defections, the incumbent Congress went to polls weakened. This allowed the BJP to vault into pole position, becoming for the first time the single-largest party […]

The post BJP Leadership Has Taken Up The Opposition Challenge In 2024 Polls With All Seriousness first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup The air in Patna was thick with pre-monsoon moisture and a buzz about a meeting that could heavily impact next year’s Lok Sabha elections. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who played host at his 1 Anne Marg residence, had posters of several opposition party leaders put up throughout the city. The party units […]

The post Opposition Conclave At Patna Achieved Success Due To Astute Handling By Nitish Kumar first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup May 15 was the 25th anniversary of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which was formed in 1998. On May 26 Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminded his party that no alliance other than NDA has remained intact for a quarter century. And he was correct. While it’s right that the NDA in its current […]

The post Long History Of BJP’s Dealings With Partners In National Democratic Alliance first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup Theatre has always been an integral part of politics as it now allows political leaders their private motivations and their public motivations. Sharad Pawar has employed all the skills, gathered over five decades of political experience, seamlessly to pull of three-act power play. Act one was the dramatic resignation, from the post […]

The post Sharad Pawar Has Resorted To A Risky Gamble By Anointing His Daughter As NCP President first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup It was clear from the get-go when NCP chief Sharad Pawar decided to resign as the President a month ago. The three-day drama that saw Pawar take back his resignation as a gesture of deference to the party members now seems aimed at a predictable outcome — sidelining his nephew and de […]

The post NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar’s Succession Formula Shows Who Is The Boss first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup The weather is unpleasant in central India these days, with sudden bursts of storms and rain adding humidity to the high temperatures. The same holds true for the political atmosphere here in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh where elections are due in five months. The BJP and Congress are preparing to battle it […]

The post Congress Upbeat In Madhya Pradesh And Chhattisgarh Before Assembly Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed his Ninth Year as Prime Minister. Look at how he has already left his imprint on India’s history, forcing a shift in how politics in practiced and governance in delivered. In 1995, Narendra Modi shifted base to Delhi from Gujarat after he was made the BJP’s […]

The post Narendra Modi Has Been Most Successful In Using Technology For Governance first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup What are some of the implications of the Congress’s emphasis and creditable win in Karnataka for national politics? At one level it would be unwise to extrapolate from state to national elections. The logic of these elections is not always aligned. Nevertheless, the Karnataka results have implications for how we understand the […]

The post Karnataka Election Results Have Given The Congress Some Useful Lessons first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup What are some of the implications of the Congress’s emphasis and creditable win in Karnataka for national politics? At one level it would be unwise to extrapolate from state to national elections. The logic of these elections is not always aligned. Nevertheless, the Karnataka results has implications for how we understand the […]

The post Karnataka Shows Bipolar Contests Enabler Of Opposition Victory first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup We are at Mumbai’s newest landmark, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, on a Monday evening. Preparations are in full swing for award winning Broadway musical—Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Magic of Music – which will begin playing early May. Ambani says this will be first time an international Broadway production will be staged […]

The post Nita Ambani Founded Cultural Centre Is The Great Landmark In Mumbai first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup Congress has romped home in Karnataka convincingly ousting the BJP in the state assembly elections   held on May 10. This means there will be no presence of BJP in south India in any state government and it will remain only a North Indian party. If this trend continues, the Congress may do […]

The post Congress Victory In Karnataka Polls Augurs Well For 2024 Lok Sabha Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup It did not take long for the rethink on the resignation. Allowing the hysteria to last just a few hours seemed more in keeping with Sharad Pawar’s style than his dramatic announcement on Tuesday evening that he was resigning from the President-ship of the party he had founded and which is identified […]

The post Sharad Pawar’s Resignation Drama Masterstroke Hits BJP And Fadnavis Most first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup 0n April 12, when Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar walked into 10, Rajaji Marg, residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi to discuss ways to bring opposition parties together, it marked the end of a long wait for the seasoned politician. Nitish had been waiting for the Congress to respond to […]

The post Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Is Taking Right Steps To Forge Opposition Unity first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup With day-long protests by Congress across the country recently, the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament has given shape to political chessboard, setting up  the opening pieces for the 2024 election battle. How events pan out depends on subsequent moves of various protagonists. We can, however, make preliminary observations. One, the next […]

The post BJP Is Pinning High Hopes On Its Agenda Of Nationalism And Hindutva first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup In May 2005, a Griha Puja — a family only affair — was organized at 12, Tughlak Lane. Soon after Rahul Gandhi moved into the house in Lutyens Delhi allotted to him months earlier as a newly member of the Lok Sabha. It was a time when Rahul, winning from the family […]

The post Rahul Gandhi’s 18 Years Stay At 12 Tughlak Lane House Witnessed His Roller Coaster Ride first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup As we head into another massive electoral season, starting with Karnataka assembly polls on May 10 and ending with the Lok Sabha 12 months later; two parallel political processes are at work. These processes will play out in the coming months as the main actors figure out which way the voters can […]

The post Congress Is Steadily Finding More Allies Despite Some Differences first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup If not people, BJP will make Rahul Gandhi a leader by persecuting him. History has shown whenever a leader is persecuted as Rahul Gandhi is being done, he gets people’s sympathy. Wayanad MP Rahul has lost his Lok Sabha seat after being convicted of a criminal defamation by a Surat court. What […]

The post Congress Has The Massive Task Now To Organise Stay On Rahul’s Conviction first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup Democracy in India is a “global public good”. Rahul Gandhi added as an afterthought. It can’t fail. Speaking in British Parliament to a packed hall with politicians, diaspora leaders, students and academic, he’d just outlined why India’s democratic structures are under threat. From the Hindu right’s institutional capture to its stifling of […]

The post Rahul Has Matured Over The Years But Many Inconsistencies Remain first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup On August 15, 2047, India will turn 100. A hundred years of giant strides to becoming the world’s largest democracy and an economic superpower. Morgan Stanley, one of the most influential companies in the world, said last year that three mega global trends, global off shoring, digitalization and energy transition, are setting […]

The post India’s Growth Story Must Include People With Disabilities first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup In 1989 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party lost the tag of being a “dominant” party. Since then, it has not figured out how to remain competitive in a multi-party, federal polity. As the next Lok Sabha elections are due in 2024, it continues to face challenges that have haunted it over […]

The post Raipur Plenary Decisions Signal Small Advance For Congress Compared To Its Task For 2024 first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup For past 25 years, Rajasthan has oscillated between Ashok Gehlot and Vasundhara Raje. They are the most recognizable faces of their respective parties Congress and the BJP in the state, and are known to guard their turf zealously, even at the cost of defying their central leaderships. And now, both have rivals—younger […]

The post State Assembly Poll Campaign In Rajasthan Getting High Momentum first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Harihar Swarup About 3,000, registered unrecognized parties exist in India. Most of them are sham entities which rarely take part in any democratic exercise, but misuse legal exemptions offered to them and perpetuate huge scams ranging from tax evasions to money laundering, running into thousand crores of rupees. For instance, there is commercial establishment […]

The post Many Fake Registered Political Parties Indulging In Money Laundering first appeared on IPA Newspack.