Stakes high but campaign dignified in Assam's Jorhat assembly constituencyIn Assam's Jorhat, Congress's Gaurav Gogoi and BJP's Hitendra Nath Goswami engage in a dignified assembly election contest. Gogoi, aiming t...
States to spend Rs 1 lakh cr on pre-poll sops to women in FY26: ReportCrisil Ratings reports that top 18 states in India are projected to spend ₹1 lakh crore on pre-election schemes for women this fiscal year....
Planes, helicopters of top leaders checked as part of SoP: EC sources on checking of Uddhav Thackeray's bagElection Commission sources clarified that checking aircraft and helicopters of top leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray, is standard proced...
The freebies debate: Genesis, definition and impact on welfare & economyThe power of Election Commission to fight freebies has remained vague and limited. There have only been a few instances where the EC exerci...
Freebies at cost of taxpayers' money may push state towards "imminent bankruptcy": SCObserving that issues raised before it require an "extensive" hearing, the top court said though all promises cannot be equated with freebi...
Amid raging political debate over poll freebies, a PIL in SC drives home the pointPetitioner Ashwini Upadhyay filed additional submissions on Friday in the top court saying that registered political parties be asked to fu...
A fundamental problem of democracies: What constitutes good and bad freebies?Democracy helps countries choose the right priorities. But it can also spur myopic competition in freebies that destroys economies, as in S...
View: Ringfence reforms to shield them from freebie cultureGiving a free pass to such freebie politics is not merely intellectual dishonesty but is also myopic for invariably in the wake of irrespon...
No big-bang poll-time sop in BJP's manifesto for 2019The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its much-awaited manifesto today that lacks the aggression of the Congress manifesto.
Watch out, hazardous morals ahead!Will distracting gifts of chocolates and toffees help?
Amarinder Singh alleges Parkash Singh Badal pushing polls sops, asks EC to stop itAmarinder described as unfortunate Punjab Governor's decision to allow the special assembly session after having refused to sign the ordina...
TMC ask party leaders to reach out to the massesThe party has been boosted by its "massive victory" in the recent civic polls in the state and wants to jump into the preparation for assem...
Tarun Gogoi readying Rs 850 crore pre-poll sopsAssam chief minister, Tarun Gogoi is readying Rs 850 crore pre poll sops expected to benefit around 76 lakh people.
Delhi polls: BJP banks on Centre’s sops to win back Sikh trust, voteAs BJP begins its campaigning, workers say the party's decision to give compensation to the families of victims will one of the key factors...
Laptops without power: Why Supreme Court is wrong on sopsThe voter in Tamil Nadu has free TVs and grinders, but no power to use them. The state is reeling under 16-hour power cuts.
- Polls ahead! Little time to announce sops now
The stage has been set for the announcement of the elections.
- Much better than expected
The finance minister has done a good balancing act between proprietary and political compulsions of the election.