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Rahul Verma

Articles by Rahul Verma

Middle class holds the key to Delhi elections

The BJP’s sweep in the LS Delhi polls and the AAP’s near-sweep of the assembly polls indicate that both parties had broad class-coalitions backing them

The poor will likely be concerned about welfare benefits while the middle class may care more about better roads, management of traffic, and efforts to reduce air pollution (REUTERS)

Opinion

Updated on Feb 02, 2025 09:17 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

What citizens in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh think 75 years post-partition

This paper is by CPR.

International Affairs

Published on Jan 03, 2025 01:16 PM IST

ByRahul Verma, Nishant Ranjan, Satyam Shukla, Shamik Vatsa, Praskanva Sinharay, Melvin Kunjumon, Yashwant Deshmukh, Sutanu Guru, Gaura Shukla, Aakanksha Bariar

Poll lessons for the BJP and Congress

It is time for the Congress to go back to the drawing board and reformulate its revival plan.

Within a decade of being the pre-eminent party in the state, the Congress’s tally has fallen to its lowest in Maharashtra (Jitendra Takale/ANI)

Opinion

Updated on Nov 23, 2024 09:27 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

Lessons from Haryana for BJP and Congress

The changing distribution of votes is at the heart of long-term social realignment and the current election results in the state

Gurugram, India-October 08: Workers and supporters celebrated the success of Bharatiya Janata Party in Haryana Assembly elections on Civil Lines Road at near John Hall, in Gurugram, India, on Tuesday, 08 October 2024. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

Opinion

Published on Oct 08, 2024 09:21 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

Emerging dimensions of caste politics in India

A new politics on caste is knocking our doors, so, as a society, it is time for an intellectually open conversation on caste, and what must be done to accommodate various concerns

Noida, India- April 14, 2024: People seen on the occasion of the 133th birth anniversary of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar at Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, sector 95, in Noida, India, on Sunday, April 14, 2024. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Opinion

Published on Aug 15, 2024 09:26 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

How Opposition revived its political fortunes in the face of the BJP juggernaut

Ultimately, Mandate 2024 shows how the Indian voter continues to surprise.

Supporters of Indian National Congress (INC) party hold a portrait of their president Rahul Gandhi and wave India's national flag to celebrate vote counting results for the country's general election, at the INC headquarter in New Delhi on June 4, 2024. Vote counting was underway in India's election on June 4, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi all but assured a triumph for his Hindu nationalist agenda that has thrown the opposition into disarray and deepened concerns for minority rights. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)(AFP)

Opinion

Updated on Jun 05, 2024 02:17 AM IST

ByRahul Verma

Offered a choice, voters pick horses for courses

Why electorates sometimes back different parties when elections are held simultaneously for Parliament and legislative assembly

**EDS: IMAGE VIA PIB** Berhampur: Voters display identity cards while standing in queue to cast their votes during the 4th phase of general elections, in Berhampur, Odisha, Monday, May 13, 2024. (PTI Photo) (PTI05_13_2024_000312B)(PTI)

Opinion

Published on May 22, 2024 10:10 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

Truths, myths about the low voter turnout

Very little is known about the causes and consequences of turnout change. So, caution is advised on drawing broad inferences from any turnout number

People queue up to vote during the second round of voting in the six-week long national election outside a polling booth in Bengaluru, India, Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo)(AP)

Opinion

Published on May 01, 2024 10:10 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

No wave in sight, big surprises are unlikely in the offing

State-level and local factors may acquire more salience in the 2024 polls in comparison to the two previous elections

Gaya, Bihar, India -Apri .19, 2024: Voters in queue for casting their votes at a polling booth during Lok Sabha election in Gaya, Bihar, India, Friday,19, 2024. (HT Photo)

Opinion

Published on Apr 19, 2024 11:52 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

How the BSP ceased to be the force it once was in UP

Can the BSP revive after another loss? The short answer is “unlikely”.

Why does it seem like the BSP is not in contention in the battle for UP’s 80 Lok Sabha seats? (HT file)

Opinion

Published on Apr 12, 2024 10:53 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

Why Congress failed to win in the Hindi heartland

Poor strategy derived from misreading its electoral losses and successes limited the party’s chances in a direct fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party

BJP and Congress celebrate respective victories in assembly elections.(ANI/PTI)

Opinion

Published on Dec 04, 2023 10:15 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

In Rajasthan, a battle of two parties, two leaders

The key question for the future of Rajasthan politics is if the two constants, the BJP and the Congress, are going to change on December 3.

Can Gehlot’s efforts to reach out to a wider section of society through a large bouquet of welfare schemes turn things around for the Congress? (ANI)

Opinion

Updated on Nov 25, 2023 04:40 AM IST

ByRahul Verma

A bipolar polity or a dominant party state?

Are we likely to see a close contest between the BJP and Congress in Madhya Pradesh again?

Congress leader Kamal Nath and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

opinion

Published on Nov 16, 2023 10:50 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

3 key hurdles will define Rahul’s future in politics

Rahul Gandhi's return to Parliament and his upcoming challenges in defining his role and leading the Opposition against the BJP government.

The first challenge is to define Gandhi’s role in the Congress. (ANI)

opinion

Published on Aug 11, 2023 07:58 AM IST

ByRahul Verma

What alliance politics means for 2024 polls

Two big alliances are squaring off in 2024 polls. But the two groups' dynamics are very different, and it will impact their functioning and electoral prospects

The dominance of the BJP has ensured that there is space for only two nodes in Indian politics. (HT Photo)

opinion

Published on Jul 20, 2023 10:19 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

A SWOT analysis of Oppn prospects

A meeting of Opposition parties in Patna was a good start. But to put up a credible challenge to the BJP, the alliance must study its strengths and weaknesses

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and others attend the Opposition leaders' meeting regarding a joint strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in Patna on Friday. (ANI)

opinion

Published on Jun 26, 2023 10:14 AM IST

ByRahul Verma

Regional parties are in a generational churn

The changes in the NCP are the latest in a generational transition for India’s family-run regional parties, which will have a key impact on the 2024 polls

By appointing daughter Supriya Sule as the NCP’s working president, Sharad Pawar made it clear who’ll take over the mantle of the party.(HT FILE PHOTO)

opinion

Published on Jun 14, 2023 08:47 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

Win sketches contours of future election plans

The victory has offered pathways for the party to think about its revival plans; it has, in no way, reversed the course of its declining fortunes.

What explains the consolidation of the bottom half of society — in caste and class terms — behind the Congress? (Reuters File Photo)

opinion

Published on May 13, 2023 10:59 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

For 2024, parties must focus on young voters

Parties and analysts should focus on how different demographic segments vote, and the new social fault lines that could emerge defining the 2024 campaign

The BJP and the Opposition will have to tailor their messaging to the most crucial demographic in the 2024 elections — voters between 18 and 25 years, who will make up a 175-million strong population. (HT PHOTO)

opinion

Updated on May 03, 2023 07:37 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

Results ring alarm bells for Opposition alliance plans

As the Congress recedes from one state after another, other parties become suspicious of its ability to add electoral heft. But the absence of alliances, the party feels, stalls its recovery strategy.

For the Opposition, though, the results hold more significant takeaways — and not all are pleasant. The Congress has shrunk further, and new players have emerged in these states. Despite the positive bump in the popularity of Rahul Gandhi, there has been no drastic improvement in the Congress’s ability to win elections. (Raj K Raj)

opinion

Updated on Mar 03, 2023 08:09 AM IST

ByRahul Verma

Sena split points to a new era in politics

ECI order has short-term implications for politics in Maharashtra and long-term ramifications for family-based parties

Chief minister Eknath Shinde has the advantage of power and patronage at the moment. He also claims to be in greater tune with Balasaheb’s ideological agenda (HT PHOTO)

opinion

Published on Feb 22, 2023 12:55 AM IST

ByRahul Verma

Reading the fine print of Gujarat, Himachal, MCD

With each victory for the BJP, Congress and AAP comes key lessons for all parties, which may well determine the scope and outcome of 2024 polls

All parties will rejoice in their successes. But which party will heed to the warning signs that this round has sent will shape Indian politics. (Shutterstock)

opinion

Published on Dec 08, 2022 11:20 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

Mulayam Singh Yadav: Reconciling contrary strands of his politics

Many are likely to remember him as a backward caste leader who championed the politics of social justice and secularism. However, Yadav traversed a long distance – from being a firebrand socialist leader to presiding over one of the largest political dynasties in India.

india news

Published on Oct 11, 2022 03:44 AM IST

ByRahul Verma

It is Tejashwi’s, not Nitish’s, make or break chance

As the leader of the largest party in Bihar and with a long political career ahead of him, how the RJD scion carves out a space for himself in the shadow of Nitish Kumar will determine whether the change of guard in the state is just a blip on the radar or has the potential to be a turning point

The RJD faces several challenges. Tejashwi Prasad Yadav will need immense patience and creative energy to tackle them. Nitish Kumar can impart lessons in the art of political management, but Tejashwi will have to grow as a political man on his own (PTI)

opinion

Updated on Aug 12, 2022 06:56 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

What presidential, V-P polls say about politics

Whether it be transforming the role or purpose of public offices and a churn in the federal compact, the signs of these changes are telling. It is to this end that a large section of citizens is being engaged in the indirect elections of largely ceremonial offices

The new appointees will steer the country through a significant phase — the 75th anniversary of Independence and that of the formation of the Republic, an important general election, the constitution of a landmark delimitation commission that might forever alter Centre-state relations, and the 100th year of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — and so it is important to explore the symbolic, political and long-term rationale behind the nominations. Four aspects immediately become clear. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

opinion

Updated on Jul 25, 2022 08:30 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

With rising tensions, BJP faces a political dilemma

India is in the midst of a cycle of incremental polarisation. How the party treads this path will determine the future of not just the BJP, but also Indian democracy.

The die has been cast and the fallout of these events is unpredictable – both for the BJP’s internal politics as well as its governance legacy. (Reuters)

opinion

Published on Jun 29, 2022 08:11 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

For its revival, the Congress must look inward

To renew its political appeal among voters before the general elections, the party must make an honest assessment of its strength, review the causes of its defeat, recreate the party’s brand, and find new avenues to generate resources

opinion

Updated on May 20, 2022 07:13 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

What the state verdicts say about Indian politics

There are five big takeaways from the assembly elections, which explain the direction that Indian politics is heading in

The BJP’s electoral success is a result of continuous political alertness and creativity. It has moved swiftly, creating one ideological wedge after the other and keeping the Opposition in suspense. (Deepak Gupta/HT)

opinion

Published on Mar 10, 2022 09:52 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

Why predicting a poll wave is tough

Analysts often base their judgment on what fellow travellers are picking up from the ground, or get swayed by localised idioms. They may also fail to gauge the mood of silent voters

Any indication of a wave favouring a political party is often apparent only after election results are declared. But political analysts tend to forget that the term is also context dependent, and constantly shifting in its import. The last three Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly elections, for example, have produced single party majorities. (REUTERS)

opinion

Updated on Mar 06, 2022 07:32 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

How elections are won and lost in India

From the electoral mood and political narrative to organisational strength and social coalitions, various factors can sway elections. This round of polls is no exception

Each state election is independent of the other. A victory boosts the morale of the party. But even the elections that get labelled as a semi-final, such as UP in 2022, are unlikely to shape the verdict in 2024. (AP)

opinion

Published on Feb 09, 2022 07:44 PM IST

ByRahul Verma

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Rahul Verma

The BJP’s sweep in the LS Delhi polls and the AAP’s near-sweep of the assembly polls indicate that both parties had broad class-coalitions backing them

This paper is by CPR.

It is time for the Congress to go back to the drawing board and reformulate its revival plan.

The changing distribution of votes is at the heart of long-term social realignment and the current election results in the state

A new politics on caste is knocking our doors, so, as a society, it is time for an intellectually open conversation on caste, and what must be done to accommodate various concerns

Ultimately, Mandate 2024 shows how the Indian voter continues to surprise.

Why electorates sometimes back different parties when elections are held simultaneously for Parliament and legislative assembly

Very little is known about the causes and consequences of turnout change. So, caution is advised on drawing broad inferences from any turnout number

State-level and local factors may acquire more salience in the 2024 polls in comparison to the two previous elections

Can the BSP revive after another loss? The short answer is “unlikely”.

Poor strategy derived from misreading its electoral losses and successes limited the party’s chances in a direct fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party

The key question for the future of Rajasthan politics is if the two constants, the BJP and the Congress, are going to change on December 3.

Are we likely to see a close contest between the BJP and Congress in Madhya Pradesh again?

Rahul Gandhi's return to Parliament and his upcoming challenges in defining his role and leading the Opposition against the BJP government.

Two big alliances are squaring off in 2024 polls. But the two groups' dynamics are very different, and it will impact their functioning and electoral prospects

A meeting of Opposition parties in Patna was a good start. But to put up a credible challenge to the BJP, the alliance must study its strengths and weaknesses

The changes in the NCP are the latest in a generational transition for India’s family-run regional parties, which will have a key impact on the 2024 polls

The victory has offered pathways for the party to think about its revival plans; it has, in no way, reversed the course of its declining fortunes.

Parties and analysts should focus on how different demographic segments vote, and the new social fault lines that could emerge defining the 2024 campaign

As the Congress recedes from one state after another, other parties become suspicious of its ability to add electoral heft. But the absence of alliances, the party feels, stalls its recovery strategy.

ECI order has short-term implications for politics in Maharashtra and long-term ramifications for family-based parties

With each victory for the BJP, Congress and AAP comes key lessons for all parties, which may well determine the scope and outcome of 2024 polls

Many are likely to remember him as a backward caste leader who championed the politics of social justice and secularism. However, Yadav traversed a long distance – from being a firebrand socialist leader to presiding over one of the largest political dynasties in India.

As the leader of the largest party in Bihar and with a long political career ahead of him, how the RJD scion carves out a space for himself in the shadow of Nitish Kumar will determine whether the change of guard in the state is just a blip on the radar or has the potential to be a turning point

Whether it be transforming the role or purpose of public offices and a churn in the federal compact, the signs of these changes are telling. It is to this end that a large section of citizens is being engaged in the indirect elections of largely ceremonial offices

India is in the midst of a cycle of incremental polarisation. How the party treads this path will determine the future of not just the BJP, but also Indian democracy.

To renew its political appeal among voters before the general elections, the party must make an honest assessment of its strength, review the causes of its defeat, recreate the party’s brand, and find new avenues to generate resources

There are five big takeaways from the assembly elections, which explain the direction that Indian politics is heading in

Analysts often base their judgment on what fellow travellers are picking up from the ground, or get swayed by localised idioms. They may also fail to gauge the mood of silent voters

From the electoral mood and political narrative to organisational strength and social coalitions, various factors can sway elections. This round of polls is no exception

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