The 2024 National Election in India

[sayak83]

Yeah, I am aware of the loss of territories. The 2,000 sq. km. loss is reported by Imran Ahmad Siddiqui, therefore, is doubtful. Furthermore, the government has to consider the value of the territories and the cost it will have to pay in case of a war. It is a stalemate currently. Let it be for sometime while we prepare for a possible bigger war sometime in future. India is building roads and improving its armaments being the largest buyer in 2023.

Maldives is an independent country. What can we do if its current government if China-reliant? Not that we did anything wrong in Maldives. We are doing what is possible with out finances and circumstances, i.e., establishing a base in Lakshadweep. With facilities at Djibuti, Maldives, Hammanbota and Gwader, does it mean that China now rules Arabian sea? Interests of many other countries also are involved in it. We cannot stop deployment of submarines or ships in open seas. I am sure Indian submarines and ships also are there.

I hope you are seeing the pattern. You are overlooking the problems and shortcomings of this govt. and finding excuses for it. Similar excuses can be given by supporters of other parties as well for their own shortcomings. I can list a 100 more, and you will find excuses for them too. I do not see, based on any neutral or objective criteria, to favor one party over the other at this point.
I do not consider the RSS to be selfless at all. It has an ideology and it seeks (and has succeeded) to bring that ideology into the political sphere and other social spheres of the country. In that way it is similar to many Leftist and Communist groups that have sought to do the same, as have Khalsa groups in Punjab. The desire for all these ideologically driven is power and influence , which it tries through various means. So selfless they are not. They are Rajasic organizations, not Sattvik.

 

[Aupmanyav]

The BJP is a right wing, authoritarian, Hindu nationalist Movement, fomenting hatred and brutality, silencing opposition, monopolizing media to spread propaganda.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/22/opinions/bjp-hindu-muslim-democracy-modi-arundhati-roy/index.html

Ah, Arundhati Roy. What is her worth in India? Yes, BJP is right-wing, authoritarian to the extent that Indian laws allow. Yes, it is nationalist, mostly Hindus. However, it does not foment hatred and brutality. That is done by Muslims supported by opposition parties (like Shahjahsan Sheikh in W. Bengal), and terrorists. In what way it has silenced the opposition? Opposition is hale and hearty in India. They are all trying to come together against BJP, but BJP is still proving stronger. I hope the election results will show that. All political parties engage in propoganda.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I hope you are seeing the pattern. You are overlooking the problems and shortcomings of this govt. and finding excuses for it. Similar excuses can be given by supporters of other parties as well for their own shortcomings. I can list a 100 more, and you will find excuses for them too. I do not see, based on any neutral or objective criteria, to favor one party over the other at this point.
I do not consider the RSS to be selfless at all. It has an ideology and it seeks (and has succeeded) to bring that ideology into the political sphere and other social spheres of the country. In that way it is similar to many Leftist and Communist groups that have sought to do the same, as have Khalsa groups in Punjab. The desire for all these ideologically driven is power and influence , which it tries through various means. So selfless they are not. They are Rajasic organizations, not Sattvik.

Yeah, I am seeing the pattern that for every defense order, Gandhis got a cut which they took to Panama, whether it was a gun, a helicopter, a transport vehicle, a submarine or an aircraft. Gandhis kept the Rafale agreement in abeyance because they did not get a cut.
I believe that Modi is doing fine or India.
Yeah, other than RSS and BJP, Communist Parties are the only ideology based parties. All the rest are family parties interested only in how much money they can siphon from people of India (Bannerjees in Bengal being the latest example).
Punjab groups also have no ideology. It is family again, Badals or Dindsas and Bajwas.

 

[Regiomontanus]

Truly amazing the work he has done. People are becoming proud to say they are Indian.

Do you think most Muslims in India feel that way too?

 

[Vinayaka]

Do you think most Muslims in India feel that way too?

It's very complex, as India is huge, and has many regional parties. There is also degrees to disagreement. This article will cast light on that complexity. https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/02/09/mapping-muslim-voting-behavior-in-india-pub-91579

 

[Aupmanyav]

Do you think most Muslims in India feel that way too?

https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/20-muslims-voted-for-bjp-in-2019-general-elections-says-pew-survey-121063000059_1.html

(20%)
Others too are coming around. Let us see, the national elections are in April/May.

 

[sayak83]

Yeah, I am seeing the pattern that for every defense order, Gandhis got a cut which they took to Panama, whether it was a gun, a helicopter, a transport vehicle, a submarine or an aircraft. Gandhis kept the Rafale agreement in abeyance because they did not get a cut.
I believe that Modi is doing fine or India.
Yeah, other than RSS and BJP, Communist Parties are the only ideology based parties. All the rest are family parties interested only in how much money they can siphon from people of India (Bannerjees in Bengal being the latest example).
Punjab groups also have no ideology. It is family again, Badals or Dindsas and Bajwas.

Yet, strangely not a single prosecution against the Gandhis in the 10 years of BJP rule apart from some case going on with newspaper tax evasion or something. This when BJP controlled CBI is going after every opposition leader. I wonder why....

 

[RestlessSoul]

Do you think most Muslims in India feel that way too?

That most secular of Muslims, Salman Rushdie, certainly has grave misgivings about Modhi’s government. For what that’s worth.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Yet, strangely not a single prosecution against the Gandhis in the 10 years of BJP rule apart from some case going on with newspaper tax evasion or something. This when BJP controlled CBI is going after every opposition leader. I wonder why....

For three reasons:
1. That BJP does not indulge in vendetta politics. Its interest is only in winning the elections. Not possible to get the money from Panama accounts except by physical methods. Most probably, it is already invested in bullish Indian share market.
2. The Commission money does not come to India. It is straightway deposited in Panama accounts.
3. If it comes to India, it is sent to Panama accounts by acolytes of Gandhis and they scoot to US, Canada, UK or Dubai.
For example, Sanjay Bhandari who purchased and renovated a property in London for Priyanka's husband, Vadra, is now in UK.

 

[Aupmanyav]

BJP just executed a master stroke in Haryana (10 seats in the Parliament).
The Chief Minister resigns. The state head of the BJP takes over (a non-Jat, and not a member of the state legislature. He must win an election in six-months time). A partner shows discontent and parts from the party asking his legislators to abstain from voting. The new Chief Minister gets a majority. The former Chief Minister resigns his legislative seat for the new Chief Minister to contest from. The former Chief Minister is an old Modi friend, he has been asked to contest for Parliament from his constituency. Perhaps Modi will use his honesty and dedication at the national level in a ministry. The party which separated will get two seats that they demanded as BJP will ask weak candidates to contest the elections from those seats. The partner will be rewarded by more seats in the state legislature the next time as the opposition will be weaker than now. In this election, that party will cut a portion of Jat votes from opposition parties (some 20%). All this in four days (March 9/13).

 

[Aupmanyav]

That most secular of Muslims, Salman Rushdie, certainly has grave misgivings about Modi’s government. For what that’s worth.

Even Hindus will not agree to what all BJP does. I am against supporting alternative medicine systems like Ayurveda, Unani (its Muslim equivalent), Siddha or Homeopathy. They are unscientific, but BJP has made them official. I do not support the leeway given to astrology (religious or otherwise - give yellow cloth in charity on Saturday). This all is superstition. Or making it compulsory to study Gita in school. And prohibition on beef in some states, which is retrograde and uneconomic. But Modi has not harmed Indian Muslims in any other way. The benefits that his government is providing to people are without any consideration of religion.
How many Indian voters know about Salman Rushdie (Hindus or Muslims)? Most Muslims who know about him, hate him. He is a non-entity in India.

 

[Aupmanyav]

BJP just executed a master stroke in Haryana (10 seats in the Parliament).

Why was this done? There is a phenomenon in Indian states - anti-incumbancy. This is for no reason at all. It is voter's fun to change the rulers. The last election in Rajasthan saw BJP loose to the Indian National Congress (the Gandhi party). The former Chief Minister of Haryana was in saddle for 10 years. That is why he himself suggested the change. In Kerala, people regularly change their rulers. This time, the Communist Party is slated to be replaced by the Gandhi party. For that reason only, BJP did away with former Chief Ministers in two states that it won (Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh). Even Modi is afraid of that. That is why he is putting all his might to fight this election. A former BJP Prime Minister, Atal Behari Bajpai too lost power due to that.

 

[Aupmanyav]

What if 'socialist' and 'secular' go from the Preamble

It is in circumstances like this that the Constitution becomes extremely important. It reminds us that we have a commitment towards higher human values to fulfil, a path to get back to, suggests Shyam G Menon.Else, we risk being rudderless in an ocean of money and majoritarianism, suggests Shyam...

www.rediff.com

It is 'Federal' which is a more of a danger to India rather than being 'Secular' or 'Socialist'. Federal seems to mean that if the state wants, it can secede from Indian nation. Indian state boundaries can be changed, have been changed, for various reasons - because of language or over-population. Think of Uttar Pradesh, with a population reaching 250 million. Perhaps for better governance, it needs to be divided into separate regions. We have three states with population over 100 million (Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar) and seven with population over 50 million (W. Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh).

 

[Aupmanyav]

Breaking News:
1. PM Modi, leader of opposition, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Law Minister AR Meghwal have met to select Election Commissioners for two vacant posts. Supreme Court has said that the selection should be unbaised and seem to be unbiased.
p.s.: Mr. Gyanesh Kumar and Mr. Sukhbir Sandhu have been selected as Election Commissioners. This is a constitutional position and the Election Commissioners have all rights to conduct the election according to the rules. Government cannot influence them.
2. A committee headed by the former President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, has submitted its recommendations for 'One Nation, One Election' which may come about for 2029 elections.
Government spends USD 7.23 billion for the national election. One election will reduce the expenses.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Even Hindus will not agree to what all BJP does. I am against supporting alternative medicine systems like Ayurveda, Unani (its Muslim equivalent), Siddha or Homeopathy. They are unscientific, but BJP has made them official. I do not support the leeway given to astrology (religious or otherwise - give yellow cloth in charity on Saturday). This all is superstition. Or making it compulsory to study Gita in school. But Modi has not harmed Indian Muslims in any other way. The benefits that his government is providing to people are without any consideration of religion.
How many Indian voters know about Salman Rushdie (Hindus or Muslims)? Most Muslims who know about him, hate him. He is a non-entity in India.

I know very little about Indian politics, not enough to form an opinion of my own. As for Rushdie, I consider him one of the greatest novelists of his generation, and therefore worthy of respect when he speaks; that doesn’t mean I agree with all the things he says. But I do listen.

For the sake of context, he spoke about Modi at an event in London in 2019, when he was discussing nationalism, populism, and the threat to democracy in India, the U.K. and the USA (all countries he knew very well, and feared for).

 

[Aupmanyav]

I know very little about Indian politics, not enough to form an opinion of my own. As for Rushdie, I consider him one of the greatest novelists of his generation, and therefore worthy of respect when he speaks; that doesn’t mean I agree with all the things he says. But I do listen.

For the sake of context, he spoke about Modi at an event in London in 2019, when he was discussing nationalism, populism, and the threat to democracy in India, the U.K. and the USA (all countries he knew very well, and feared for).

I have not read Rushdie, but sure, he is worthy of respect because of his writings and bravery. But he is irrelevant to Indian politics. Since 1964, he is not even an Indian citizen.
I do not think Indian democracy is any danger at the moment. I doubt if Rushdie knows India well. There will soon be a fair and democratic National election in India (including Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh) and state elections there soon after (we are waiting for the dates). I am sure the democratic world will endorse it. Observers from all around are welcome.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Now that we have the full forum of Election Commissioners (3), the dates will be announced tomorrow. Apart from the National Elections, four states will go to polls - Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh (in far east). State elections too are important. For some changes in Constitution, the acceptance in 15 states is required. BJP already rules 12. There may be some changes that BJP may want to come about. Elections will be in 6 or 7 phases. After all, some 969 million voters are eligible to vote, the largest democratic electorate in the world.
Not even one person will be missed. Whether it is desert, forest, island or mountain; whether at sea-level or at the height of 15, 256 ft. (Tashigang in Himachal Pradesh; election officers will reach everyone.

523 lions and one voter live in Gir forest. This is how he casts his ballot

One voter lives among Gir forest's 523 lions. Here's how he casts his ballot

India's Banej polling place has 100% turnout. It takes a village to make it happen for the single voter on the rolls.

qz.com

Election workers in India traveled 300 miles over 4 days to set up a polling booth - for one voter.

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www.washingtonpost.com

The highest polling booth in the world.

Tashigang- The World’s Highest Polling Center!

Time to Vote!

www.easemytrip.com

 

[Regiomontanus]

I was curious about the proposed changes to the constitution, in regards to combining the elections:


"The move, supporters, say will save time and money while allowing political parties and governments to focus on policy and administration. However, critics say it would go against the federal structure and spirit of the Indian constitution, cloud local issues that get attention when state elections are held separately, and potentially turn all votes subsumed in the giant election exercise into a prime ministerial contest."

Why is India’s Modi pushing for simultaneous elections? Who would gain?

An Indian government committee has recommended that polls for local bodies to parliament be held together.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Aupmanyav]

What is better? One election, or many elections at different times with more expenditure and parties offering uneconomic freebies to win elections (free electricity, free water, agricultural produce to be purchased by government at the price that farmers demand, across-the-board loan-waivers, etc.), when nearly all states have poor debt-to GDP ratio? We have a saying in Hindi: "Amadani athanni, kharcha rupaiah" (We earn half a dollar and spend one dollar). This cannot last. It will end in India being a pauper, and the future generations will have to pay for it. It will turn India into a beggar like Pakistan. One election is necessary to destroy the freebie culture.

Debt-to-GDP Ratio Of Indian States In 2024 - Forbes India

Have you ever wondered why some states in India seem to be doing better than others? One of the factors is their debt-to-GDP ratio. In this article, we explore the reasons behind their varying degrees from state to state

www.forbesindia.com

Rahul Gandhi announces Congress' 5 big poll promises to farmers: MSP, agriculture loan waiver…

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday announced five big promises to farmers under its 'Kisan Nyay’ guarantee.

www.hindustantimes.com

 

[sayak83]

I was curious about the proposed changes to the constitution, in regards to combining the elections:


"The move, supporters, say will save time and money while allowing political parties and governments to focus on policy and administration. However, critics say it would go against the federal structure and spirit of the Indian constitution, cloud local issues that get attention when state elections are held separately, and potentially turn all votes subsumed in the giant election exercise into a prime ministerial contest."

Why is India’s Modi pushing for simultaneous elections? Who would gain?

An Indian government committee has recommended that polls for local bodies to parliament be held together.

www.aljazeera.com

I am strongly against 1 election idea. In my view all the elections of the different levels (national, state, local) should be held seperately as different agendas are at play. It would be extremely damaging to the democratic process if it's held simultaneously.