Rahul Shrivastava – Author, NDTV.com

Blog: BJP Has Won Uttar Pradesh, But Is Short Of Options For Chief Minister

Rahul Shrivastava | Friday March 17, 2017

The BJP moved with tyre-burning speed to clinch numbers and power in Goa and Manipur, where the verdict wasn't purely in its favour. One Chief Minister has already won a trust vote, another will get there soon.

Blog: Next UP Chief Minister? Intelligence Bureau Checks Done

Rahul Shrivastava | Sunday March 12, 2017

The resounding win in UP is not a full stop in the BJP's political effort in the crucial state but just a comma. If the party has risen to the top from spot 3 by winning over diverse caste groups to lay the foundation for the general election in 2019, the real test starts now.

Blog: Modi-Amit Shah's Caste Experiment In Uttar Pradesh

Rahul Shrivastava | Saturday March 11, 2017

I recall on Sunday, March 5, the "Modi-Modi" chant at Varanasi's Pandeypur from a sea of saffron-capped heads wasn't abating. Every minute, in groups, people with BJP flags in their hands would join the swelling gathering. The BJP had prepared for the PM's Road Show Number Two in Varanasi in as many days. Campaigning was to end the next day.

Blog: In This Election In Ayodhya, Ram Temple Issue Not Even In Whispers

Rahul Shrivastava | Monday February 27, 2017

On the main arterial road in Ayodhya, Santosh Bhargava lifted a kerosene stove he had repaired and came forward to hand it to a customer. His spine bent after 83 years of a life of struggle in the temple town. I had met him several times from the start of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in the late 80s - till the peak 90s. He used to repair harmoniums, which were used in...

Blog: Time For <i>Mullah</i> Mulayam To Retire, Say Long-Time Supporters

Blog: Time For Mullah Mulayam To Retire, Say Long-Time Supporters

Rahul Shrivastava | Saturday January 07, 2017

Najib, with his popcorn cart, has increased the frequency with which he visits the primary school 'chabootra' (a round cemented platform) in Mau village each day. The village elders and men would gather only once each day before members of the Samajwadi Party's first family went to war against each other. Now debates erupt like corn in his hot pan more often - dependi...

Blog: 'Betrayal,' Mulayam Yadav Has Said About Son Akhilesh. And Yet...

Rahul Shrivastava | Monday October 24, 2016

On Lucknow's Vikramaditya Marg, Mulayam Singh Yadav's house and the new residence of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav share a wall. On Sunday night, hours before a meeting called by Mulayam Singh, this wall represented a divide that father and son may not even be planning to bridge. The pale half-moon was positioned right between the two white bungalows.

Blog: The Incontestable Political Significance Of PM's Lucknow Dussehra

Rahul Shrivastava | Tuesday October 11, 2016

The Aishbagh ground in Lucknow will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi today for the annual Ramlila, which depicts the slaying of Ravana (evil) by Ram (good).

Blog: Congress, AAP Strategy On Surgical Strikes Is Backfiring

Rahul Shrivastava | Thursday October 06, 2016

Despite the clamour, the government remains committed to not releasing evidence of the strikes. The PM saw the "evidence" right after the action.

Blog: Keep Calm, Rajnath Singh Gestured To Mehbooba. What It Gives Away.

Rahul Shrivastava | Thursday August 25, 2016

As the Kashmir region spent its 48th day without any signs of peace, alarm bells are ringing in the central government. Home Minister Rajnath Singh's outreach is a desperate bid by the centre to retrieve even partially the situation in the Valley. Apart from the Home Minister's "doors open for talks", the centre is preparing for the long haul.

Blog: RBI Governor Urjit Patel, Once TV Show Commentator

Rahul Shrivastava | Sunday August 21, 2016

Urjit R Patel will be stepping into Raghuram Rajan's big-sized shoes from September 4. But he has been walking through the minefield of Indian economy long enough behind Mr Rajan and won't need a map.

Blog: For Smriti Irani And Other Top Guns, Clear Message From PM Modi

Rahul Shrivastava | Wednesday July 06, 2016

If searching for messages from the cabinet reshuffle and expansion exercise yesterday, this is the stand-out: PM Modi has indicated that no one is indispensable.

Blog: In BJP Versus Congress, Some Deep Blows Have Been Struck

Rahul Shrivastava | Wednesday April 06, 2016

Politics is predatory, but sometimes all pretence at civility is abandoned and politicians, like gladiators, don't mind letting blood show on their hands. Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh are instances, though not the first and certainly not the last.

Blog: Vijay Mallya, The MP Who Drove A Maserati To Work

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