Opinion

Opinion | BJP In Bengal, Vijay In Tamil Nadu: A Story Of 'Underdogs'

The immediate message is this: old voting patterns are not sacrosanct. Don't take the voter for granted.

Opinion | If Mamata Banerjee Wins Again, It Might Be Only Because Of One Particular Group

Anyone familiar with the recent political and electoral history of West Bengal knows that while the BJP has done extremely well in north Bengal, it has so far failed to breach the Mamata citadel of south Bengal.

Opinion | 5 Districts Made Mamata In 2011. Will They Unmake Her This Time?

In 2011, the TMC alliance swept 82 out of the 108 seats here, signalling the end of the Left regime. Analysts called it a fluke, saying the Left would come back. That was not to be.

Opinion | Will Women Voters Be The Decisive Bloc In Phase 2 Of Bengal Polls?

In both West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, female voters have outnumbered the male voters. And that could change a lot.

Opinion | Behind West Bengal's Record Voter Turnout, A Curious Pattern

We have seen enough elections in recent years to know that rising turnout can hurt an incumbent, but it can just as easily consolidate one.

Opinion | Why Kerala Is A Do-Or-Die Battle For Congress And CPI(M)

For the Left, it is a battle for existence. For the Congress, it can't afford to lose the state for a third time.

Opinion | Between Operations Gibraltar And Sindoor, A Missed Industrial Revolution

A look at some numbers to see how far India has travelled over the last sixty years, since Operation Gibraltar of 1965.

Opinion | How The Middle Class Turned Delhi's Fate

It has been a classic "class" election. While the "disadvantaged" class stayed with AAP, the middle class and the rich switched en masse to the BJP.

Opinion | One Nation, One Election, Many Suspicions

Both support and opposition don't seem to stem from merits but from political divide and a deep mistrust.

Blog | Bibek Debroy: For Whom Data Was Everything

Over the years, the authors personally presented some of the most unflattering data points to Bibek Debroy. But to our surprise, he understood, and rather than softening the pinch, he always asked us to point things out even more bluntly, if possible

Opinion | How Did Exit Polls Fail To Capture Ground Reality? A Pollster Decodes

Even most conservative estimates had said that the NDA will comfortably touch 350 seats. The actual tally turned out to be over 50 seats less than that.