And so we have a government in Maharashtra, almost, the loaves and fishes having been evenly shared among a swollen cabal of crorepatis. Choosing the Chief Minister was the easy part. The Co... »

The Assembly elections saw the culture of “coverage packages” explode across Maharashtra. In many cases, a candidate just had to pay for almost any coverage at all. »

In Maharashtra, where issues hurl themselves at you, the Opposition failed to mount a strong campaign on a single one of them. »

Growing numbers of elected representatives fund their poll campaigns with corporate backing. And growing numbers of people with a big business background have ventured directly into the electoral arena. »

Will the Congress-NCP gain from a multiplicity of fronts which could dissipate the anti-Congress vote? Or will the Shiv Sena-BJP benefit from the Third Front’s cutting into the Congress-NCP vote? »

It would be rash to conclude that the NREGS is breaking down social hierarchies big time. It is certainly calling them into question, though. »

There are more fronts in the fray across the State this time. And with multi-cornered contests in almost all seats, there could be some major upsets. »

It was about 6.30 in the evening on August 24. He broke away from addressing a gathering of bankers to have a chat with some of us on how the NREGS was doing in his State. And he was as concerned w... »

For the poor and landless, NREGS is clearly the lifeline. But many shop owners and rain-fed farmers in Anantapur, Kurnool and Mahbubnagar have also sought work under it. »

"Our drought is more than a drought of rain. The latter only made things worse." »