Omprakash Mahato Right wing reliance on conventional politics in Uttar Pradesh Political gimmicks of political actors have certainly moulded the preferences of the voters in the past and continue to do so. With ongoing state assembly elections in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, parties across the spectrum have come up with their manifestoes …
We the People: Expanding the Idea of Democracy
Pranav Jeevan P Part 1 Most people believe that democracy means voting in an election every 5 years. Elections in a representative democracy is of course an essential part of the very idea of political democracy, but that doesn’t mean that the very idea of democracy is limited to this right to vote. Moreover, …
In a time of public crisis, how important are elections to a democracy?
Niharika Singh With the eighth and final phase in Bengal only now concluded, India conducted another local election amidst a collapsing healthcare infrastructure, administrative miscalculations and immense scheming. It appears that the world’s largest democracy and its rulers aim for an electoral win over any collateral damage, a term that arose in the 1960s. …
From an ‘untouchable’ in Tapra to a student leader in TISS: Interview with Bhatta Ram
Pranjali Kureel (Students of TISS, Mumbai recently elected Bhatta Ram as the new President of the student council in what is being called a ‘historic win’. Inspiring hundreds of students like me, who enter this institute with high hopes, only to find ourselves in an elite and daunting space, Bhatta Ram says the main aim …
Why Bhatta Ram should become ‘President’ of TISS SU 2019-20
Nitin Dhaktode I met Bhatta Ram for the first time at the Interaction Programme organised by the Ambedkarite Students’ Association in July, 2018. A sharp-looking boy, he was sitting among the students, listening to every word carefully. Once you meet him you will not forget his appearance. After that meeting, I was away for my …
TISS Student Politics: Duality of Position and Stand
Deepak Kumar Nanda The foremost question in the current TISS Students’ Union 2019-20 elections in Mumbai campus should have been: what happened to the promise of ‘snatching away’ of the fee waiver of the Government of India Post-Matric Scholarship students in Hostel and Dining Hall? Especially, since the very same group—which promised to fight …
Support Battula Prakash, BSP & Jana Sena candidate in Telangana local polls
Round Table India Support Battula Prakash, ZPTC candidate of Bahujan Samaj Party and Jana Sena Party Battula Prakash is contesting for the Jannaram Mandal Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) in local body elections in Telangana state. He filed his nomination on 2 May 2019 on behalf of Bahujan Samaj Party and Jana Sena Party. His …
Pasmanda Community Asserts: Demands Lok Sabha Ticket for Ali Anwar from Madhubani
Abhijit Anand A wave of simmering anger can be felt among the Pasmanda community members. This anger is more prominently visible in Bihar where the social justice parties have completely ignored the community in Lok Sabha ticket distribution. A change.org petition started on 23rd March by sociologist Khalid Anis Ansari was being shared enthusiastically …
BAPSA: A challenge to the ABVP and Pseudo-Left in JNU
Manikanta Pallikonda Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA-JNU), an independent Ambedkarite students’ organization, is contesting the 2018 JNU Students’ Union elections.This is the fourth election since the inception of BAPSA in 2014, and a steady increase in its consolidated vote share gives us hope that more and more students on campus view it as an …