Is NOTA the answer to TINA?

The ‘None of the Above’ provision on electoral voting machines is turning out to be a decentralised protest

Green may be the colour of the winning agenda this Lok Sabha polls

Whosoever wins General Elections 2019 must make environment as the top governance priority

Secret tales of polling and counting booths: How our democracy works

Spending a day in a polling booth and another 24 hours in a counting centre served as eye-openers on the way Indian democracy works and the …

How artificial intelligence systems could threaten democracy

The advent of digital repression is profoundly affecting the relationship between citizen and state

General Elections 2019: Science in polls, from feel 'good' to feel 'strong'

With the Balakot episode and later the ASAT declaration, the ruling party has brought ‘muscular science’ into the spotlight alongside …

Verdict 2019: Why did women vote for BJP?

The party's flagship schemes like Ujjwala and PM Awas provided women economic ownership and not just mere access to property

Live in Mumbai, work in Mumbai, but these workers can't vote in Mumbai

Ragpickers, DNT members and construction workers in India's financial capital don't possess the most powerful tool in democracy

From South India to Trump’s election: the happy marriage of stardom and politics

The 3 star CMs of South India had poor human rights record, but populist measures, often with more symbolic value than economic

Sunaina Rawat and the dilemma of Bharat

The new government has to focus on the rural population, their aspirations and the economy

First-time voters: A narrative about to change

Over 52 million children have come of age and would cast vote for the first time. But they have been victims of malnutrition, injustice and …

South Africans are finally set to know who funds their political parties

Even as the Supreme Court of India is in the middle of hearing a petition on political funding here's looking at how South Africa is dealing …

How democratic was the 16th Lok Sabha?

A lot of recent decisions, like Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s low attendance in Parliament to passing Constitutional Amendment Bill as a …

In poll season, Punjab debates legalising poppy seed and opium farming

Proponents feel the two crops will help farmers, save Punjab’s groundwater and wean its youth from synthetic drugs

'Women should be self-reliant to make a big difference in society'

Down To Earth talks to Pramila Bisoi, an SHG leader chosen to contest Aska Lok Sabha seat in Odisha

Will recent floods change voting pattern in Kerala?

Despite the devastating floods and the 'flawed' rehabilitation process, these issues are not going to be big in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, …

For the survivors of 1999’s Super Cyclone in Odisha, polls mean nothing

None of the political parties in the state have provided them with amenities ranging from sources of livelihood to cyclone shelters to …

India’s WhatsApp election: political parties risk undermining democracy with technology

WhatsApp has already been used to misinform voters in elections and spread damaging 'fake news' that has led to serious violence 

Environmental charter for the new government

Sustainable development, pollution, employment generation and agrarian crisis did not play major roles in deciding the outcome of the 2019 …

Elections 2019: Every fourth voter a distressed farmer

Though the farmers were not an issue in the general elections they now hold the fort for the world’s fastest growing economy despite being …

Missing women voters: 21 mln can't exercise franchise this Lok Sabha polls

Excerpts from The Verdict: Decoding India’s Elections by Prannoy Roy and Dorab R Sopariwala; published by Penguin Random House India

'Poor women and children are low priority for this government'

Criticising current government’s policies or lack of them, women demand change and empowerment across all sectors

Notes on how the world’s largest democracy presses the button

While the electronic voting machine system is useful and functional, officials and observers shouldn’t assume there’s no way to …

'Indian elections will always be unpredictable'

For 25 years, economist Ruchir Sharma has travelled the length and breadth of India analysing voting paterns, sociological landscapes and nuances …

General Elections: All you need to know to be an environmentally informed voter

As India goes to polls, here’s all the knowledge you need about environment and development to make an informed decision

Congress manifesto promises jobs, welfare steps

Five focus areas include: Unemployment, poverty, farm distress, access to quality education and healthcare