Monday, April 15th, 2019
Election Commission bars Yogi Adityanath and Mayawati from campaigning
On Monday, 15 April, the Election Commission (EC) barred BSP chief Mayawati and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from campaigning in the Lok Sabha election for 48 hours and 72 hours respectively, for breaching the Model Code of Conduct through objectionable statements in their speeches. The order came into force at 6 am on Tuesday, 16 April. The speeches in question On 9 April, Adityanath had stirred controversy by calling the Muslim League a “green virus” and suggesting that Hindu and Muslim voters were in an “Ali-Bajrang Bali” contest.Read More
Modi, Rahul Gandhi and the ‘charisma’ question in the 2019 Lok Sabha election
A recurring theme of commentary during the 2019 Lok Sabha campaign was charisma: whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal appeal would carry the BJP to a second term, and whether Congress president Rahul Gandhi, or his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who formally entered politics that year, could match it. The argument One widely read column at the time, by a former editor and Congress member of the Rajya Sabha, argued that charisma is real but neither sufficient nor permanent, and that elections are decided by everyday issues: prices, jobs, casteRead More
FIR filed against Azam Khan over ‘underwear’ jibe; Jaya Prada responds
Uttar Pradesh police registered an FIR on Monday, 15 April, against Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan over a remark about underwear that the BJP said was aimed at actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada, who is contesting the Lok Sabha election against him from Rampur as the BJP candidate. The remark At an election rally, without naming her, Khan told the crowd that they had been represented by her for ten years. He went on to say that it had taken the people of Rampur 17 years to understand her reality, but heRead More