Dear Reader,
Six of the seven phases of the 2019 parliamentary elections are over, more than 90 per cent of India’s electorate has voted and, in barely a week, we will arrive at the end of the longestever electoral exercise this country has seen and know what the composition of India’s 17th Lok Sabha (House of the People) will be and what nature of government will come to power in New Delhi.
Will there will be a BJP-led government with Narendra Modi at the helm, or will it be a BJPled NDA government with reduced numbers and, possibly, another leader in charge? Or, will there be a Congress-led alliance or a combination of regional parties, supported by Congress are some of the questions our Cover features ask and attempt to analyse.
Every aspect of the electoral process runs through this edition of India Review & Analysis; from the questionable conduct of the Election Commission, which Mahendra Ved outlines in By Invitation, to the three bellwether constituencies, the results of which will determine the direction toward which this Nation will veer in the near future; the majoritarian or the constitutional and the irony of the world’s largest parliamentary election being fought in near presidential fashion, around the persona of one man, Modi.
In Periscope, Cmdre Uday Bhaskar, commenting on the irony, looks at the likely security challenges the new government will face.
While South Block Watch examines the policy priorities during this period of transition,
Foreign Affairs looks at some of these priorities, like the India-US relationship, India-China ties post the blacklisting of Masood Azhar and the India – Australia Bilateral. Taiwan, meanwhile, seeks a seat for India at the UN Security Council as Beijing and New Delhi celebrate the Wuhan spirit and contacts between India and its partners continue to grow.
The Indian Navy joined those of the US, Japan and the Philippines in their first ever joint exercises in the South China Sea, a significant event we examine in Defence.
There has been a definite slowdown in the Indian Economy and the once vibrant automobile industry has joined several other booming sectors in the slow lane. However, India is still a very attractive destination for corporates to set up enterprises.
On the Back Page, a former journalist rues the lost opportunities for economic reform and analyses how ‘India’s growth story devolved into growth without a story.’
As Indian students flock to Australia for higher studies, France and India will now reciprocally accept each other’s academic degrees, our Culture and Education segment highlights. In some more good news, Srinagar, capital of the troubled Jammu and Kashmir state usually associated with violence and negativity, is vying for a place as a UNESCO Heritage city.
Changing India goes to the North-eastern state of Manipur, also frequently in the news for the wrong reasons, and highlights how, breaking gender stereotypes in Imphal, the state capital, a woman rode her way into a film and fame as the state’s first female public transport auto-rickshaw driver.
A wide canvas for you to choose from and stay indoors to read as the blazing summer heat beats down on the Indian subcontinent. Do let us know what you think of what we have compiled for you.
Happy reading! Warmly,