The final assault on Constitution
Financial Express Mumbai|March 31, 2024
Next is Operation Lotus, another patented exercise of the BJP: encourage defections and give tickets to the defectors. I am told that the BJP will eventually nominate a little over 400 candidates. Up to 50 candidates will be defectors
P Chidambaram
The final assault on Constitution

THE WARNING SIGNS were clear. The Opposition parties were able to sense what was coming, but pettifogging advisers seem to have held back their leaders. The battle-ready troops were not sent promptly to the battlefield, except in Tamil Nadu. In West Bengal, the INDIA formation was still-born; in Bihar, Mr Nitish Kumar's patented somersault attempted to derail the preparations but failed; in Maharashtra, the allies are debating the sharing of seats while the BJP is busy poaching leaders in the Opposition camps; in Uttar Pradesh, the SP and Congress are united but do not seem to have joined the battle yet; and in Delhi and Jharkhand, while the armies are ready, the generals are behind bars. It is only in Tamil Nadu, the battle between INDIA and the opposing parties has really begun reminding one of the adage 'well begun is half done'

That accounts for 7 out of 29 states. In the other major battlefields such as Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, it is a straight fight between the Congress and BJP. By contrast, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh seem like stages for a pre-scripted play, not a genuine warfront.

The arsenal

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM FINANCIAL EXPRESS MUMBAIView all
Financial Express Mumbai

Murdoch ally helps Ambani build media empire in India

SOHEE KIM PR SANJAI

time-read
3 mins  |
April 18, 2024
Financial Express Mumbai

Pandya, Dube & Rinku: Can they finish for India at T20 World Cup?

GOING INTO THE 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia Dinesh Karthik was assigned the finisher role and the batting lineup was built accordingly.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 18, 2024
Financial Express Mumbai

Nestle adds sugar to infant milk and cereal, finds report

A NEW REPORT has revealed that Nestle, the world's largest consumer goods and manufacturer of baby formula, is adding sugar to infant milk and cereal products sold in India, and other Asian, and African countries.

time-read
1 min  |
April 18, 2024
Financial Express Mumbai

India-made Daimler's electric mini truck to hit the road soon

INDIA WILL BE host to German trucking giant Daimler's only electric vehicle plant outside of Europe and Japan when it launches a locally-made electric light cargo truck in FY25.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 18, 2024
Samsung eyes ₹10,000 cr from India TV biz this year
Financial Express Mumbai

Samsung eyes ₹10,000 cr from India TV biz this year

SOUTH KOREAN GIANT Samsung is targeting a turnover of ₹10,000 crores for its television business in India this year, driven by growth in sales of its mid to-premium segment models, said Mohandeep Singh, senior VP, consumer electronics business in India.

time-read
1 min  |
April 18, 2024
Financial Express Mumbai

Microsoft AI Copilot speed boost for coding

WHEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Nikolai Avteniev got his hands on a preview version of Microsoft's Copilot coding assistant in 2021, he quickly saw the potential.

time-read
1 min  |
April 18, 2024
Financial Express Mumbai

US, China debt pose risks for global public finances: IMF

THE WORLD's TWO great economic rivals, China and the US, will drive much of the increase in global public debt over the next five years, with US spending creating trouble for many other countries by keeping interest rates high, officials at the International Monetary Fund said in a report.

time-read
1 min  |
April 18, 2024
Financial Express Mumbai

Language models in consumer tech

This move is designed to ensure better user experience & privacy

time-read
2 mins  |
April 18, 2024
Financial Express Mumbai

'Data centres' energy use doubles every four years'

Data centres are significant energy consumers, using about 2% of the world's power and emitting carbon dioxide equivalent to the airline industry.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 18, 2024
Financial Express Mumbai

Vi FPO: Foreign players invest big; about ₹5,400 crore raised

GQG, Fidelity buy almost 40% of the anchor investor portion

time-read
1 min  |
April 18, 2024