Milan Vaishnav

What’s fuelling BJP’s dominance in Indian politics?

In electoral terms, the BJP has become the central pole around which politics revolves. The decisive majority it earned in 2014 — coupled with an impressive string of state election triumphs over the past four years — arguably represents a critical juncture in the evolution of India’s party system.

House must act, but the courts cannot absolve themselves

The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that it did not have the authority to disqualify political candidates charge-sheeted with crimes — including sitting MPs and MLAs — from contesting elections.

Incumbency in India: More curse than blessing?

History suggests that incumbency tends to hurt ruling party politicians in the country more than it helps. To the extent that this trend holds in the next Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s recent political dominance would appear to harm its prospects of retaining its majority.

The path to reforms: Ensure enforcement, bring clarity

Election Commission of India (ECI) is outgunned when it comes to confronting those who circumvent existing campaign finance rules and lacks power to sanction candidates.

Power to the rich: India needs to talk about money in politics

The first of a five-part series explains how the desperate hunt for election campaign cash can threaten democracy.

Karnataka election results confirm a trend in another harsh blow to Congress

Notwithstanding the Karnataka election results, the 2019 race is not a foregone conclusion with three major Hindi belt states going to the polls at the end of the calendar year -- all states where the BJP will be playing defence rather than offence.

Karnataka election: Does high voter turnout spell trouble for incumbents?

Despite the popular notion that an increase in voter turnout is bad news for serving governments, three decades of electoral data shows voter turnout is not necessarily pro- or anti-incumbent; the relationship between these two variables is likely shaped by the specific context at hand in elections

Opinion: 2019 general election will be no cakewalk for Narendra Modi, BJP

When it comes to elections, BJP’s Narendra Modi is still a clear favourite. However he isn’t as invulnerable as he was in 2014. The saffron party has four crucial stumbling blocks that will determine its fate in 2019 and how it moves forward.

Finance bill makes funding for political parties more opaque than ever

Two months after the Union budget, the Modi government’s big political funding reform push has ended not with a bang, but a whimper

Book excerpt: How criminals were inducted into Indian politics during Emergency

In When Crime Pays, political scientist Milan Vaishnav explores the symbiotic relationship between crime and politics in India.

Neta-babu link: It’s complicated

Politician-bureaucrat ties far more complicated than perceived

Widespread political meddling has fuelled the notion that malicious politicians stand in the way of honest, hardworking bureaucrats who seek to implement key government policies. The relationship between politicians and the bureaucracy is far more complicated

Changing alliances, caste arithmetic: Bihar polls explained

The contest in Bihar is attracting an unusual amount of attention for a regional election because of the state’s size and the verdict’s broader political ramifications.

Modi govt moving gradually with regard to repealing outdated laws

Improving the rule of law is a tall order for any Indian government, especially during its first year in office. Perhaps the most one could expect are tangible signs that the new regime is making a down payment for long-term reform.