
The author is President, Swaraj India, and Member, Swaraj Abhiyan, and Jai Kisan Andolan. Views expressed are personal
Yogendra Yadav in the Hindu
Here is a paradox about political participation in this election. On the one hand, the evidence on voter turnout suggests a mild decline in popular participation. The final data for the first phase indicates a one percentage point drop and the second phase a two percentage point drop compared to figures in the same areas for 2004. On the other hand, the final list of candidates released by the Election Commission shows a sharp jump compared to the previous elections.More here
Yogendra Yadav in the Hindu:
Pre-election polls, including the one conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in January, showed that issues like the Indo-U.S. deal, Hindutva and reservations did not excite the people. These surveys showed that unemployment and price rise were overriding concerns with people cutting across classes.
The other possible election issue was national security. This has a wider appeal than the Congress was willing to initially grant.
..There is no nationwide overarching theme in this election. That does not mean there are no issues. As the principal arena of political contestation has shifted to the State level, so have the major issues. The unfolding human tragedy in Sri Lanka is the latest example of one that could have serious implications for this election, but only at the State level. The same could be said of a number of issues that have come up in various States.
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Yogendra Yadav in the Hindu
There are five very common beliefs about the political behaviour of Indian Muslims. First, they vote in large numbers and participate more in politics, much more than the rest of the electorate. Secondly, they vote ‘en bloc’ for one candidate or party. Thirdly, Muslim voters are more ‘strategic’ in their voting and tend to hold back their decisions until the last moment. Fourthly, they are less autonomous in their decision making and more likely to be influenced by clerics or traditional community leaders, guided more by pan-Islamic or community issues rather than by quotidian interests. Finally, they are less supportive of democracy than the rest of the population.
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Political scientist Yogendra Yadav examines six myths surrounding the Indian elections on BBC
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