Kartik Lokhande's blog

* The year 2014 saw BJP sweeping Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly polls, and Nagpur in particular and Vidarbha in general getting their long-deserved share in political power in the Centre as well as in the State * Devendra Fadnavis became the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra from Nagpur, and Nitin Gadkari got a powerful position in the four-member Core Group of BJP at national level apart from becoming Union Minister with several portfolios By Kartik Lokhande  It is never too late. The wait of Nagpur in particular and Vidarbha region in general for political power was over in the year 2014. With the city and the region playing a strong role in emergence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power, both got their due share in the power in the Centre as well as in Maharashtra. Of course, substantial share in power to the long-waiting region will go a long way in consolidating the position of BJP further. The ‘power shift’ could be sensed well before Lok Sabha e...

* AICC chief Sonia Gandhi calls meeting of all state unit chiefs of party on October 28 in Delhi, to assess the situation Staff Reporter Defeated in Lok Sabha as well as Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, Congress has now started blaming ‘problem with EVMs’ for its rout. Manikrao Thakre, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President who resigned recently, said that the party was receiving several complaints from its candidates raising doubts over functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). “There is need for conducting a probe into this,” said Thakre while addressing a press conference in Nagpur on Saturday. However, he said that the party would not lodge official complaint against EVMs with Election Commission of India. “It is for the individual candidates to take appropriate decision,” he added. He told mediapersons that Sonia Gandhi, All India Congress Committee (AICC) President, had called a meeting with chiefs of all state units of the party...

SPECIAL REPORT * Delivering its most stupendous performance so far, BJP gained all 10 Lok Sabha seats in elections held earlier this year. BJP, which had alliance with Shiv Sena intact then, had secured a lead in 58 out of total 62 Assembly segments in 10 LS seats in the region. By Kartik Lokhande  Vidarbha has always been an important battleground for political parties, in Lok Sabha as well as Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections. As all the major political parties are contesting independently, and many rebels are contesting as Independent candidates, the Assembly polls have become more interesting this time. Against this backdrop if one takes a look at the Assembly election results between 1962 and 2009, and Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, it comes out that Congress has been on a steady decline while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seen steady rise over the years. Congress has been reduced from 45 out of total 63 Assembly seats in 1962, to 24 i...

Interview * Seeks quizzing of former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde in the matter By Kartik Lokhande  Dr Subramanian Swamy, senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and noted lawyer, gave a new twist to the controversy over death of former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar. Swamy said that Sunanda was ‘killed professionally’ to silence her from revealing ‘shocking’ things about ‘Oil for Food’ scam. Dr Subramanian Swamy (Pic by Satish Raut) Swamy was talking to ‘The Hitavada’ during his visit to the city on Saturday afternoon. Already, he has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking institution of a probe through Special Investigation Team (SIT) into Sunanda’s death. “Even the changed autopsy report of AIIMS says that Sunanda’s death was unnatural. Professional killers finished her in order to stop her from making revelations about involvement of money earned from ‘Oil for Food’ scam being pumped into Indian Premi...

16-05-14 NEWS ANALYSIS By Kartik Lokhande “My idea of governance is a ‘P2G2’ formula— pro-people proactive good governance: Narendra Modi.” This tweet of Modi a couple of days before counting of votes, speaks about what has appealed to the voters in the country. Fed up with the politics of ‘Secularism Vs Secularism’ and veiled or direct appeals for voting on the lines of caste or religion, the voters in the country this time have preferred the promise of development and good governance over the so-called threat of communalism or secularism. The Lok Sabha election this time proved to be historic for a variety of reasons -- non-Congress Government coming to power with thumping majority, charisma of a man called Narendra Modi working wonders for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) like never-before, almost all exit polls proving true in predicting win of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), young and educated voters coming out to vote in big numbers with commitment to effec...

NaMo, RaGa prelude to 2014 battle for ballot * Chiefs of major parties including Sonia Gandhi (Congress), Rajnath Singh (BJP), Sharad Pawar (NCP) and Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena) made it a point to visit Nagpur charging up political atmosphere ahead of elections scheduled in 2014 * BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, and Congress’ likely Prime Ministerial candidate Rahul Gandhi also made sure that their visit generated positive whiff of air for respective parties By Kartik Lokhande As the nation gears up for Lok Sabha election and Maharashtra for Legislative Assembly polls scheduled in 2014, Nagpur is attracting a lot of attention from all major parties that would matter in these ‘battles for ballot’. The year 2013 saw top politicians from these parties making it a point to visit Nagpur, the focal point of Vidarbha’s politics. In the process, the Orange City also saw the prelude to 2014 polls in visits of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi...