Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Modi's party seeks to unseat 'common man' in Delhi election

A diminutive former tax inspector is in the cross-hairs of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling party as it battles to take back power in Delhi state elections on Saturday (8).

Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of the sprawling capital of 20 million since 2015, is standing for re-election -- much to the chagrin of Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is reeling from protests and a faltering economy.


Despite being swept to a second term in national elections last year, the BJP has not run Delhi since 1998 and it has campaigned heavily to try and unseat Kejriwal, who has been giving Modi a run for his money in appealing to the city's poor.

Many ordinary voters see Kejriwal, 51, a co-founder of the Common Man Party, as "one of them", political strategist Amitabh Tiwari said.

"He symbolises the power of the common man -- that the common man can also contest and win elections."

The stakes are high for the BJP after it lost control of Maharashtra state, whose capital is Mumbai, late last year.

Economic growth is its slowest in six years, unemployment is high, inflation is accelerating and India has seen weeks of at-times violent demonstrations over a new citizenship law.

The law, making it easier for non-Muslim persecuted minorities to become Indian, has stoked suspicion that Modi wants to turn officially secular India into a Hindu nation, something he denies.

A poor showing in the capital this weekend would be another blow to the party -- and galvanise an opposition demoralised by last year's national election defeat.

If Kejriwal wins, he will have "shown a way of beating Modi", Mohan Guruswamy from the Centre for Policy Alternatives think-tank said.

"Geographically Delhi might not be big, but politically it is big. A defeat will be highly symbolic."

Kejriwal's popularity in Delhi's teeming slums rivals that of Modi, 69, the son of a tea-seller who has carved out an image as a man of the people.

"Before Kejriwal came to power, most of our money went on electricity bills and we didn't receive proper water supply," said slum-dweller and mother-of-five Salatun, who survives on the meagre salary of her ragpicker husband.

"Now, both these problems have been solved. We hope that... Kejriwal comes back to power. It'll be great for us."

- Popular heroes -

Kejriwal and Modi have much in common.

Both swept away years of government by the grand old party of Indian politics, Congress, promising a new style free of corruption and the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.

Their parties are mass movements centred on their personalities, both have been the subject of films, both have doled out freebies to voters -- and promises from both have fallen short.

The difference though is that Modi's politics also carry a heavy dose of "Hindutva" -- hegemony for India's majority Hindus -- while Kejriwal's do not, analysts say.

"The BJP is using its identity-based appeals, political polarisation to win elections," political scientist Neelanjan Sircar from Ashoka University said.

"The strategy is quite clear in that sense, but it's a very dangerous game. These are not wounds that heal easily."

Indeed in the Delhi election campaign the BJP's tone has become ever shriller, with some members implying Kejriwal is a "terrorist" backing Muslim-majority arch enemy Pakistan.

The party also has sought to turn the election into a referendum on a women's sit-in protest against the citizenship law that has snarled traffic for weeks.

The heightened rhetoric has sowed doubt in the poll outcome, with analysts saying it is not clear if voters will be drawn to the BJP's dog whistling.

"That is what is going to be tested," Guruswamy said.

"In the last five years... the economy has tanked and yet Prime Minister Modi has been re-elected, so he thinks that sloganeering will get them in."

More For You

Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India crash probe finds fuel to engines was cut off before impact

Highlights

 
     
  • Fuel to both engines of the Air India flight was cut off seconds before the crash
  •  
  • A pilot was heard questioning the other over the cut-off; both denied initiating it.
  •  
  • The Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
  •  
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel switch movement; full analysis may take months.

FUEL control switches to both engines of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff were moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position seconds before the crash, according to a preliminary investigation report released early Saturday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have consistently reported Chinese research vessel presence. (Representational image: Getty Images)

Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

A Chinese research vessel was detected operating in the Bay of Bengal near Indian waters while attempting to conceal its presence by disabling its Automatic Identification System (AIS), according to a report by The Economic Times, citing French maritime intelligence firm Unseenlabs.

The French company conducted a 16-day satellite-based survey tracking ships through radio frequency emissions. It monitored 1,897 vessels, with 9.6 per cent showing no AIS activity, indicating attempts to avoid detection. The survey raised concerns amid increased Chinese activity in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian-inspired garden earns
five awards at Hampton Court

(From left) Malcolm Anderson (RHS, head of sustainability) Clare Matterson (RHS director general), Lorraine Bishton (Subaru UK and Ireland, managing director) Andrew Ball (director, Big Fish Landscapes) Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews with the medals

Asian-inspired garden earns five awards at Hampton Court

BRITISH Asians are being encouraged to take up gardening by a couple who have won a record five medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“It’s a contemporary reimagining of a traditional walled garden, highlighting the British and Irish rainforests,” said Jewlsy Mathews, who was born in Britain of parents from Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its lush vegetation.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England

iStock

England faces widespread heat alerts and hosepipe bans amid rising temperatures

Highlights:

  • Amber heat health alerts in place for large parts of England
  • Hosepipe bans announced in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex
  • Temperatures could reach 33°C over the weekend
  • Health risks rise, especially for elderly and vulnerable groups

Heat warnings in effect as UK braces for another hot weekend

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England, with temperatures expected to climb to 33°C in some areas over the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the warning at 12 pm on Friday, with it set to remain in place until 9 am on Monday.

The alerts cover the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, East of England, and London. Additional yellow alerts were issued for the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber, starting from midday Friday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Essex ladybird invasion

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear

Dee-anne Markiewicz / SWNS

Swarms of ladybirds invade Essex coastline amid soaring temperatures

Highlights:

  • Ladybird swarms reported across Essex and Suffolk coastal towns
  • Hot weather likely driving the sudden surge in population
  • Sightings include Point Clear, Shoebury, Clacton and Felixstowe
  • Similar outbreaks occurred in 1976 during another hot UK summer

Sudden surge in ladybird numbers across the southeast

Millions of ladybirds have been spotted swarming towns and villages along the Essex coast, with similar sightings stretching into Suffolk. Residents have reported unusually high numbers of the red and black-spotted insects, particularly near coastal areas, with the recent hot weather believed to be a major contributing factor.

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear, a village near St Osyth in Essex, where the insects could be seen piling on top of each other on driftwood and plants.

Keep ReadingShow less