FM’s candid confession?

In a moment of unguarded candour that has set the political corridors abuzz, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman this past week made waves with her startling revelation. Declining the BJP’s ticket to contest in the Lok Sabha elections, she cited a lack of substantial ‘funds’ as her primary deterrent, unwittingly lifting the veil on the dark underbelly of India’s electoral battles.

This off-the-cuff remark, quickly dubbed as a slip of the tongue, has been interpreted by political pundits as an implicit acknowledgement of how the weight of one’s wallet might just tip the scales in the electoral ring more decisively than the strength of one’s policies.

As the comment stirs up a storm, the corridors of power are rife with whispers, wondering if this moment of transparency might just be the spark that ignites a broader conversation on the role of money in politics.

… booming economy?

A statement by Sitharaman has perplexed one and all, particularly when the economy is booming and India has become the fifth largest economy.

The FM has a strong case for cutting the income tax rate slabs in the next Budget rather than complicating the entire process by introducing a lower slab without any deduction — and leave some extra money in the hands of common man.

Now that GST collections are hitting a new high every passing month, will the FM budge?

President’s Rule in Delhi?

With Delhi’s Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, finding himself ensnared in the excise policy case, leading to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, he remains unyielding, refusing to resign and signalling intentions to govern from behind bars, a move that could lead Delhi into a Constitutional quagmire.

Meanwhile, whispers over the Centre contemplating President’s rule in Delhi add to the brewing storm. As Delhi stands at a crossroads, the nation watches keenly, anticipating the next act in this high-stakes political drama!

Unique ‘slipper’ symbol

An independent candidate, Jaganathan, contesting in the Tiruvannamalai constituency in Tamil Nadu shocked everybody when he wore a garland made of slippers after attending a meeting at a collectorate. The meeting was on allocation of symbols for various candidates.

When questioned about the garland, he said he had sought slipper garland as the symbol to contest the elections, and he was allotted the same.

Santosh on the backfoot

For those who track BJP, one of the most powerful persons in the saffron party after the Modi-Shah-Nadda trio has been BL Santosh, the national general secretary in charge of organisation. More often he is seen as the voice of RSS within the party.

Santhosh who hails from Karnataka was seen as having played a decisive role in Yediyurappa stepping down as CM. It is no secret that there is no love lost between the Lingayat strongman and the organisational secretary.

However, the Assembly poll debacle in 2023 where Santhosh steered the party strategy, has meant that he has been fully sidelined in the parliamentary polls.

Those close to him have been denied tickets while Yediyurappa acolytes have got the nod. In the decades-old shadow boxing within Karnataka BJP, this round has been won by BSY and his followers. Our Bureaus

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