Tuesday 14 July 2026, by P S Jayaramu Book Review: Learning Across Continents: My Academic Odyssey, by Sandeep ShastriBook review https://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article16828.html Writers Choice Publications Pvt Ltd. New Delhi, 2026, Pp.158, Price: Rs. 495. ISBN : 978-93-49389-26-7 Prof. Sandeep Shastri , who is a well known academician writing for decades on electoral poitics, federal relations and about the functioning of India’s democratic institutions has penned a book

Academic memoirs often walk a fine line between personal storytelling and professional reflection. In Learning Across Continents: My Academic Odyssey, Dr Sandeep Shastri attempts to strike that balance by recounting his journey throug h higher education, public life and international academic engagement. The book traces the author's life from his early years to his roles in Indian higher education, interwoven with experiences from his travels to several countries for conferen

India’s party system appears to be entering a new phase, with the BJP emerging as the main national force across Lok Sabha and state politics. The article authored by Dr Sandeep compares this phase with the earlier Congress-led one party dominant system. It also looks at why the BJP’s dominance is different, where opposition parties still hold ground, and what could decide the next stage of Indian politics. The politics of India has come full circle. From a one party dominant

Finally, the much-debated change of guard in Karnataka was taken forward by the Congress’s central leadership, and the state has a new Chief Minister. For the past few months, it was becoming increasingly clear that D K Shivakumar taking over was not an ‘if’ but a ‘when’ question. While it is true that in the past, similar promised transitions in Congress regimes had not been carried forward in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, the Karnataka case seemed different.

This democracy has seen very high voter participation in successive elections. The clear articulation of the popular mandate has been witnessed, leading to the assertion that the victor in every election is the 'Voter of India.' Yet, the question needs to be raised whether we are increasingly becoming an 'election-only' democracy. New Delhi: As we celebrate seventy-six years of being a republic, it is an appropriate time and moment to reflect on the road traversed and the jou

We walk a narrow and tenuous path between "ifs" and "buts" when it comes to exit poll numbers. Until the final trends emerge on October 8th, exit polls provide a lens through which we can view and assess the realm of possibilities in the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. While exit polls for Haryana indicate a common direction, with some variation in numbers, the projections for Jammu and Kashmir lend themselves to multiple interpretations. A closer look at th

The third and final round of voting for the Jammu & Kashmir elections will be held tomorrow (October 1). This is the first assembly poll in the erstwhile state after 2014. The last 10 years have seen momentous changes in the political complexion of the region. Soon after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Article 370, which gave a special status to the state, was rescinded. Further, it was divided into two Union Territories – Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. The Bharatiya Janata Party (B

Karnataka politics has become familiar with tumult. Over the last four decades, less than two years after every new government has settled into office with fanfare, it has gotten caught in crossfires regarding visible misgovernance, allegations of corruption, waves of political instability, or challenges to leadership. It has often been a combination of these factors. Siddaramaiah’s 16-month-old government faces multi-track challenges despite being given a clear mandate by vo

```html Three crucial by-elections to the state legislature are due in a few weeks. All vacancies have been caused by the seats being vacated by incumbents who were elected to the Lok Sabha. There is no empirical evidence to indicate that by-elections support the ruling party or the Opposition. No trend shows that by-elections favour or go against the party of the one vacating the seat. However, two points can be made. First, all things being equal, in a by-election held with

The Indian voter has again asserted that the ‘local’ is central in electoral politics. One of the biggest lessons from the year-end polls and bypolls was about incumbency—a party or candidate loses an election more than someone else wins it. This was true across the board: ruling regimes held their own turfs. In Maharashtra, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and its three principal constituents lost, as did the BJP in Jharkhand in its attempts to make forays into the tribal he

Looking at 2024 from the perspective of electoral politics, one thing is certain. That is, the outcome of every election was uncertain! The voters of the country said in the elections what the benefits of plurality are. At the end of 2023, the BJP had won a hat-trick of victories in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and entered 2024 with confidence. The BJP had the confidence (some say too much confidence) to carry the chariot of victory forward. But the year 2024 is

2024 was a year in which the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) skills in managing coalitions and addressing multiple challenges—some with finesse and others through subtle manipulation—clearly came to the forefront. The year began with the party fresh from victories in the assembly elections of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan. The primary focus, however, was on the Lok Sabha elections. For the BJP, the Lok Sabha election was about expanding its political footprint wh

With an ever-increasing middle class in India, the demand for quality education and better infrastructure is on the rise in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. These cities are constantly adapting the urbanization processes of the metro cities and are emerging as an alternative to the saturated markets of the metro cities. Also, as we are all aware, Coronavirus (COVID-19) has disrupted the global economy and affected universities, colleges, and schools as well, the demand is rapidly ex

As India is becoming an election-only democracy, holding elections once every five years would reduce voter participation. There should be other alternatives on the table too. The central government recently took a major step to keep its electoral promise and bring in a common schedule of elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies. It introduced the 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024 and the Amendment to the Government of Union Territories Act 1963

The Congress-led government in the state will complete 20 months in the first month of the new year. That is, one-third of the total 60-month (5-year) tenure will have been completed. The next 20 months will be a crucial phase in the evaluation of the government. Previous governments led by different parties seem to have stumbled in the second 20 months of their tenure. There was a lack of rhythm in governance and a lack of focus on priorities. It was very difficult for those

The Congress-led government in the state will complete 20 months in the first month of the new year. That is, one-third of the total 60-month (5-year) tenure will have been completed. The next 20 months will be a crucial phase in the evaluation of the government. Previous governments led by different parties seem to have stumbled in the second 20 months of their tenure. There was a lack of rhythm in governance and a lack of focus on priorities. It was very difficult for those

As the Democratic Republic of India celebrates seventy-five years of its journey, it is an appropriate moment to sit back and reflect on the ‘State of the Republic’. How has the journey been over the last seven and a half decades? What are the assets we accumulated and the liabilities that show up on the ‘political balance sheet’? Have we as a nation and its citizens capitalized on the assets and worked towards reducing the liabilities? Have the assets shrunk or expanded, and

The results of an election are often a by-product of who lost, and, in the process, who won. The just-concluded Assembly elections in Delhi are a case in point. After a decade in power, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) saw a sharp decline in public support, with the ‘credibility quotient’ of its leadership clearly taking a dip. A direct corollary to this development was a decisive victory for the BJP. The Lokniti-CSDS Survey, carried out between January 29 and February 6 (the day a

The re-delimitation of Lok Sabha seats after 2026 has led to a conflict between the ruling BJP at the Centre and its political opponents in South India. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who feels that the upcoming re-delimitation exercise is a burden on the southern states, has called a meeting of all political parties in Tamil Nadu to discuss the issue. He has also written to some Chief Ministers. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in an attempt to ease the concerns in Sou

In the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP did not declare a chief ministerial candidate. It kept the focus on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the “face” of its campaign, seeking votes on the promise of the “Modi guarantees”. For the AAP, the electoral campaign and strategy revolved around the persona of Arvind Kejriwal. The Lokniti-CSDS Survey conducted around the time of the elections indicates that for a majority of the respondents (57%), the party was the most c

The debate on the caste survey in Karnataka has unleashed political convulsions in state politics in general and the state’s ruling party in particular. The leading opposition, the BJP, is watching from the sidelines and hoping that the Congress’s internal contradictions would remain center-stage and they would be able to reap its political dividends. With the Congress central leadership committed to caste surveys as part of its commitment to social justice, there has been su

Controversies regarding the authenticity of electoral rolls have arisen with regular frequency—both after the declaration of results as well as during the process of updating the rolls. Errors of both omission (when names that should have been on the list are excluded) and commission (when names that shouldn’t have been on the list are included) have been highlighted. The Quality of Voter List studies conducted by the non-profit Janaagraha more than a decade and a half ago ha

The Congress party is facing many challenges, both politically and organizationally. Whenever the party seems to be taking a decisive step forward, it gets caught up in indecision, internal squabbles, and unnecessary bragging. The party’s being out of power at the Centre for over a decade and its failure to remain in power in the states further complicates the party’s situation. The BJP, which is in power at the Centre, is turning challenging situations into opportunities, wh

The major political parties in Karnataka are facing serious internal conflicts. This is the result of political competition that leaders face within their own party. Personal political revenge, exploiting opportunities for their own benefit, personal gain… all these generally have a bad effect on party unity. All these are becoming a curse for all the major parties in Karnataka. Let’s look at the state of Congress. Because the party high command is not speaking out, there is

Seven delegations representing all parties, which were sent abroad to explain India’s position on ‘Operation Vermilion’, have completed their work. They have returned to India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met all the members of the delegations, has appreciated the efforts of the delegations. This is a good time to review the developments surrounding this – the process by which the delegations were formed, the way in which they were assigned tasks, the information they w

Every time the Congress party takes a decisive step forward, it subsequently appears plagued by indecisiveness. And this is often coupled with infighting, overconfidence, and needless bravado. What makes the situation more complex for the party is being out of power at the Centre for over a decade and unable to retain power in states. Further compounding this already complicated situation is the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which never loses an opportunity to launch a susta

The latest round in the controversy over the authenticity of the electoral rolls and alleged “vote-theft” involves the missive from the Leader of the Opposition to the Election Commission of India and the body’s subsequent response. Three issues have come to the fore: First, the complaint merits attention as the issues raised are also at the heart of the Special Intensive Revision process underway in Bihar right now. The objections relate to the alleged discrepancies of over

Comprising 59 members, the seven all-party delegations brought together MPs from various parties, politicians, and former diplomats. Of these, two delegations were led by BJP leaders, two by leaders from NDA allies outside the BJP, and three by members of the opposition. While the government initiated the formation of these delegations, it had a clear rationale behind selecting both the heads and the participating members. New Delhi: The seven all-party delegations that were

The Election Commission has announced September 9 as the date for the Vice Presidential election. Now, all eyes are on the election for that important post. In the backdrop of Jagdeep Dhankhar's recent sudden resignation from the post of Vice President, we need to look at this development in the broader political context. Many people discussed a lot of things immediately after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned. With the post of Vice President falling vacant for almost three weeks, we

I If the citizen is central to our preparation for a Viksit Bharat, what is the ecosystem we would need to help this citizen play that desired role of being the champion of this transformation? As one reflects on this theme, the famous lines from the Bhagavad Gita come to mind. Lord Krishna advises Arjuna: “Whatever happened was good. Whatever is happening in the present is also good, and whatever will happen in the future will also be good.” Prime Minister Modi, in his recen

SANDEEP SHASTRI National Coordinator of Lokniti Network, Director (Academics) at NITTE Education Trust, and Co-editor, Indian Youth in a Transforming World Being a facilitator in the higher education space for over four decades has been a truly humbling and overwhelming experience for me. From X to Z, each generation has been innovative and transformative. In one of the institutions I worked in, you could see a thoughtfully stated statement every time you entered the building

One of the largest youth electorates is looking keenly at the promises being made by the three main players in Bihar. They have all grown up during Nitish Kumar’s reign as chief minister and are increasingly aspirational. Though they feel a strong sense of anti-incumbency, they want leaders who can deliver. With the Bihar election campaign gaining steam, the spotlight is increasingly focused on three key factors—the caste calculus, alliance chemistry, and women’s vote—that pa

Since the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 became a part of the learning ecosystem, a 'Pancha Sutra' of learner-centric practices has become relevant. These are based on conceptualization in the context of the goals of NEP, implementation of the same as part of classroom activities, review and reflection of their effectiveness, and learner feedback. The first ‘sutra’ is essentially philosophical. In implementing NEP 2020 as a practice, this ‘sutra’ is critical for the cre

The 7th of May will see the remaining 14 constituencies of Karnataka going to the polls. These seats are largely in Northern and Central Karnataka. The last time around (2019), the BJP won all the 14 seats. In 2014, the BJP had won 10 of the seats with the Congress securing 4. This time around, there is a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP, with the JDS (as part of its alliance with the BJP) not contesting any seats in this region. There are three distinct region

At a recent panel discussion, the former Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian compared the dismissal of state governments and the Centre taking over state administration during the decade of the United Progressive Alliance government to the 10 years of the current Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government. Across these two decades, has the misuse of constitutional provisions dramatically reduced? One of the most discussed and controversial

The last phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections is today (June 1). Seven-phase elections are nothing new. The elections were held in a similar manner in 2019 as well. What is new is the long gap of six weeks between the first and last phase of voting. Last time, there was a gap of five weeks. A kind of fatigue can be seen among political parties, leaders, candidates, and voters. The election campaigning process began in early April and ended by the end of May. Thus, the

Karnataka politics has been in a state of unbridled mudslinging for the past two weeks. It is unprecedented. There has been a huge amount of accusations and counter-accusations. Each political party seems to take great pleasure in accusing its opponent of being the embodiment of corruption. There is a battle going on here between 'your corruption' and 'my corruption'. It seems as if one wrong is being tried to correct another. It is very clear that political mudslinging has r

It has been almost six weeks since the Lok Sabha election results were declared. There has been much debate on whether a party performed better in the Lok Sabha elections or whether it claimed victory with the support of its alliance partner. There is also the question of whether the fact that the opposition is strong in the Lok Sabha means that it will do better there. But this article looks at how the results in Karnataka will affect politics there. Through what lens can th

It has been about seven weeks since the Lok Sabha election results were announced. In that time, there have been many discussions about whether a party improved its performance or merely relied on its alliance to declare victory, and if a stronger Opposition in the Lok Sabha means a better performance. This column, however, focuses on a different question: what was the impact of the verdict in Karnataka? Which lens does one use to assess the state’s verdict? In many ways, non

Karnataka was seen as one of the swing states in the Lok Sabha polls. Both the BJP and the Congress had invested a lot of time and effort to swing the state in their favor. The BJP even entered into an alliance with the JDS to ensure that the anti-Congress vote was not split. As the results came trickling in, it was clear that the Karnataka voter had ensured political takeaways for both the BJP-led alliance as well as the Congress. Neither could claim unequivocal support of t

The voters of India have once again asserted their collective voice! They have responded categorically to the promises and assurances made by the political players of different political hues. Major political parties and alliances have both positive ...Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/a-reality-check-for-bjp-a-boost-for-the-opposition-3053018 Sandeep Shastri

The seats from which Prime Ministers and Prime Ministerial candidates have contested have attracted significant attention. The margin of their victories has been a topic of debate. Given the sharp rise in the number of voters per constituency over the last seven decades, it may be useful to look at the percentage of votes that Prime Ministerial candidates secured in the seats they contested. A review from 1952 to 2024 reveals there are 21 relevant contests. These include elec

The Lok Sabha elections drew a sharp debate on reservation policies in general and caste census in particular. After the results, the formation of a coalition government with at least one key player, JD(U), having been supportive of a caste census, and the Lok Sabha leader of opposition’s unequivocal statement on such a census kept the spotlight on the issue. Further, the Supreme Court recently placed both caste census and reservation on the Centre-state scale. One needs to a

As the nation prepares to celebrate seventy-five years of being a Republic, it is also a time to pause and review the political balance sheet of the country. One must assess the major achievements and outline the key challenges. It is important to record that less than two percent of the current population of the country was born prior to January 26, 1950. Our current central council of ministers, led by the Prime Minister, belongs to a generation born after India became a re

With Narendra Modi becoming Prime Minister for the third time, there has been extensive discussion on the Union Council of Ministers under a coalition government. We looked at the Cabinet — the most powerful, senior-most ministers — in 2014, when Modi first became Prime Minister, and at the end of the first term in 2019, then at the start of the second term and the end of the second term in 2024, and the new batch after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Has there been continuity

ಪು. ಸಂಧೀಪ್ ಶಾಶಿ, ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ 14 ಲೋಕಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಗಳ ಮತದಾರರು ಮಹತ್ವದ ಚುನಾವಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಶುಕ್ರವಾರ ತಮ್ಮ ಹಕ್ಕು ಚಲಾಯಿಸಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅಂದರೆ, ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಉನ್ನತ ಲೋಕಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಗಳ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳ ಜನ ತೀರ್ಪು ತಿಳಿಯಲಿದೆ. ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಬರುವ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಪಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾಲ್ಗೊಂಡು ಈ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಗಳ ಮತದಾರರು ತಮ್ಮ ಮತದ ಮೂಲಕ ಪ್ರಜಾಪ್ರಭುತ್ವದ ಬಲವರ್ಧನೆಗೆ, ಭವಿಷ್ಯದ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶನ ನೀಡಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಎಂದಿಗೂ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಭಾರತ, ನೆಲೆಯಾದ, ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟವಾದ ಭಾಗವಾಗಿ ಬಿಜೆಪಿಯ ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ, 2019ರ ಚುನಾವಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಪ್ರಭಾವಶೀಲ ಸಾಧನೆ ಎಲ್ಲ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಗಳಲ್ಲೂ ಮಾಡಿದೆ. ಆದರೆ, ವಿಭಿನ್ನ ಕಾರಣಗಳಿಂದ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್

With four phases of the Lok Sabha elections behind us, political analyst Sandeep Shastri is sensing a change as the election progresses. “What has changed is that BJP initially claimed this election is a no-contest, now we see a contest in all states, it is evident,” he told TNIE ’s Bansy Kalappa . How have four phases of voting gone? What have been your biggest takeaways? Importantly, are you hearing that Modi is turning out to be a lesser factor? Each of the four phases ha

If one were to go with the 2019 Lok Sabha election schedule, we are a little over 40 days away from the first day of polls. The political weather in Karnataka is truly heating up with the BJP (along with its ally, the JDS) and the Congress launching an all-out offensive to win public support in the run-up to the elections. Five dimensions of the Lok Sabha polls from Karnataka merit our attention. Firstly, the Karnataka voter has always had a different lens to view state assem

The first two phases of polling for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections have been completed, and the third and final phase will be held on October 1. This is the first assembly election held here since 2014. This means that the voters of Jammu and Kashmir are exercising their right to elect a new government after a gap of a decade. The political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir has undergone significant changes in the last ten years. The special status granted under Articl