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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