This exercise illustrates the perception among the residents/frequent visitors to all the 70 constituencies of Delhi, which go to polls on 7 February 2015. The exercise doesn’t undertake to suggest clear winners or losers but certainly suggests what the buzz on the seat is. And if we collate the buzz across the 70 constituencies, the findings are quite contrary to what the surveys by the television channels are suggesting. There are clear indications that pitched battle is being fought between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for every seat, wherein the Congress too has made pumped in all its energy to make the battle three-way in about 25 seats. This makes the situation very complex and it could be anybody’s game in the next 48 hours.  On the evening of 4 February 2015, the situation stood as under:

By Sidharth Mishra

India and the United States have agreed to operationalise the civilian nuclear deal of 2008, which could not be implemented all these years as differences remained over Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Act passed by Indian Parliament, which made the equipment suppliers (read the US and other foreign companies) ultimately responsible for an accident. All these years, countries like France and the US have asked India to follow global norms under which the primary liability lies with the operator. The deal agreed between India and US on Sunday gives considerable protection to the US suppliers through the creation of an insurance pool, which would be funded partly by the government-run insurance companies and the remaining expenditure would also be subsidized by the government.

The old cliché goes something like this — the battle lines are drawn. Talking of battle grounds, the upcoming Delhi assembly elections reminds SIDHARTH MISHRA of the Battle of Longewala in the western theatre during the 1971 war, when an infantry company demolished the campaign of a mechanised  infantry brigade. Battle of Longewala was later made into a famous film, Border, which the capital identifies with the human catastrophe its maiden show witnessed at Uphaar theatre.
Coming back to the poll campaign, as of now Arvind Kejriwal finds himself perfectly fitting in the role of Major Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri, the brave company commander of 23 Punjab Regiment, “who ensured that all his assets were correctly employed, and made the most use of his strong defensive position, and weaknesses created by errors in enemy tactics.” 

By SIDHARTH MISHRA

Last week’s notebook had focussed on how the campaign for upcoming assembly polls in the city was gearing up. In between Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at a poll rally in the Ramlila Grounds last Saturday and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal issued an apt rejoinder. With poll dates announced, the campaign has moved to a higher gear.

By Sidharth Mishra

Delhi has been bracing for  assembly polls for the past few months. Soon after a change of guard at the Centre, and with the BJP having won all the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital, it was thought that snap polls would be held. However, that did not happen. The Lieutenant Governor took his time to dissolve the 5th Vidhan Sabha, which had a fractured mandate, making formation of a popular government impossible.
Though various parties have got into the election season in different degrees, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been the most aggressive, having announced its candidates for all 70 seats. The BJP’s status can best described as ‘making attempts to consolidate’ its position. The process of consolidation, which started with a huge subsidy to power distribution companies, has concluded with the passing of a cabinet resolution that legalised unauthorised colonies in the national capital.