All stories by ADITI PHADNIS
'BJP must become a more mainstream party'
Rediff.com24 Feb 2017'If the BJP wins UP and one or two other states, it could get emboldened and press ahead with its reckless agenda, as well as its divisive agenda.' 'If the BJP fails to form the government in UP and suffers a setback in Punjab and maybe one other state, it could go either way: It could become more reckless or pull back, pause and take stock, moderate its position.'
Is Shiv Sena changing the goalposts again?
Rediff.com21 Feb 2017From son of soil to Hindutva and from the BJP to Hardik Patel, the Shiv Sena has changed its stand time to time to reinvent itself.
Goyal mimes, Athawale struggles, Rahul gets serious
Rediff.com2 Feb 2017The finance minister's Budget presentation is a sombre affair, yes, but it wasn't as if the Lok Sabha was all serious through the speech.
Will Trump take sides in the India-Pakistan dispute?
Rediff.com31 Jan 2017'It is highly doubtful that the Trump administration will consider inserting itself into the volatile India-Pakistan dispute.'
Tough times await new CBI chief
Rediff.com30 Jan 2017Alok Verma, the 1979-batch IPS officer, will be in the hot seat because he will serve in 2018 and into 2019, the year of the general election.
Omkara cinematographer likely to contest Kashmir Lok Sabha poll
Rediff.com27 Jan 2017Tassaduq Hussain has always been reluctant to jump into full-time politics.
Sangh mutiny against Modi, Shah if BJP fails to win UP
Rediff.com21 Jan 2017'The disquiet in the Sangh is, of course, over demonetisation.' 'But more than that, it is about the growing centralisation in the running of the government and party,'
Nitin Gadkari, Modi's Big Plans minister
Rediff.com15 Jan 2017'If your paper writes something you don't agree with, will you criticise it?' Nitin Gadkari asks Aditi Phadnis when quizzed about demonetisation.
Will Najeeb Jung be the next vice-president?
Rediff.com7 Jan 2017Relations between an elected government of Delhi and the LG can never be cordial: It is just the way the relationship is structured.
Is Sabrimala ready for Trupti Desai?
Rediff.com2 Jan 2017Trupti Desai's fight earned women the right to enter the inner sanctums of the Shani Shingnapur Temple, the Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple and the Haji Ali Dargah. Her next target is Sabarimala in Kerala. Aditi Phadnis reports.
2017: The Year of Elections
Rediff.com2 Jan 20175 states that contribute just under a fifth of the Lok Sabha's seats will go to the polls early this year.
Kiren Rijiju, the BJP's man in Arunachal Pradesh
Rediff.com16 Dec 2016The BJP has not really put up any defence for Rijiju who is mostly defending himself.
Greed leads 11,592 cybercrime cases in 2015
Rediff.com13 Dec 20168,121 people were arrested in 2015 for cybercrimes, a 41% increase from 2014.
Sasikala's bittersweet journey with Jaya
Rediff.com7 Dec 2016Sasikala's name is doing the rounds for the general secretary's job, but it is one thing for Sasikala to acquire power under Jayalalithaa's wing and quite another when the CM is somebody else, says Aditi Phadnis.
Can Mamata Banerjee unite the Opposition?
Rediff.com26 Nov 2016Can Mamata Banerjee unite the Opposition?
Demonetisation: The Political Fallout
Rediff.com21 Nov 2016Despite the indisputable facts demonetisation and its pain is yet to have a quantifiable political backlash. But this is provided the government can limit the damage to the next one week.
And the state with the most number of jailbreaks is...
Rediff.com7 Nov 2016According to a recent RTI query, UP tops the list for most jailbreaks.
Will SP lose Muslim voters to Mayawati?
Rediff.com4 Nov 2016If Muslims back Mayawati, nothing can stop her from forming the next government in UP.
How Akhilesh wants to make a comeback
Rediff.com3 Nov 2016'Akhilesh's plan is simple.' 'He wants to lead the party on the strength of the infrastructural development his government has done, capitalise on the massive sympathy wave of young people in the state who dream of doing what he has managed to do -- defy a feudal, greying orthodoxy that occupies and sits on posts and positions never to leave.'