'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.'

From 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.

The 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.

'It is highly doubtful that the Trump administration will consider inserting itself into the volatile India-Pakistan dispute.'

Alok 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.

Tassaduq Hussain has always been reluctant to jump into full-time politics.

'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,'

'If your paper writes something you don't agree with, will you criticise it?' Nitin Gadkari asks Aditi Phadnis when quizzed about demonetisation.

Relations between an elected government of Delhi and the LG can never be cordial: It is just the way the relationship is structured.

Trupti 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.

5 states that contribute just under a fifth of the Lok Sabha's seats will go to the polls early this year.

Prepare to be surprised in Tamil Nadu

The BJP has not really put up any defence for Rijiju who is mostly defending himself.

8,121 people were arrested in 2015 for cybercrimes, a 41% increase from 2014.

Sasikala'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?

Despite 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.

According to a recent RTI query, UP tops the list for most jailbreaks.

If Muslims back Mayawati, nothing can stop her from forming the next government in UP.

'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.'