Holding simultaneous polls is against federal structure of Indian constitution: Jagdeep Chhokar

By A Representative
Speaking at the Western Regional Consultation on Electoral and Political Reforms, organized by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the Gujarat Election Watch (GEW) in Ahmedabad, top academic Prof Jagdeep Chhokar, founder-trustee, ADR, said that the federal structure is “basic to the Indian Constitution and holding simultaneous elections is against the federal nature of the constitution and it will amount to changing the constitution itself.”
He added, one main reason given by the government to hold simultaneous elections is to bring down the cost of elections, though “nobody knows the exact amount of election expenditure during elections.”
Speaking on electoral malpractices, former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta said the main reason for for this is “lack of manpower with the Election Commission of India (ECI)”, adding, “During elections ECI is dependent on state administration and therefore it is unable to curb electoral malpractices effectively as they are under pressure from the ruling party in government.” Pointing towards “misuse of money power in elections”, he recommended, “ECI should have greater powers to punish election officers who are non-serious in combatting the menace of electoral malpractices.”
Prof Rohit Shukla, president, Drushti Foundation, expressed his apprehensions regarding ‘electoral bonds’ and the recent steps taken by the Government of India (GoI) by change relevant provisions of the Income tax Act, the Representation of People’s Act 1951 and the Companies Act 2013. He said, “The implications could be retrograde as far as transparency is concerned. He underlined the need to inculcate attributes with regard to funding of political parties that will enhance their transparency and accountability aspects rather than making it more and more opaque.”
Among those who participated in the discussions included Pankti Jog, Gujarat state coordinator, GEW, and Maj Gen Anil Verma (retd), who is head, ADR, apart from representatives of non-profit organizations, government bodies, political parties, media and academia.

BRICS ends, but Bangladesh's empty chair says more than any declaration

By Nava Thakuria The 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit, hosted by India at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on 12-13 September 2026, has concluded with leaders formally adopting the New Delhi Declaration. The gathering, themed "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," drew Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other leaders of the now 11-member bloc, along with heads of partner organisations such as ASEAN, the African Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. Diplomats had worked through the final hours to bridge differences — notably between Iran and the UAE over West Asian tensions — before the declaration was signed.

Swaminarayan, untouchability and the 'we are not Hindu' argument

By Rajiv Shah Following my blog on why the Eiffel Tower authorities should take all the blame for giving in to the Swaminarayan sadhus ’ bizarre demand to “invisibilise” women, including its female staff, during their visit to the internationally renowned Paris tourist centre on September 5, an interesting comment by one of the top academics drew my attention to something I vaguely knew about one of India’s most powerful and richest religious sects.

BAPS, the Eiffel Tower and the curious silence on secularism

By Rajiv Shah I was a little surprised to see how some of those whom I respect for taking a firm stand on patriarchal issues reacted to the manner in which they responded to the recent incident in Paris, in which women employees of the Eiffel Tower were asked to remain "invisible" on September 5 when 100 BAPS sadhus visited one of the world's top tourist destinations.

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