Mepco bill

UDF’s near three-fourths majority marked a historic victory for the Congress-led coalition

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Victory celebrations of UDF candidate V. P. Sajeendran after winning the Kunnathunad Assembly constituency seat. | Photo Credit: R_K_Nithin In a clear-cut mandate, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has won the 2026 Assembly election in Kerala with a vote share that is the coalition’s highest since the 2001 election. After a decade in Opposition, … Read more

UDF carries Kerala across all regions, thrives in Malabar

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Women stands in a queue to cast their vote in Namboothiri Vidyalayam, Thrissur | Photo Credit: K K Mustafah As Kerala’s 2026 Assembly election results progress to the final rounds, the writing on the wall is clear that the State has drastically swung back to Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) rule. Results as of 4:20 … Read more

DMK’s fortress of Chennai breached like never before

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TVK supporters celebrate after the party won the assembly elections. | Photo Credit: Ragur R As the counting for the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections is underway, it is evident that the newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay, has swept all but two of the 16 assembly constituencies in the … Read more

Rural sweep and urban gains sets the BJP up for a decisive majority in West Bengal | Data

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Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party gesture during a campaign rally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the West Bengal state Legislative Assembly elections, in Kolkata, India, Sunday, April 26, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have finally breached West Bengal after years of threatening to defeat the formidable … Read more

TVK changes Tamil Nadu’s political landscape | Data

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Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by actor Joseph C. Vijay has emerged as the single largest party in the 2026 Assembly elections, as per the trends. | Photo Credit: L. Balachandar In what is clearly a tectonic turn in Tamil Nadu politics, the fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by actor Joseph C. Vijay has … Read more

Click your constituency: how the Data team examined electorates

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Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units are stored inside the strong room at Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchi | Photo Credit: VENGADESH R Welcome back data enthusiasts! In April, four States and one Union Territory headed to the polls to cast their vote for the 2026 Assembly elections. Published – … Read more

A SIR-marred turnout in West Bengal

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Voters queue up as they wait to cast their votes during the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026, on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: ANI West Bengal, where the assembly polls concluded on Wednesday, recorded a voter turnout of close to 92%, the highest in the State’s electoral history according to provisional figures … Read more

Tamil Nadu election 2026: Absolute voter increases seen across State followed spatial patterns

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Democratic right: People gathered in large numbers to cast their vote at KC Sankaralinga Nadar School in Kasimedu, part of Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam The all-time high turnout in Tamil Nadu – 85.1%, according to provisional figures from the Election Commission of India – was shown to be a consequence … Read more

Tamil Nadu election 2026: Absolute voter increases seen across State followed spatial patterns

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Democratic right: People gathered in large numbers to cast their vote at KC Sankaralinga Nadar School in Kasimedu, part of Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam The all-time high turnout in Tamil Nadu – 85.1%, according to provisional figures from the Election Commission of India – was shown to be a consequence … Read more

Greater Chennai, northern T.N. may shape poll results

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A region-wise analysis show that the North and Greater Chennai regions tipped the scales heavily in favour of the SPA | Photo Credit: KARTHIKEYAN G As Tamil Nadu braces for the results of its assembly polls, the two Dravidian majors — the DMK and the AIADMK — are keeping their fingers crossed to see whose … Read more

BJP’s rapid rise in Assam is more pronounced in ST seats

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Women in Assam stand in line to cast their vote for the Assembly elections | Photo Credit: Ritu_Raj_Konwar+SEP+Ritu_Raj_Konwar – Ritu Raj Konwar As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) waits for the counting on May 4 to see if it will retain power in Assam for a third consecutive term, a look at the Assembly polls … Read more

Why quotas alone won’t increase women’s representation

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As debate around the Women’s Reservation Bill resurfaces, the central question is no longer whether quotas will increase representation, but whether they can overcome the deeper structural barriers that limit women’s participation in politics. Evidence from a Lokniti-CSDS study suggests that while reservation may expand opportunities, it does not by itself ensure that more women … Read more

High voter turnouts in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, Raghav Chadha and six AAP MPs join BJP, and more: The week in 5 charts

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Tamil Nadu witnessed an all-time high turnout of 85.1% on poll day (Thursday, April 23, 2026), as per provisional figures from the Election Commission of India (ECI). All constituencies registered a higher voter turnout, as shown in the graphic below, although, this is also a consequence of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise carried out … Read more

The cost of bringing down inflation in India, U.S. and U.K.

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A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) logo is seen inside its headquarters in Mumbai, India | Photo Credit: FRANCIS MASCARENHAS Crude oil has crossed $120 a barrel since the conflict in West Asia began. Central banks that spent the last three years fighting the worst inflation in four decades are now staring down the barrel … Read more

Turnout increases in Tamil Nadu followed spatial patterns

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Democratic right: People gathered in large numbers to cast their vote at KC Sankaralinga Nadar School in Kasimedu, part of Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency. | Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B The all-time high turnout in Tamil Nadu – 85.1%, according to provisional figures from the Election Commission of India – was shown to be a consequence … Read more

TCS Nashik case highlights gaps in POSH reporting and implementation

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According to an ILO survey, one in 15 people in employment have experienced sexual harassment in their workspace | Photo Credit: Dado Ruvic The recent allegations of sexual harassment by eight female employees in Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) office in Nashik has brought renewed attention to workplace safety and grievance redressals of sexual harassment complaints.  … Read more

West Bengal elections: TMC involved in 64% of the poll violence in past decade

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South 24 Parganas: Remains of burnt vehicles after the violence during nominations for Panchayat elections, in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, June 16, 2023. | Photo Credit: – Story so far: Within three days of the announcement of the dates to the West Bengal elections, six violent incidents were noted by independent conflict monitor — Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED). … Read more

Minorities have been underrepresented in Bengal Assembly

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Though Muslims make up almost 27% of West Bengal’s population as per 2011 Census, their voices are still mostly missing from places where policies are made.  The election process in West Bengal is approaching fast, amid an ocean of uncertainty over who will ultimately be able to cast their votes. In its final list, the … Read more

Delimitation: In data and numbers

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The bill would raise the Lok Sabha ceiling from 543 to 850 seats. File. | Photo Credit: ANI If the Lok Sabha’s strength is expanded to 850 and seats are allocated on the basis of the 2011 Census population, as the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and the companion Delimitation Bill tabled in Parliament envisage, the … Read more

How delimitation based on 2011 Census will redraw India’s political map

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The Hindi-Heartland States of northern India would be the overwhelming beneficiaries of the proposed delimitation based on population figures from 2011 Census. If the Lok Sabha’s strength is expanded to 850 and seats are allocated on the basis of the 2011 Census population, as the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and the companion Delimitation Bill to … Read more