Unpacking the results of the Karnataka Elections

Presenters: Neelanjan Sircar, Sreenivasan Jain, Manisha Priyam, Sugata SrinivasarajuIn the tumultous aftermath of the Karnataka election, many questions remain. What explains the BJP’s strong performance and the decline in Congress’s seats? What role did the JD(S) play? What is the relevance of the election for the 2019 Lok Sabha election? This event brings together experts […]

Countdown to 2019: A Conversation on Politics, Elections, and Money

Presenters: Milan VaishnavThe run up to the 2019 national election promises to be exciting. Join us for a conversation with eminent political scientist Milan Vaishnav for a deep dive into the current state of Indian politics. Dr Vaishnav will focus on the seedy underbelly of electoral politics — how candidates are chosen, how parties and […]

Interpreting the 2019 elections: Settling a research agenda

Presenters: Ashutosh Varshney, Pradeep Chhibber, Vandita Mishra, Aditi PhadnisThe run up to the general elections in 2019 have already generated heated political debate. As political activity gains momentum, researchers and observers of Indian politics face the formidable task of interpreting and analysing the implications of these activities both on the immediate elections as well as […]

Crony populism

Presenters: Michael Walton, James CrabtreePopulism has emerged in various forms in many parts of the world in recent years. While it is typically associated with an anti-establishment and anti-elite narrative, it is striking how it often coincides with cronyism—favored relations between the state and (some) big business. This talk will seek to put some structure […]

The Long March to 2019: Understanding the rise of farmers movements and its impact on the 2019 election

Presenters: Mekhala Krishnamurthy, Harish Damodaran, V M SinghAs we approach the 2019 general elections, Rural and Agricultural distress is an issue which is likely to dominate the election discourse. Over the last few years, India has seen a significant increase in farmers movements, best exemplified by the ‘Kisan Long March’ which signified the emergence of […]

Making Sense of the December 11 Results

Presenters: Neelanjan Sircar, Gilles Verniers, Yamini AiyarThe state elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telengana and Mizoram are the last electoral tests for before the 2019 general elections. What do these results say about the state of strength of both national parties? How does the Congress-TDP alliance prefigure future opposition alignment? What do we learn […]

Digital politics and networks of environmental activism during the climate strikes in 2019

Our latest virtual workshop on Friday was with Aasim Khan (Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, IIIT Delhi) where we heard about youth participation in the 2019 environmental protests in Delhi and Bangalore. Khan co-authored the work with Sarayu Natarajan from the Aapti Institute. A great Q&A with the audience followed. […]