Do it yourself

First thought this morning Voting for the election of 17th Lok Sabha is complete in more than 300 (of 543) seats. Voters in more than 20 states have exercised their franchise. From the voting pattern so far and anecdotal evidence collected by me, the following four trends are noteworthy: (a)    The overall voting percentage this time is similar to 2014, however there are significant differences at regional level. In 2014 elections the voter participation was amongst the highest since independence. Analysts attributed the high voting percentage to the Modi wave and peoples' longing for change. This time apparently there is no wave, or material anti incumbency for that matter. The still high voter participation therefore is bewildering for both analysts and political parties. Everyone is therefore trying to see it from their own prism. The incumbent and their supporter are seeing this as a vote for stability, while the others are terming it as a vote for...

Some food for thought "Revelation can be more perilous than Revolution." —Vladimir Nabokov (American Novelist, 1899-1977) Word for the day Bardolatry (n) Great or excessive adoration of or reverence for William Shakespeare   First thought this morning The incumbent government is inducting 9 professionals into civil service at joint secretary level. Though the issue of lateral entry of professional with domain expertise in civil services was being debated for many decades, it appears to have been now settled. If successful, this will go down in history of independent India as a watershed reform. I am not privy to the criteria, if any, that will be used by successive governments for appointment of professional directly at higher levels in administrative hierarchy, but I would like to see, inter alia , the following safeguard being taken: (a)    There should be a objective qualification criteria for lateral ent...

Some food for thought "The evolution of sense is, in a sense, the evolution of nonsense." —Vladimir Nabokov (American Novelist, 1899-1977) Word for the day Easter egg (n) A hidden message, as a cryptic reference, iconic image, or inside joke, that fans are intended to discover in a television show or movie. First thought this morning The sitting MP from North West Delhi and Dalit face of BJP has openly "threatened" the party leadership that if he is not re nominated as candidate from his current constituency, he will quit the party ( see here ). This type of pressure tactic is not uncommon during elections. Every party faces this as they try to find equilibrium between anti incumbency, winability, need to address aspirations of other stakeholders, need to give opportunity to new candidates, need to address the changed circumstances (united opposition, or changed demographics etc.) and above all need to bene...