The Festival Of Democracy

Assembly Elections have kicked off in five states, namely Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana. While some are calling these elections the semi-final before the Lok Sabha Elections due early next year, the electorate in these five states has their own demands - not for the Centre but for their state, for their constituencies. More than issues like foreign policy or defence budget, what really matters to the people of these five states is supply of clean drinking water and electricity, local health centres and hospitals and affordable education for their children. It is about food and other basic necessities not becoming a strain on people's pockets, about jobs and social security, and law and order situation. Outlook's next issue explores all this and much more about the festival of democracy as we witness the last state polls before the big General Election in 2024.

In its upcoming issue, Outlook also explores the coming together of opposition parties under the INDIA alliance umbrella with an aim to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been in power for two consecutive terms now. From national parties like Congress to regional powerhouses like JD(U) and TMC, opposition leaders have joined hands for an 'imperfect solidarity' to stop the Narendra Modi-led government from returning for a third term. But the big question is - can they make it work? Can these parties really come along and bury their differences by working around their separate ideologies for a common cause? We explore these and many other questions to paint a realistic picture of the 2024 battle that is brewing.