‘If democracy is lost, all marginalised communities lose’
As members of the queer community went out to canvas during the run-up to General Elections 2024, the ruling party supporters heckled and threatened them and the journalist covering the event
May 16, 2024 | Sweta Daga
‘Doubtful voters’: neither here nor there
The category of Doubtful-Voters (D-Voters) is unique to Assam where many Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims are often denied voting rights. Marjina Khatun, who has lived in Assam her whole life, once again could not cast her vote in the General Elections 2024
May 15, 2024 | Mahibul Hoque
The village no politician visits
Nestled amidst the stony slopes of the Satpuras lies Ambapani, a hamlet where the essence of democracy remains elusive — residents can exercise their vote in the General Elections 2024, but they have neither roads, nor electricity or healthcare facilities
May 11, 2024 | Kavitha Iyer
‘What have you done for our village?’
Government schemes like MNREGA and free LPG cylinders, roads and handpumps have bypassed the largely Dalit residents of Checharia village here in Palamu district of Jharkhand. Angry and fed-up with their plight, they say the General Elections 2024 is a time for reckoning
May 10, 2024 | Ashwini Kumar Shukla
‘Ask us what we need and want’
In Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, iron-ore mines in forested areas have destroyed the habitats and culture of the tribal population. For years, this region has also witnessed a strife between the state security forces and CPI (Maoists). This year, about 1,450 gram sabhas in the tribal belt lent conditional support to the Congress candidate in the General Elections 2024. Here’s why…
May 8, 2024 | Jaideep Hardikar
At Raipur's brick kilns: migrant workers may miss voting
From Madhya Pradesh but working in Chhattisgarh, these labourers are unaware of polling dates in their home constituencies. It's unlikely they will get to cast their vote in the General Elections 2024
May 7, 2024 | Purusottam Thakur
Malgaon stands up to polarisation
Hindu mobs are attacking shrines at which people of many faiths have worshipped for centuries. A determined village shows how syncretic ways of living can still be revived
April 28, 2024 | Parth M.N.
A neglected village boycotts the polls
The village of Khadimal in Maharashtra’s Amravati district has never had running water or electricity. Villagers say politicians only make empty promises every five years, then disappear. That is why they have collectively decided to abstain from voting in the General Elections of 2024
April 26, 2024 | Swara Garge and Prakhar Dobhal
'Inflation was a problem; now we have elephants'
This summer, the residents of Palasgaon, an Adivasi village in Maharashtra, are staying indoors, forgoing their forest-based livelihoods due to an unforeseen threat. More worried about their life, the villagers are not excited about the General Elections 2024
April 25, 2024 | Jaideep Hardikar
In Bhandara: a series of strange and unfortunate events
Young people in this Maharashtra district are forced to migrate as there is no work for them in their villages. The General Elections 2024 are the last thing on their minds
April 23, 2024 | Jaideep Hardikar
Gondia's poor still bank on 3Ms: mahua, MNREGA and migration
India's poorest homes continue to rely on minor forest produce like mahua and tendu leaves, along with the assured Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) programme. As they ready for voting tomorrow (April 19) in the General Elections 2024, Adivasi villagers here in Arattondi village say their lives have only become harder in the last 10 years...
April 18, 2024 | Jaideep Hardikar
In Palamu: ‘Who cares about the farmer?’
Small and marginal farmers in this district of Jharkhand are reeling under debt, brought on by successive droughts. They say their vote in the General Elections 2024 is for irrigation
April 17, 2024 | Ashwini Kumar Shukla
Bhandara’s youth: jobs not ballot is top of mind
In the first phase of India’s General Elections 2024, the parliamentary constituency of Bhandara-Gondia will vote on April 19. Unemployment and anxiety are simmering here in Shivaji Stadium, a public space where rural youth are actively training for state jobs they are desperate to secure – that comes first; poll promises are a distant second. Today's piece kicks off PARI series – Rural Ballot 2024
April 12, 2024 | Jaideep Hardikar
In Pusesavali: doctored images, destroyed lives
In Maharashtra, majoritarian Hindutva mobs are whipping up the communal cauldron. Photoshopped images, doctored videos and rumours are enough to set them off, resulting in the loss of Muslim lives and property
