Dear Friends,
Pheroze Vincent is travelling Panjab and filing reports on the build up to elections. We were talking and I mentioned a big lacunae I have noticed over years of election reporting, opinion and exit polls – basically when we try to gauge the mood of the people.
The lacunae is: for various reasons such as most reporters being male, inherent patriarchy in society, the reports are largely from a male point of view. On ground, as I experienced last time, it is difficult to access women’s opinions. It is assumed women in a family will vote where men are voting. I find that problematic simply because women no longer vote where the men vote. They have their own mind.
In my view, last time in Panjab assembly elections, women who form nearly 50 per cent electorate, across class, religion and caste, voted in favour of one party.
I stated that to Vincent and he quoted me. Please see here …
Sorry this is an old post that somehow went into draft. My bad! Processed it today. It is from July 2, 2021.
Dear Friends,
recently AJ Singh contacted me to speak on the #FarmersProtest. Anand Vardan from The Public India and I spoke on various issues old and new: solidarities in the protests, January 26th, SKM, foreign funding, role in state elections.
Here is the interview in Hindi. 27.15 minutes.
Dear Friends,
Pheroze Vincent from The Telegraph chatted with me recently on the significance of Charanjit Singh Channi being appointed the Panjab chief minister and now the CM face for Congress in the upcoming elections.
“If Congress sneaks a win, it will be a big change for how people look at Jat and Dalit relations in the state. After Mayawati, caste equations changed in Uttar Pradesh.”
Please see here …
Dear Friends,
Sayantan Bera and Goutam Das from Mint invited me to write a curtain raiser on upcoming Panjab elections. The piece A PROBLEM OF PLENTY IN PUNJAB POLLS has appeared today but given their policy it is behind paywall. It would be wrong to share it openly.
Hence, I am placing the PDF on my website. If interested, you can download it from there. My thanks to Harinder Kaur Bindu, BKU Ekta Ugrahan, journalist Sangeet Toor, Prof Harjeshwar Pal Singh, environment activist Jaskirat Singh and writer Desraj Kali for their quotes.
Link to paywall article here …