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Tag Archives: manmohan singh
Outsourced: Hello, Elections!
Tribal women in line to vote.
Today concluded the first of five phases of the Indian election, where 60% of voters turned out to the polls. (Refer to my earlier post for the basics of the Indian political system.) The states where voting began were Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Lakshwadeep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Thousands of troops have been deployed to the states to
With month-long elections in the world’s biggest democracy, it can’t be expected for the process to without a few kinks — or violence. Maoist insurgents in central and eastern India, with landmines and rocket bombs, killed 17 people in 14 attacks at poll stations across India. The Naxalites, the Maoist insurgents, have been battling with the Indian government forever and a day. One would think with so many troops deployed, even localized events like this could be avoided.
Currently, it seems as though the current Congress (I) Party and the Bharataya Janata Party will get the majority of votes, while some smaller ethnic and minority parties will take a smaller piece of the pie. Regardless, after the election, new coalitions will have to be stitched together to keep the Indian government in functioning order. The Congress Party, as a reminder, is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s party and India’s explosive economic growth is attributed to them. On another note, the Congress Party has often been criticized for its handling of the 11/26 terrorist attacks in Mumbai last year. BJP, on the other hand, tends to take hardline stances on terrorism, while inciting friction between Indian Muslims and Christians.
With this only being the beginning, it will be interesting to see the elections pan out. (A whole month of election day coverage? Yes! I know you’re pumped!) Have any questions? Field them here! I’ll definitely do some research and incorporate it into any future blog posts.
Posted in Blog, Elections, India, Outsourced
Tagged bjp, Congress, election day, Elections, gotv, India, manmohan singh, maoist insurgents, mumbai, naxalite, Polls, sonia gandhi, Votes, voting booths
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Outsourced: The Pocket Handbook
Our democratic BFF in Asia, India, has finally announced the polling dates for the country’s upcoming elections: April 16, April 23, April 30, May 7, and May 13. Why the phased election? Holidays, festivals, possible monsoon weather, harvest season, and most importantly, school examinations. India’s elections will undoubtedly be intense — 714 million eligible voters? 4 million election workers? Oh, it’ll be glorious, you betcha.
Yeah, that’s right. India’s electronic.
As BBC tweeted this news to me, I realized I had no idea how the Indian government is structured. (Shame, isn’t it?) Still, with the Interweb at my fingertips, I decided to compile a little government guide (sans the judicial branch) for my benefit and yours becaues I didn’t want to study. (Yes, yes, I know. An educational blupdate. Exciting!) Read more and get informed!
Posted in Blog, Elections, India, Outsourced
Tagged bjp, democracy, drama, election day, Elections, India, lok sabha, manmohan singh, mayawati, monsoons, new delhi, Polls, pratibha patil, rajya sabha, sonia gandhi, voting
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The Site Aesthetic
Keeping it real.
I could be a little biased when I say President Obama’s website (well, all 548922664 of them?) is one of the classiest among world leaders. Maybe Dana, Kyra, and Lindsay — and the plethora of Comm majors in Dems — can back me up, but it is really about creating a signature. Both WhiteHouse.gov and Recovery.gov are not only in the same streamlined, elegant style, they are also very accessible. It is easy to find pages and the website is easy on the eyes with good pictures and a lovely font. In comparison, check out the websites of Queen Elizabeth II, Nicolas Sarkozy (I do like the video embed!), Manmohan Singh, and finally, Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka. Not bad, but I think BO puts them in the dust.
Some of you may snicker and think, “Site aesthetics? Really, Nina? Who cares?” Still, details like these make all the difference. For example, think about the elderly Americans who have trouble navigating websites; a logically organized website is a clear necessity. Furthermore, such sites put a face to not only our President, but also to the country itself. It’s especially good to see Recovery.gov up and running. After all, Obama ran on accountability and transparency: this is only the first step!
Posted in Barack Obama, Blog, Stuff Democrats Like
Tagged Barack Obama, change.gov, democrats, manmohan singh, michelle obama, nicolas sarkozy, obbama website, recovery.gov, websites, white house
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