Saam Daam Dand Bhed | Episode 09 | Indian Express Hindi

Host: Saurabh Dwivedi Guests: Ashok Lavasa (Former Election Commissioner), Vikas Pathak, Shyamlal Yadav, Mrinalini, Sukhmani, Mahender Singh Manral

In this episode of Saam Daam Dand Bhed, Saurabh Dwivedi examines the escalating political storm surrounding the Election Commission of India (ECI), Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and the nationwide debate over voter roll revisions and street protests. Key discussions in this episode:

1. Gyanesh Kumar Resignation Controversy: Why has the demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation gained momentum, and where does it stand legally and politically? Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa breaks down whether a CEC can be removed or resign, explaining the constitutional removal process, the dynamics of internal dissent within the poll body, and drawing historical parallels from his own 2019 dissent as well as the historic N. Gopalaswami vs Navin Chawla episode.

2. SIR 3.0 & The Supreme Court: Can the Election Commission halt or cancel Phase 3 of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)? Why is the ECI awaiting the Supreme Court’s verdict on voter roll revisions and Form 6 modifications? The panel analyses political pressure on constitutional bodies and questions what the central government intended by altering the Election Commissioner appointment law following the Anoop Baranwal judgment.

3. Jantar Mantar 2.0 & Delhi Police Directives: What was the ground reality during the CJP and student-led protests at Jantar Mantar? Why were nearly 90,000 Delhi Police personnel reportedly directed to put up emotional WhatsApp statuses ahead of the demonstration, and what specific orders were issued regarding detention and crowd control?

Host: Saurabh Dwivedi

Guests: Sheela Bhatt, P. Vaidyanathan Iyer, Vikas Pathak, Manoj C.G., Asad Rehman

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the youth collective that has brought students onto the streets over exam paper leaks, has called a protest for 10 October. The Congress is becoming more active on the streets, Rahul Gandhi is alleging "vote chori", or vote theft, and his sudden decision to join the CJP protest has some INDIA bloc leaders speaking openly. In this episode, Saurabh Dwivedi and the panel discuss why the Congress is turning to street politics now, how Rahul Gandhi's vote theft allegations should be understood, why some INDIA bloc leaders have spoken out about his decision to join the protest, and the political planning and strategy behind the protest.

The second big story of the week: Narendra Modi's 25 years in public office. The panel looks back at his years as Chief Minister of Gujarat and the major political challenges he faced in that period, his journey from Chief Minister to Prime Minister, and the work and decisions of the Modi government. The discussion covers his economic policy and his major decisions on defense and finance, with a detailed and open conversation on his politics, governance and policy choices.

Host: Saurabh Dwivedi

Guests: Prasenjit Bose, Pushkar Mishra, Shyamlal Yadav, Vikas Pathak, Manoj C. G., Lalmani Verma

Student politics is back in the headlines, on campuses and on the streets. The ABVP and the SFI clashed at Jadavpur University in August and at Himachal Pradesh University in September, and on 25 September a planned screening of a documentary on Umar Khalid sparked a clash at Pondicherry University. On many campuses, student union elections have been stalled for years. Meanwhile, the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical youth collective launched online in May, has brought tens of thousands of students onto the streets over exam paper leaks, outside traditional party structures.

In this episode, Saurabh Dwivedi brings together a former SFI member, a former ABVP member and senior Indian Express journalists. They trace how student politics in India has evolved and discuss why state chief ministers do not want student unions, how the 1990s changed campus politics, why student unions have not made a comeback in the BJP era, the time the ABVP decided it would never contest elections, and what lies behind the violence on campuses. Shyamlal Yadav argues that had the NSUI and the ABVP done their job, the Cockroach Janta Party would never have been born.

The second big story of the week: the INDIA bloc and the Rajya Sabha contest in Uttar Pradesh. Leaders of nearly 20 opposition parties met in New Delhi on 30 September and agreed on nationwide protests, a rally in Delhi on 1 November and a joint challenge in the Supreme Court to the 2023 law on appointing election commissioners. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav stayed away, his party citing Rajya Sabha election work amid friction with the Congress over seat-sharing for the 2027 Assembly election.

Uttar Pradesh votes for 10 Rajya Sabha seats on 16 October, and the SP has said it will field a third candidate. Asked about the seat-sharing tussle, BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said everything felt empty without Akhilesh; Akhilesh replied that anyone who wanted to join the SP would be welcome.

With Manoj C. G. and Shyamlal Yadav, the panel discusses why Akhilesh skipped the meeting, Mamata Banerjee's stance this time, what Kapil Sibal got the opposition to agree to on the election commissioners law, whether the Congress will replace its UP chief Ajay Rai, the sticking point between the SP and Brij Bhushan, and the arithmetic of the Rajya Sabha polls.