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Snigdhendu Bhattacharya

Snigdhendu Bhattacharya

Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, the author of two non-fiction books on India’s ultra-Left and the Hindu right, writes and comments on India’s politics, environment, human rights and culture.

Snigdhendu Bhattacharya is an independent journalist, writing on India’s politics, history, data, environment, human rights and culture since 2005. A former special correspondent of the Hindustan Times, he has been published in The Wire, Outlook magazine, The Caravan, Mongabay India, Huffpost India, Nikkei Asia, The Third Pole, Deccan Herald, The Times of India, Live History India and IndiaSpend, among others. He takes a special regional interest in eastern and northeastern India and Bangladesh. He has two books of political nonfiction published by HarperCollins India — Mission Bengal: A Saffron Experiment (2020) and Lalgarh and the Legend of Kishanji: Tales from India’s Maoist Movement (2016). He is a recipient of EJN’s Asia-Pacific Climate and Environmental Story Grant.

Posts by Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
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June 05, 2024

Decoding India’s Elections: How Modi’s Grip Loosened 

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Modi's BJP lost its majority, meaning it will be heavily dependent on allies this term.
May 29, 2024

Narendra Modi’s Decade Without Press Conferences

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
In the ten years he has been India’s prime minister Modi has faced only one press conference – in 2019, when he let his colleague Amit Shah answer all the questions.

May 20, 2024

Indian Parties Give Climate Issues the Cold Shoulder in Election Campaigns

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Even as India reels under a series of heatwaves and forest fires, environment and climate change issues are barely mentioned in campaign speeches and manifestos.

May 10, 2024

What Underlies Modi’s Frequent Election Rallies in Maharashtra?

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
The BJP’s power play in the western Indian state has generated sympathy for the opposition alliance. The latter is, however, organizationally weak.

May 07, 2024

Will India’s Hindi Heartland Propel Modi to Power Once More? 

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
The region, a stronghold of Hindu nationalism since the 1960s, has been Modi’s fortress. But the BJP seems less sure of success this year.
April 25, 2024

Does Modi’s Anti-Muslim ‘Hate Speech’ Reflect Nervousness?

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
At an election rally, he said that the opposition would redistribute wealth among “infiltrators” and “those who have many children,” an allusion to Muslims.

April 16, 2024

Divided INDIA Bloc Could Help BJP in India’s Jammu & Kashmir

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
The upcoming general election is the first in J&K since the Modi government’s controversial decision in August 2019 to revoke its autonomy and strip it of its statehood.
April 04, 2024

Icy Desert Ladakh Turns Up the Heat on Modi Ahead of Indian Elections

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
The loss of their grazing lands to Chinese incursions and Indian corporations has prompted Ladakhis to oppose the BJP government’s top-down governance model.

March 25, 2024

Will the Fortune It Made in the Election Bond Scheme Hurt India’s Ruling BJP?

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
The revelations about the scheme are striking, but corruption alone has rarely brought down governments in India.

March 21, 2024

Will India’s Election Commission Provide All Parties a Level Playing Field?

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Two of the commissioners in the three-member body that will conduct elections have recently been appointed by the ruling party.

March 11, 2024

Will Muslim Votes Matter in India’s Upcoming Elections?

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
In previous elections, Muslim votes have tended to split among secular parties facilitating the BJP’s victory. Will that change?
February 26, 2024

After Initial Setback, India’s Opposition Alliance Starts Taking Shape

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Over the past week, the Congress party has sealed seat-sharing deals with AAP and the SP. Will it clinch a deal with the TMC too?

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