Amid last-minute campaigning for Maharashtra, the promise of “one crore jobs and better healthcare”, is lost in the noise created by the latest political debate: Should Savarkar be conferred the Bharat Ratna? This new “burning question” has everyone from Arnab Goswami to WhatsApp uncles offering opinions.

#GoBackModi has been trending every time the Prime Minister visits Tamil Nadu, or even so much as thinks about curd rice. This weekend, however, the BJP seemed to have had enough of this pesky hashtag.

If there was one person in the country whom you’d expect to be paying attention to all the “maths” regarding India’s economy, it would have been Commerce and Industry minister Piyush Goyal. Apparently, the best way to deal with a slowing economy is to completely stop acknowledging all statistics and percentages related to it altogether.

Seven men – including a BJP youth leader – arrested for inciting violence that led to the murder of a police inspector in Bulandshahr last December, were welcomed with garlands after they were released on bail. We’ve had criminal netas for as long as we can remember, but what has changed now?

With Arun Jaitley gone, the BJP loses a key mind and a visionary. But, more importantly, India loses a statesman who spoke clearly, concisely, and in a manner that had you considering whether there was still some good in Indian politics.

In a government that is often criticised for its inaccessibility and opaqueness, Swaraj won hearts around the world for her ability to reach out and make a difference. And her outreach efforts began well before the advent of social media.

Some politicians endear themselves to their core base and no one else, alienating those across the aisle. Swaraj was not that type of politician. Despite being a BJP lifer, she had a bipartisan appeal and an air of dignified approachability.

Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan made unsavoury remarks about BJP lawmaker Rama Devi in Lok Sabha. This is not the first time Khan has stuck his foot in his mouth – and Devi is not the first woman politician to face disgusting sexism in the workplace.

Sheila Dikshit, the former Delhi CM who died on Saturday, attempted to change the city’s uncaring image by pulling Delhi’s toes across the line of modernism. She did everything in her power to reform its public image – from the Metro to the Commonwealth Games – with varying results.

With the matter of their resignations being heard in the Supreme Court today, Karnataka’s rebel MLAs have had the most dramatic quitting saga since Rahul Gandhi’s stepped down as Congress party president. Rahul finally set a political trend, but unfortunately it wasn’t the one he’d hoped for.

Whether you agree with first-time Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra’s maiden speech in Lok Sabha or not, it can’t be denied that she possesses a rare courage and conviction. At a time when the Opposition is often labelled toothless, it is leaders like Moitra that give us hope.

The ill-fated ventures that were Rahul Gandhi’s election campaign and the final season of Game of Thrones have many parallels. But perhaps the greatest similarity between the two is the feeling of utter dissatisfaction at the way things panned out in the end and the hype around The Prince that Was Promised.

Disappointment for the anti-Modi crowd was as inevitable as someone saying “Winter is coming,” on a Game of Thrones episode. Still, that doesn’t make the bitter pill any easier to swallow. These are the five stages of grief, as experienced by non-BJP supporters.

Democracy’s true essence isn’t the elections, but the days that follow after it ends, when we shed our voting hats and return to the routine of being citizens. Everyday life does not depend on political beliefs. So despite what we may feel about our differences, we work and live alongside people without bothering to identify someone as “sickular”, “bhakt”, or “commies”.

If exit polls are to be believed, the BJP is likely to improve its tally in Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal. Some suggest a neck-and-neck fight between Trinamool and the BJP. But for those hoping for a change in the state, the two parties have more in common than they would like to admit.

Even though West Bengal sends 42 MPs to Parliament — six less than Maharashtra and 38 less than Uttar Pradesh — all eyeballs seem to be on the current battle between Didi and Modi. Didi’s final walk in the heart of Kolkata on Thursday had the air of a Bengal tigress prowling her territory.

During BJP President Amit Shah’s roadshow, BJP and Trinamool workers clashed on the streets of Kolkata. A statue of 19th century reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was vandalised. And though the violence was unprecedented, for as long as I can remember elections in the state have been a bloody affair.

#TheArréWeeklyPodcast: This Lok Sabha election has thrown up some exciting contests, but few are as thrilling as the battle between AAP's education expert Atishi and BJP's former World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir. A day before Delhi goes to vote, join our panellists as they try and figure out which of these two candidates deserves the vote. Also let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

It is remarkable that for elections in the national capital of the country, political parties have pretty much taken the electorate for granted. A majority of the candidates contesting from Delhi, especially the ones who have been parachuted in at the last minute, look like complete misfits.

For middle-class and rich Mumbaikars, election might be a five-yearly farce that fails to shake their educated antipathy. But for our domestic helps, postmen, milkmen, poll season brings along with it hope. When the politicians come to their basti once every five years, they are tempted to believe that their life might become a little better.

The MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally on Friday evening was partially empty. I wish I could say the same about the multiplexes that screened Avengers: Endgame.

#TheArréWeeklyPodcast: Just before Mumbai goes to the polls in the #LokSabha election, here's what we are discussing: In these divisive times, is it okay to be apolitical? Host @Kahini Iyer chats with @Amal Singh who believes that "It's crucial to have a voice, especially when voices are being silenced all over the world." And on the other side is @Damian D'Souza who argues that "Being apolitical doesn't mean you're not politically aware." Do you agree? Comment below to tell us whose side you're on!

East Delhi is set to hold a nail-biting fight between AAP educationist Atishi and cricketer Gautam Gambhir from the BJP. We finally have a contest to look forward to.

In the desi version of Game of Thrones, aka the general election, there are as many claimants to the throne as there are house symbols. Ranging from the hand to the hammer, lotus to the lantern, sickle to the cycle, and the cock to the clock. It’s poll season, and the drama of democracy dwarfs anything HBO’s entertainment juggernaut could offer.

The ambivalence toward exercising your franchise from younger voters baffles me. It’s almost as if they are afraid of the kind of commitment it requires to go to a polling booth and choose a candidate or NOTA, as if they do not want to be accountable for the vote they cast.

Each election cycle brings in a government that chips away at whatever democratic ideals we have left. Yet, we vote every five years and display faith in our Constitution. To that end, the time to be a fence-sitter is over. To sit on a fence is to be politically flexible to whatever it is that suits you best, regardless of how it affects others.