Aditi Phadnis

Read this exciting story from Business Standard June 06, 2026 issue. As empires go, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is huge. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which is autonomous but under the overall supervision of the ministry, alone covers more than 25,000 schools in 26 countries with four million students (X and XII classes).

Julia Eckert's outstanding study on the Shiv Sena explores how the organisation grew via arbitrage in areas that the state could not/did not reach

Mr Pradhan is not an especially charismatic leader or a brilliant orator, but his understanding of realpolitik and organisational dynamics makes him the ultimate party man, points out Aditi Phadnis.

The tension between the Brahmins and Kshatriyas in UP since Yogi Adityanath, a Kshatriya by birth, became chief minister has been the BJP's worst-kept secret

A caste recalibration is simmering just below the surface in UP. IMAGE: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Photograph: ANI Photo

In the throes of a financial crisis, the state's ruling Congress government has little to be triumphant about as Assembly elections approach next year

In the throes of a financial crisis, the state's ruling Congress government has little to be triumphant about as assembly elections approach next year, points out Aditi Phadnis.

Sharad Pawar is assessing whether he will still land on his feet if he jumps from the safe perch of INDIA to the NDA. Can a Great Betrayal be presented as a tactical move?

In politics for more than 25 years, he has held his current constituency, Byatarayanapura, a segment of the Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency, since 2008

At this point at 85, Sharad Pawar is like a mature but ageing trapeze artist who is assessing if he will still land on his feet if he jumps from the safe perch of INDIA to the NDA.