Politics, it is said, divides everyone but politicians, and a few social events that I have attended in Lutyens Delhi have in no way dispelled the perception. Mirth and merriment are never in short supply as leaders from across the political spectrum bury their hatchets over food and drinks. They invariably include rival politicians who would have come to the gatherings straight from TV studios after savagely targeting each other.
But far away from the rarefied Delhi circuit, there exists another political reality where niceties and camaraderie find little room. Here, the contest is no holds barred and brutal. With life and livelihood often dependent on the outcome, the fight is existential. How much of it is over ideology or the power and pelf that come with winning elections is debatable. But the fact that poll contests are more intense and invariably at their vicious best on the ground among foot soldiers of various parties has never been in...
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