South Asia: December Dossier

The elections in five federal states saw major defeats for the Congress and decisive victories for the BJP, which could be trendsetters for the 2014 general elections. The emergence of a new political force, with middle and lower class backing, could alter the political landscape. Meanwhile, after the failure of the previous Constituent Assembly to write a new Constitution for Nepal, the delayed elections in November 2013 gave a clear mandate for the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), resulting in the defeat of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal- Maoist (UCPN-M). Finally, prominent Indian analysts comment on India’s foreign, security and domestic issues. Shyam Saran pleads for a vision for India beyond electoral democracy, whereas Dr. C. Raja Mohan focuses on the new strategic imperatives in Asia.

Analyses by Dr Klaus Julian Voll, FEPS Advisor on Asia with Dr. Joyce Lobo, Shyam Saran and Dr. C. Raja Mohan