Crown of Thorns

Amit Shah’s second term as Bharatiya Janata Party president won’t be easy. He has been criticised for his autocratic way of functioning and the extreme centralisation of decision-making powers between the Prime Minister and him. During Mr Shah’s previous term, the BJP came to power in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, but also suffered defeats in the Delhi and Bihar Assembly elections, triggering some rumbling in the party. Now Assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal and Punjab will put Mr Shah’s stewardship to the test.

Shivani Vashishth

Ahmedabad