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VOOZH | about |
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VOOZH | about |
Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor at The Indian Express, is a political commentator known for her deep analytical insights into the country’s democratic health, electoral politics, and institutional shifts. Professional Profile Role: As National Opinion Editor, she leads the editorial and opinion pages, shaping the newspaper and website’s stance on critical national issues. Expertise: Her work primarily focuses on the "lifeworlds" of Indian politics—bridging the gap between high-level policy/legal debates and the lived realities of ordinary citizens. She is particularly known for her extensive field reporting during state and national elections (especially in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh). Background: Before joining The Indian Express, she served as an Assistant Editor at The Pioneer. She has also held prestigious fellowships (at the University of Westminster, London, and the National Endowment for Democracy, Washington) including a study on comparative political party systems. She got the Ramnath Goenka award for Reporting on Politics and Government in 2010 Key Editorial Themes Democratic Institutions: She frequently writes about the shrinking space for debate in Parliament, judicial independence, and the role of the Election Commission. Political Party Analysis: Her columns often provide critical assessments of the BJP’s "Double Engine" narrative and the Congress party's organizational challenges. Ground Reports: Unlike many editors who remain desk-bound, Mishra is a frequent field reporter. Her "ground up" analysis of figures like Nitish Kumar, Prashant Kishor, and the RJD, as in the recent Bihar election, provides a nuanced look at caste and development dynamics. Social & Political Philosophy: She often touches on the "anti-pluralist" shifts in the polity and the responsibility of political actors to find a democratic middle ground. Notable Columns & Articles "Vandita Mishra writes": Her regular column covers the pulse of Indian democracy. Recent pieces have examined the Congress's "vote chori" campaign and the fragile nature of deliberative spaces in India. Moderation: She frequently moderates "Express Adda" and "Expresso," interviewing high-profile figures such as Omar Abdullah, Melinda Gates, and filmmaker Kabir Khan. Recent Notable Pieces “High pitch of ‘vote chori’ campaign marks Congress’s retreat from the hard labour of everyday politics” (Dec 2025) “Parliament has re-opened its doors, but will it let debate in?” (Nov 2025) “Why Rs 10,000 or the mahila vote don’t tell the full story of this dramatic victory” (Nov 2025 – Bihar analysis) Her full archive and latest articles can be found at her Indian Express Profile.
June 29, 2025 21:20 IST
The week in which 50 years of Emergency were marked ended with a rising — and disquietingly anti-pluralist — clamour in the ruling establishment
Tue, Jul 01, 2025May 25, 2025 21:57 IST
A denuded political landscape is coming into view, with no softening touch, few leavening forces
Mon, May 26, 2025May 11, 2025 21:54 IST
Now that there is a pause in the India-Pak firing, it need not be, it should not be, the image’s end.
Tue, May 13, 2025May 04, 2025 21:11 IST
Timing of announcement, motive behind it, don't matter in long run. What will be crucial is what governments do once census is done
Tue, May 06, 2025April 13, 2025 21:39 IST
For the polity, power-sharing pact between national and regional players, in its best version, held the promise of a democratic deepening. That pact has faded and frayed beyond recognition since — for both main national parties.
Mon, Apr 14, 2025April 06, 2025 20:34 IST
… the Hindu in the room. Its waffling on the majority distorts and weakens its engagement with the minority.
Thu, Apr 10, 2025April 05, 2025 14:21 IST
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta and actor Randeep Hooda on the power of good cinema, facing the mob, censorship, and why it is as important to tell Savarkar’s story as it is to tell Gandhi’s. The conversation was moderated by Vandita Mishra
Sat, Apr 05, 2025March 30, 2025 21:43 IST
Courts and the Opposition speak up. But there are also unbroken silences.
Tue, Apr 01, 2025March 23, 2025 22:11 IST
Much has changed between the two protests in Punjab. But they also book-end a state of back-sliding
Tue, Mar 25, 2025March 16, 2025 21:30 IST
Its bid to address the young, across castes, may be a flailing for relevance. But all players know that spaces have opened up in the Bihar arena that are waiting to be seized and filled.
Tue, Mar 18, 2025March 09, 2025 21:32 IST
The political polarisation that stands in the way of crucial give-and-take settlements on delimitation and other complex issues looks very different at ground level.
Sun, Mar 09, 2025February 11, 2025 07:30 IST
It will now be the BJP’s challenge to tailor its politics to the city.
Tue, Feb 11, 2025February 03, 2025 19:57 IST
Anti-incumbency has made increasing dents over the years, sharpened by the AAP government’s patchy and uneven delivery.
Tue, Feb 04, 2025February 03, 2025 04:21 IST
The liquor excise scam that Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and other top AAP leaders were jailed for, and allegations against Kejriwal of using public funds to make a “sheesh mahal” for himself, don't appear to resonate on the ground significantly.
Tue, Feb 04, 2025January 12, 2025 21:49 IST
The unravelling of the INDIA bloc, that seems underway, has long term consequences
Sun, Jan 12, 2025January 05, 2025 20:54 IST
Ahead of the Delhi elections, the party is haunted by a “sheesh mahal” of its own making
Sun, Jan 05, 2025December 30, 2024 04:50 IST
Having enacted the role of a journalist in the recently released film Despatch, Manoj Bajpayee's career spans a wide range of genres and includes a rich experience in theatre.
Mon, Dec 30, 2024December 01, 2024 21:12 IST
While the free-ness and fair-ness of polls is fundamental for a democracy, it would be unfortunate if it becomes a mere stand-in or a red herring
Sun, Dec 01, 2024November 24, 2024 19:41 IST
While the cash transfer scheme for women may have played a role in the Mahayuti’s victory in Maharashtra, the over-estimation of its impact is problematic.
Tue, Nov 26, 2024November 18, 2024 07:23 IST
In villages and towns of Vidarbha, both sides desperate to pull ahead of the other
Tue, Nov 19, 2024November 03, 2024 21:22 IST
The new recalls the old in Maharashtra, and in Tamil Nadu a new political player embarks on a journey
Sun, Nov 03, 2024October 26, 2024 07:07 IST
Kajol and Kriti Sanon on their journey, the changing role of women in the industry, trolling and why super stardom is dead. The session was moderated by Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, and Shubhra Gupta, Film Critic.
Sat, Oct 26, 2024October 13, 2024 21:36 IST
A relook at the result in Haryana, and what lies between the lines of Mohan Bhagwat’s speech
Sun, Oct 13, 2024October 06, 2024 21:38 IST
In Kashmir, this election is a turning point, but the work of politics has only just begun. In Bihar, it remains to be seen if Prashant Kishor’s party can find an opening
Sun, Oct 06, 2024September 29, 2024 20:10 IST
The BJP is still the dominant party, the onus of proving their difference from the BJP is still on its opponents, while, at the bottom, both the BJP and its opponents are joined by similar undemocratic impulses
Sun, Sep 29, 2024
