Manika Raikwar

Kerala’s elections have long followed a pattern: governments don’t last. For nearly 50 years, voters consistently voted out the party in power. Then came 2021, when the LDF broke that cycle and returned to office. But here’s the paradox. Even as governments faced strong anti-incumbency, individual MLAs didn’t. In 2016, 71% of sitting MLAs were re-elected, far higher than the national average. So, what’s happening? Voters reject governments, but reward local leaders Strong constituency connect often outweighs state-level sentiment And yet, the demand for change remains alive On the ground, opinions remain split: Development vs fatigue, continuity vs change. Analysis by Prannoy Roy (@PrannoyRoy7749 ) , Uma Sudhir (@umasudhir ) , Dorab R. Sopariwala, Shikha Trivedy and I.P. Bajpai (@BajpaiIp ) Watch the full Kerala Countdown 2026 on DeKoder. #KeralaElections2026 #LDFvsUDF #KeralaCountdown #DeKoder #KeralaPolitics #Elections2026 #PrannoyRoy #DorabSopariwala #UmaSudhir #ShikhaTrivedy #IPBajpai #KeralaAssemblyElections

Thousands of people. Long queues. Uncertainty. In Bengal’s Murshidabad district, voters are lining up outside tribunal centres to file appeals after being marked “not eligible” during the adjudication process. Over 4.5 lakh voters in Murshidabad alone 27 lakh out of 60 lakh flagged across regions. On the ground, confusion is adding to the chaos: • People who filed appeals online are showing up offline • Lack of clarity around process and documentation • Heavy security deployed to manage the crowds For many, this isn’t just paperwork, it’s about the right to vote. Is this a system under strain, or a deeper electoral shift? Watch the full ground report from Murshidabad (West Bengal) on DeKoder. Video courtesy: @alok_pandey #BengalElections #SIR #VoterRights #Elections2026 #DeKoder

IMPORTANT: impeachment motion signed by 193 MPs (130 Lok Sabha and 63 Rajya Sabha) against CEC Gyanesh Kumar rejected by Rajya Sabha Chairman. NO specific reason given. This is the first time Parliament has sought to impeach a sitting CEC. 🙏

New Delhi station sees flood of migrants returning home due to LPG crisis, say village offers option of firewood or coal, less expensive than LPG cylinder at 400-500Rs/Kg in the black market in the city. #Mustread report by Shrimansi Kaushik thehindu.com/news/cities/De…

AMERICA IS COOKED Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivers the bad news: “There is effectively zero net job creation in the private sector.” That’s right. Zero.

JUST IN: There are roughly 50,000 MRI machines operating worldwide. Each one requires liquid helium cooled to minus 269 degrees Celsius to keep its superconducting magnets functional. A single non-operational MRI eliminates 20 to 30 patient scans per day. Those are the scans that detect tumours before they metastasise, strokes before they kill, spinal injuries before they paralyse. The helium that makes those scans possible came, until 31 days ago, from Qatar’s Ras Laffan facility, which produced a third of the world’s supply as a byproduct of liquefied natural gas. Ras Laffan was struck by Iranian missiles on March 18. It declared force majeure. Fourteen percent of its helium capacity is permanently destroyed. Repairs will take three to five years. Helium prices have doubled. India’s hospitals are already reporting MRI cost spikes and scan delays. European facilities are rationing non-urgent diagnostics. Air Liquide has warned customers of unfulfilled orders. And 200 cryogenic containers holding 41,000 litres each are stranded in the Persian Gulf with 35 to 48 days before their cooling systems fail and the gas vents irreversibly into the atmosphere. Helium is the only element that escapes Earth’s gravity once released. It does not come back. Here is the connection that should stop every health minister, every defence secretary, and every AI executive in their tracks. The same helium that cools the MRI magnet scanning a child’s brain for a tumour in Mumbai also cools the extreme ultraviolet lithography machine printing the two-nanometre transistor in Hsinchu that powers the AI model selecting bombing targets over Isfahan. Hospitals and semiconductor fabs are now competing for the same shrinking pool of the same molecule at the same temperature. The war has created a zero-sum allocation between healing and killing, and the molecule does not care which one wins. TSMC holds 6.2 weeks of inventory and recycles 68 to 95 percent on site. Samsung holds six months but sources 65 percent from Qatar. Both are rationing toward AI and high-bandwidth memory, starving consumer chip production to keep the advanced nodes alive. Hospitals are nominally prioritised in allocation queues, but when a single TSMC fab consumes 500,000 cubic feet of helium per year and a trillion-dollar AI buildout depends on keeping those fabs running, the allocation queue is a polite fiction masking a brutal triage. Newer MRI machines use zero-boil-off technology, sealed systems holding as little as 0.7 litres of helium that never need refilling. In India, 3,500 of 5,000 machines already use this technology. But the legacy fleet, the machines in rural hospitals, developing nations, and underfunded health systems, still requires 1,500 to 2,000 litres per fill. Those are the machines that will go dark first. Those are the patients who will be diagnosed last. The geography of helium scarcity maps precisely onto the geography of healthcare inequality. The war’s casualties are not only soldiers and civilians in the strike zone. They include every patient whose scan was delayed because the helium that should have cooled their MRI machine is boiling off in a container drifting 57 kilometres northwest of Dubai. The body count of a chokepoint war does not end at the chokepoint. It extends to every hospital, every diagnostic centre, every oncology ward that depends on a noble gas extracted from natural gas that transits a 39-kilometre strait controlled by a navy that no longer exists but whose mines, drones, and shore batteries still function. The molecule does not distinguish between a magnet in a scanner and a magnet in a missile. It cools both to the same temperature. And today, there is not enough of it for both. Full deep dive analysis - open.substack.com/pub/shanakaans…

It is not fair that #PF withdrawals post retirement is taxed In a country where Retirement Planning is the biggest ticking bomb with hardly 10-12% of people getting pension, this hurts at a phase of life that matters most! We need to review this! #retirement #india

Meta has just lost 2 landmark cases in US over their unsafe & addictive social media platforms that are ruining kids. India has 250 million adolescents, is it time like Australia to think of a social media ban? I ask #Meta @frontline_india #socialmedia frontline.thehindu.com/social/meta-ch…

Rupee Plummets to Record Low Amid Global Market Turmoil The Indian rupee plunges to an all-time low of 94.29 against the U.S. dollar, driven by global oil price hikes and FII outflows, raising economic concerns in India. latest.dekoder.com/Rupee-Plummets…

In Jangal Mahal, elections aren’t just about politics, they’re about survival. From ₹1000–₹1500 schemes to free ration, welfare is reaching people. But is it changing lives? - Some depend on it - Some don’t even receive it - Most still struggle with jobs, housing, and migration “Money helps… but we need jobs.” That’s the reality from Bengal’s most vulnerable region. So the big question remains: Welfare or real development, what truly matters? Watch this full ground report. @alok_pandey @manishdekoder @umasudhir #BengalElections #JangalMahal #TribalIndia #Election2026 #DeKoder

This the first thing you see as you get off the Haldwani Railway Station — a field full of trash, that’s your introduction to the foothills of Kumaon. As you enter its largest city, Almora, there isn’t a spot where you won’t find trash. Only the Army Cantt area is clean (last pic). It’s an absolute shame and I have not seen Uttarakhand in such a mess before. The nagar palikas simply don’t seem to be working — is it lack of funds? is it corruption? what exactly has turned the state into a total trash pile? BJP govt should take a hard look at this instead of celebrating their chaar saal bemisaal. Also what exactly has the Swachh Bharat Mission achieved apart from giving us irritating jingles.

A two-in-one big step forward for @frammerai : (1) we’ve just signed a huge international client, ABS-CBN, (2) AND we’ve replaced industry veteran Wildmoka in their workflows for live stream production, packaging, and delivery. ptinews.com/story/business…

Frankly, this is the kind of stuff that ensures fewer people stand up against injustice, fewer people help others when in need, fewer good samaritans all around. What an outrageous thing for a judge to say. I feel terrible for Deepak.

Is Mumbai living on borrowed time? Mangroves aren’t just "trees in water." They are the only thing standing between Mumbai and the rising sea. Every time we destroy a patch of green, we’re inviting the next big flood into our living rooms. I sat down with @RichaChadha to discuss why the destruction of our mangroves is a silent emergency. If we don’t protect our natural shield now, the city we love won't be the same for the next generation. It’s time to stop looking away. Our survival depends on these roots. If you are in Mumbai, you can also find the 15th March protest details in this reel. FULL INTERVIEW RELEASING SOON. Don't miss this deep dive into the fight for Mumbai’s future.

Gurugram MCG spend 700 cr for sanitization and door to door waste collection, but nothing in actual.. situation is worst..

Political tensions are rising in West Bengal as the Election Commission of India concluded a visit to Kolkata ahead of the announcement of state poll dates. Mamata bannerjee’s TMC has repeatedly hit out at chief election commissioner gyanesh kumar , even calling his ‘vanish kumar’ At a press conference in Kolkata , the chief election commissioner refused to answer political jibes but said the poll body is committed to fair elections Stay tuned for more updates. @alok_pandey #WestBengal #Bengal2026 #ElectionNews #ECI #DeKoder

#WATCH | Delhi | Inna Makan, mother of the 23-year-old Sahil Dhaneshra, who died after being hit by an SUV being driven by a juvenile, says, "We didn't get a hearing today. We won't get a hearing. He's (the accused) been granted bail. A murderer has been left on the road, told to go kill others... Everyone has arrived in Uttam Nagar (Holi murder case). I live near their house, but no one has time to come to me... Those who are supporting me are receiving threats that if they want to keep their jobs, they shouldn't encourage me further... In the last few days, I've also learned where the father of the accused has reached through the approaches of the administration... The easy way out for the judge was to choose the easy way out... They are allowing crime to be committed under the guise of being a juvenile... That person isn't even supposed to be on the road. He doesn't have that right as per law... He was overspeeding and didn't even have a license. So many facts fell short in front of Section 12 (of the Juvenile Justice Act)..."

We often hear about living longer. But longevity alone doesn’t guarantee happiness. Healthy aging is not just about adding more years to life, it’s about living with purpose, balance, and peace of mind. While genetics may set the stage, the choices we make every day matter deeply. Exercise, sunlight, meaningful relationships, meditation, breathing exercises, and a calm mind all play a role in shaping how we age. The goal isn’t just a longer life. It’s a better one. Watch the full conversation on DeKoder. @drsophiapathai @PGopichand73 #BetweenUs #DeKoder #HealthyIndia #PulelaGopichand #TheLongevityCode

We are living longer than ever before. But are we living healthier? In this powerful conversation on DeKoder, @drsophiapathai — physician-scientist & longevity expert, and @PGopichand73, India’s renowned badminton coach, decode the difference between lifespan and healthspan. From chronic disease and burnout to muscle loss and mental resilience, this discussion goes beyond fitness trends to address a deeper national concern: • Why are younger Indians facing diabetes and heart disease earlier? • Is India becoming less physically resilient? • How do purpose, social connection and mindset influence longevity? • Can busy professionals realistically build healthy habits? • What role should government and infrastructure play? The Longevity Code is not about living to 110. It’s about living with strength, clarity and vitality. In an age of AI, sedentary lifestyles and rising lifestyle diseases, this conversation asks: Is India investing enough in its health? Watch till the end for practical insights on movement, nutrition, resilience and purpose. #Longevity #Healthspan #LongevityCode #HealthyAging #IndiaHealth #FitnessIndia #PullelaGopichand #Wellness #BetweenUS #Fitness #DeKoder #Aging #FitIndia #SophiaPathai

An unarmed Iranian ship was invited to take part in an Indian naval exercise alongside the United States. Its sailors were welcomed on land and paraded before the president as a gesture of cooperation. Then, at the last moment, the United States abruptly withdrew from the exercise,only to turn around and torpedo the very ship it had just stood beside. What followed was even more grotesque. After attacking an unarmed vessel, the US refused to rescue the sailors it had thrown into the sea, abandoning them to drown. The grim work of recovering bodies was left to the Sri Lankan Navy. This wasn’t warfare,it was treachery of the most disgraceful kind: an ambush carried out under the pretense of diplomacy, followed by a cold refusal to show even the most basic human decency to the dying. It would represent a collapse of every norm that supposedly governs civilized conduct at sea. And yet, instead of outrage, much of the American media response has been indifference or rationalization. The bombing of a girls’ school is brushed aside; talk of carpet-bombing Tehran is floated as if it were just another policy option. When atrocities are normalized and cruelty is laundered into “strategy,” the line between reporting and complicity begins to disappear.