Politics always makes the headlines in India. With seven state assembly elections, 2017 was marked by major upheavals and power shifts, peppered with the usual intrigue. Often, photos capture political nuances better than any report can; , freezing these moments of drama, tension and action. Here is a selection of the some of the most evocative images captured by the Indian Express photo team in 2017 from the domain of politics. The list has been curated with the help of National Photo Editor Neeraj Priyadarshi.
Rahul Gandhi with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in New Delhi on February 10. (Express photo by Neeraj Priyadarshi)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seen engaging in some serious talk in February 2017, months before the latter ended the ruling alliance in Bihar with Congress and the RJD and formed a new one with the BJP in July. This image, is interestingly, taken at the launch of P Chidambaram’s book.
Former CM of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav on March 3. (Express photo by Neeraj Priyadarshi)
The Assembly election results of Uttar Pradesh remained a mystery until the moment of revelation. In this image, former CM of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav is seen during his campaign for the Samajwadi Party in Jamania, Ghazipur about a week before the results went convincingly in favour of the BJP.
Mamata Banerjee and Sushma Swaraj on April 8. (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj together in this rare image captured on the sidelines of the signing of memorandum between Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The former accepted an invitation from the central government to attend the event.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee with PM Narendra Modi and newly-elected President Ramnath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on July 24. (Express photo by Renuka Puri)
The Presidential election took place on July 17, 2017, with a win for the NDA nominee. In one shot, the image captures the outgoing former President Pranab Mukherjee on the final day of his term (July 24) and the newly-elected President Ramnath Kovind.
PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah at Rashtrapati Bhavan during cabinet reshuffle on September 3. (Express photo by Neeraj Priyadarshi)
Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, managing the front and the back end respectively, have undeniably propelled the BJP to its modern, organised and unified avatar. While the former has charmed votes with charisma and led the government, the latter is recognised as the keeper of order and the shrewd organisational brain of the party. The image aptly captures the power duo in charge during the cabinet reshuffle of early September.
PM Narendra Modi, Sumitra Mahajan and erstwhile Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi paying tributes to Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel on the occasion of his birth anniversary. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)
An iconic frame that encapsulates the tense face-off between the two adversaries of national politics on October 31.
External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj welcoming the Queen and the King of Bhutan, and their little son, the prince on October 31. (Express photo by Renuka Puri)
The king and queen of Bhutan—Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Jetsun Pema Wangchuck — along with their son, prince Gyalsey, arrived in India on a four-day visit. While the visit was diplomatically significant as it symbolised mutual trust and understanding between India and Bhutan, this image show Sushma Swaraj extending her diplomatic charm to the younger generation of the Hermit Kingdom.
LK Advani with Rahul Gandhi, PM Narendra Modi, former PM Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rajnath Singh and other dignitaries at the Parliament on December 13. (Express photo by Neeraj Priyadarshi)
BJP veteran and co-founder L K Advani, now 90-years-old, is helped by Rahul Gandhi as senior BJP leaders look on the sidelines of the 2001 Parliament attack anniversary event in New Delhi.
PM Narendra Modi arrives on the first day of the Winter Session of Parliament. (Express photo by Neeraj Priyadarshi)
An image of the Prime Minister taken outside the Parliament on December 15, with final phase voting over in Gujarat Assembly elections and a victory predicted by the exit polls for the BJP in both Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.
Newly-anointed Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and former PM Dr Manmohan Singh during the former’s installation ceremony. (Express photo by Neeraj Priyadarshi)
Beginning with his speech in Berkeley on September 11 to succeeding mother Sonia Gandhi as the Congress President on December 16, Rahul Gandhi has had an eventful second half of the year rebooting his image from the ‘reluctant prince’ to a capable politician. The image captures the coming-of-age in a gist.
Cover photo from December 13 by Neeraj Priyadarshi.
