Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Change in status: On the national party tag and impact on some political parties

Change in status: On the national party tag and impact on some political parties

The divergent (विभिन्न, अलग) fortunes (भाग्य, सफलता) of the AAP, the Trinamool and the NCP are linked to the Congress

In most electoral democracies (चुनावी लोकतंत्र), where the first-past-the-post (it is an electoral system in which a candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins and becomes the MP/MLA for that seat) system prevails (प्रचलित होना, अस्तित्व में होना), competition results (परिणाम) mostly in a duopoly, but India has been an outlier. This is largely (काफी हद तक, पर्याप्त रूप से) because its vast federal (संघीय) set-up (स्थापित करना, प्रणाली) and diversity (विविधता) have led to the flowering (growing, blossoming, flourishing, thriving; development, growth, advancement) of several regional parties that have become salient (मुख्य, महत्वपूर्ण) in their respective States. For the Aam Aadmi Party to be recognised as a national party by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in this milieu (context, background, backdrop; environment, atmosphere) — there are six such now — is a creditable (श्रेयस्कर, प्रशंसनीय) achievement for a force that emerged out (बाहर होना, प्रकट होना) of a popular (widespread, general, prevalent, prevailing; accepted/established) civil society (नागरिक समाज) movement during the United Progressive Alliance’s tenure (कार्यकाल, अवधि). From notching up repeat victories in Delhi and capturing Punjab, to registering (दर्ज करना, पंजीकृत करना) respectable vote shares in Gujarat and Goa, the party has grown into an electoral alternative in some States where the Congress is weak. This has allowed it to cross the threshold (it is an amount, level, or limit of something. Once the threshold is reached, something else happens or changes; lower limit, starting point, point of entry) set by the ECI for “national party” recognition ((formal) acknowledgement, acceptance, admission). That said, the AAP’s distinguishing (distinctive, differentiating, special. exclusive, particular) factor as a political force (group, party, outfit) remains its record in Delhi where its municipal work has won it some accolades (commendation, acclaim, applause, praise, recognition) as a party focused on governance. Yet, the lack (absence, unavailability, non-existence; shortfall, deficiency, shortage, deficit) of a coherent (logical, reasonable, rational, well organized, systematic, clear) ideology (principle, standard, criterion, morality, ethics, belief) — it could tack (change direction, change course, go about) to the right (supporting right-wing/conservative views) of the Bharatiya Janata Party at opportune (favourable, advantageous, suitable, appropriate, pertinent) moments or to the left of the Congress at times (occasionally, sometimes, now and then), while its positions on national and international issues remain inchoate (unclear, confused; disordered) at best (only, simply, but, nothing but), and its commitment to secularism (the belief that religion should not have a strong influence in education or other public parts of society) remains tokenist in practice (in reality, actually, in real life, realistically, practically, effectively) — is a limitation which could hurt it in the long run (eventually, in the end, ultimately).

Three other parties have lost their “national party” tag (label, identity, designation, description) — the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The CPI has been in decline for decades (a period of ten years), and even its limited electoral successes in States such as Kerala are a consequence (implication, result, outcome, ramification, repercussion) of its alliance (association, union, partnership) with a larger Left ally (partner, supporter, confederate) in the CPI(Marxist). The conditions that necessitated (require, publicly ask, call for, demand) the Left split (division, rift, break-up, partition) in the early 1960s are no longer relevant in a much changed world and both Left parties will be better off (successful, well placed, in a privileged/fortunate position) with a merger, at least for reasons related to ideological cohesion (unity, togetherness, solidarity, coherence). The Trinamool and NCP are limited to West Bengal and Maharashtra, even though they recently won a small number of seats in Meghalaya and Nagaland, respectively. Both parties originated in the 1990s due to the differences (difference of opinion, disagreement, dispute, quarrel) their leaders had with the Congress’s high command (commander-in-chief, head, leader, boss), but they have evolved (develop, progress, advance) differently since then. Unlike the NCP, the Trinamool has retained a relatively (comparatively, to a certain extent, somewhat) hostile (attacking, combative, belligerent, confrontational) posture towards the Congress. Its foray (a brief & active attempt to get involved in a new activity/sphere) into Tripura was rendered (cause to be/become, make) fruitless (ineffective, unproductive, unrewarding) as the Congress managed to make a relative (reasonable, considerable, some) comeback as an oppositional force while the NCP’s differences with the Congress are no longer as salient as they were in the 1990s to help it grow at the latter’s expense.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.divergent (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - विभिन्न, अलग
English Meaning - different, differing, varying; conflicting, contrasting, contradictory.

2.fortune (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भाग्य, सफलता
English Meaning - success, welfare, well being.

3.electoral democracy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - चुनावी लोकतंत्र
English Meaning - it describes a democratic government based on a system that enables all citizens to select one candidate from a list of competitors for political office. The process is called an election. Each citizen becomes a voter who casts a secret ballot with their choices.

4.prevail (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रचलित होना, अस्तित्व में होना
English Meaning - exist, be in existence, be present, be prevalent.

5.result in (verb)

Hindi Meaning - परिणाम
English Meaning - lead to, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.

6.largely (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - काफी हद तक, पर्याप्त रूप से
English Meaning - substantially, considerably, significantly.

7.federal (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संघीय
English Meaning - relating to a system of government in which establishments such as states or provinces share power with a national government.

8.set-up (noun)

Hindi Meaning - स्थापित करना, प्रणाली
English Meaning - system, structure, organization, framework.

9.diversity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विविधता
English Meaning - existence/presence of different people (from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives ranging from race to age to gender to hometown to educational experience) within group; variety, variance, difference.

10.salient (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - मुख्य, महत्वपूर्ण
English Meaning - important, main, major, primary, notable.

11.creditable (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - श्रेयस्कर, प्रशंसनीय
English Meaning - commendable, praiseworthy, laudable.

12.emerge out (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - बाहर होना, प्रकट होना
English Meaning - come out, appear, become known.

13.civil society (noun)

Hindi Meaning - नागरिक समाज
English Meaning - civil society refers to space for collective action around shared interests, purposes, and values, generally distinct from government and commercial for-profit actors. It refers to a wide array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations. Civil society - sometimes called the “third sector” (after government and commerce) - has the power to influence the actions of elected policy-makers and businesses.

14.tenure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यकाल, अवधि
English Meaning - term, time, period.

15.register (verb)

Hindi Meaning - दर्ज करना, पंजीकृत करना
English Meaning - record.

16.tag (noun)

English Meaning - label, identity, designation, description.

17.first-past-the-post (phrase)

English Meaning - it is an electoral system in which a candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins and becomes the MP/MLA for that seat.

18.duopoly (noun)

English Meaning - it is used to describe any market where two firms dominate.

19.outlier (noun)

English Meaning - a person/thing detached from the main group.

20.led past participle of lead to (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.

21.flowering (noun)

English Meaning - growing, blossoming, flourishing, thriving; development, growth, advancement.

22.milieu (noun)

English Meaning - context, background, backdrop; environment, atmosphere.

23.popular (adjective)

English Meaning - widespread, general, prevalent, prevailing; accepted/established.

24.notch up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - score, achieve, attain/record.

25.threshold (noun)

English Meaning - it is an amount, level, or limit of something. Once the threshold is reached, something else happens or changes; lower limit, starting point, point of entry.

26.recognition (noun)

English Meaning - (formal) acknowledgement, acceptance, admission.

27.distinguishing (adjective)

English Meaning - distinctive, differentiating, special. exclusive, particular.

28.force (noun)

English Meaning - group, party, outfit.

29.accolade (noun)

English Meaning - commendation, acclaim, applause, praise, recognition.

30.lack (noun)

English Meaning - absence, unavailability, non-existence; shortfall, deficiency, shortage, deficit.

31.coherent (adjective)

English Meaning - logical, reasonable, rational, well organized, systematic, clear.

32.ideology (noun)

English Meaning - principle, standard, criterion, morality, ethics, belief.

33.tack (verb)

English Meaning - change direction, change course, go about.

34.right (phrase)

English Meaning - supporting right-wing/conservative views.

35.opportune (adjective)

English Meaning - favourable, advantageous, suitable, appropriate, pertinent.

36.left (phrase)

English Meaning - supporting left-wing/liberal views.

37.at times (phrase)

English Meaning - occasionally, sometimes, now and then.

38.inchoate (adjective)

English Meaning - unclear, confused; disordered.

39.at best (phrase)

English Meaning - only, simply, but, nothing but.

40.secularism (noun)

English Meaning - the belief that religion should not have a strong influence in education or other public parts of society.

41.tokenist (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the practice or policy of making symbolic efforts to impress (minority) people and the people to think that the organisation is dealing with problems fairly but actually it is not.

42.in practice (phrase)

English Meaning - in reality, actually, in real life, realistically, practically, effectively.

43.in the long run (phrase)

English Meaning - eventually, in the end, ultimately.

44.in decline (phrase)

English Meaning - declining, decreasing, becoming worse (gradually).

45.decade (noun)

English Meaning - a period of ten years.

46.consequence (noun)

English Meaning - implication, result, outcome, ramification, repercussion.

47.alliance (noun)

English Meaning - association, union, partnership.