Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​Flipping scripts: On the Haryana and J&K election results

​Flipping scripts: On the Haryana and J&K election results

BJP and INDIA bloc (गुट, संघ) emerge clear winners in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir

Contrary to (के विपरीत, के खिलाफ) pollsters (सर्वेक्षणकर्ता)’ predictions, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has managed to retain power in Haryana by increasing its seats from 40 to 48 and vote share from 36.5% to 39.9%, securing a third consecutive (लगातार) term (कार्यकाल). The Congress’s vote share also accrued (to receive something gradually over a period of time; accumulate, gather, build up, be added) a whopping 11 points to register 39.1% but its seat tally (गिनती) increased marginally (थोड़ा, कुछ हद तक), by six, to 37. The two regional parties catering to the influential (प्रभावशाली, सशक्त) Jat community, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) did poorly (खराब तरीके से, बुरी तरह) as their combined vote share fell from 21% in 2019 to 7% in 2024, aiding (सहायता करना, मदद करना) the Congress. But the BJP’s astute (चतुर, कुशल) social engineering (the act of tricking someone into divulging (revealing sensitive (or) personal) information or taking action usually through technology. It is to take advantage of a potential victim’s natural tendencies and emotional reactions), gaining support from non-Jat OBCs by propping up leaders from among them, besides (के अलावा, को छोड़कर) its strengths in urban areas, helped it sail through (succeed easily at, gain success in easily, pass easily). This is a remarkable achievement for the BJP which was saddled not just with anti-incumbency (विरोधी लहर) but also facing a resurgent (पुनर्जीवित) Congress that was projected (predict, indicate, forecast, prognose, speculate, calculate (of future events or trends)) to win more seats. While the farmer and wrestler-led agitations (आंदोलन) helped the Congress to do well in rural areas, it was not enough to break the BJP’s social coalition (alliance, association, union, partnership) there or dent (reduce, diminish, lessen, shrink, lessen, undermine, damage) the BJP’s urban strongholds (fort, fortress, bulwark, mainstay, support). The grand old party’s bugbear (bane, anathema, curse, bogey, pet peeve, aversion, iritation), a divided party leadership, did not help matters (to make a situation or condition better/stronger). The win also adds gloss (shine, brightness) to the BJP’s central leadership that had taken some flak (strong criticism, censure, disapproval, condemnation, castigation, lambasting, denunciation) since the party’s underwhelming (unsatisfactory, not exciting, disappointing) performance in the 2024 general election. The Congress will have to go back to the drawing board (used to point out that a new idea/plan has to be formed as the old one is not working well) to rework its strategy (plan of action (in order to achieve a more expansive set of political, economic, and security interests)) of upending (overturn, overthrow, topple over, knock down, capsize, cancel; turn something upside down) the BJP in the Hindi heartland (the most important part of a field of activity; the central part of something).

The results in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) were two-faced (having two aspects; deceiving, untrustworthy, insincere, cunning). The BJP increased its share by five points to 45% in Hindu-majority Jammu, helping it win in 29 seats and retain its seat shares in the region. The National Conference-Congress-led alliance (INDIA bloc) won in four seats reserved (put aside, set aside, earmark, preserve, keep, withhold) for Scheduled Tribes. In the Kashmir Valley (a low area between hills or mountains typically with a river running through it), the INDIA bloc changed the script from a decade (a period of ten years) ago by winning 41 out of the 47 seats and reducing the PDP to three seats. The INDIA bloc’s ability to compete in Jammu and dominate in Kashmir was enough for it to win a decisive (conclusive, deciding) majority of 49 seats, a number that should have been higher if not for rebel (dissident, nonconformist) candidates winning in a few seats. The BJP’s strategy of isolating (set apart, alienate, distance, detach, separate, disunite; estrange, make hostile/make unfriendly) the mainstream (accepted, established, recognized) polity (a politically organized society) in Kashmir and to use delimitation (the act of establishing limits or boundaries in a Treaty, Judgement or other Agreement) to manufacture (devise, formulate, frame, fabricate, think up, contrive) a majority were not successful as the electorate (all the people in a country who are eligible to vote in an election) clearly favoured (support, back, endorse, approve , advocate, champion, chosen, stand up for) the strongest opposition to it, in the Valley in particular (particularly, especially, to be specific). Chief Minister-designate (appointed, nominated, selected, chosen, elected, named (but yet to take up the role/responsibility)) Omar Abdullah will have his task cut out and will strive (aim, try hard, fight, make an effort, do one’s utmost, do one’s best) first to get statehood (the condition of being an independent state) for J&K. An empowered (authorized, accredited, allowed, permitted, entitled) government that has the acceptance of the people, who participated in good numbers, should help the prospects (likelihood, hope, chances, possibilities, expectations, possibility, probability) of peace in the conflict-prone (subjected to armed conflict; suffering from armed clash) province (a part of a country that has its own government; territory, region, area, state). The BJP-led Centre must heed (pay attention to, listen to, take notice of, take into account, consider) the mandate (approval, acceptance, endorsement, authority (given by a constituency to someone acting as its representative)) and allow the government to function and fulfil its promises.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.bloc (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गुट, संघ
English Meaning - alliance, association, union, group, camp.

2.contrary to (preposition/phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के विपरीत, के खिलाफ
English Meaning - in opposition to, against, incompatible with, in conflict with, not in accord with, conflicting with.

3.pollster (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सर्वेक्षणकर्ता
English Meaning - a person who does opinion polls.

4.consecutive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - लगातार
English Meaning - successive, in a row, continuous, back-to-back.

5.term (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यकाल
English Meaning - tenure, period of/in office; period, time, stint, spell.

6.tally (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गिनती
English Meaning - count.

7.marginally (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - थोड़ा, कुछ हद तक
English Meaning - slightly, somewhat, to some degree.

8.influential (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रभावशाली, सशक्त
English Meaning - powerful, strong, dominant, authoritative, important, prominent.

9.poorly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - खराब तरीके से, बुरी तरह
English Meaning - badly, terribly, awfully, abysmally.

10.aid (verb)

Hindi Meaning - सहायता करना, मदद करना
English Meaning - assist, help, support.

11.astute (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - चतुर, कुशल
English Meaning - skillful, adept, expert, clever, impressive.

12.besides (preposition)

Hindi Meaning - के अलावा, को छोड़कर
English Meaning - apart from, other than, barring, excluding.

13.anti-incumbency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विरोधी लहर
English Meaning - a situation which is against elected officials currently in power; discontent against ruling government/ party in power.

14.resurgent (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पुनर्जीवित
English Meaning - rising again, renewed, re-emerged, revived, reawakened, rejuvenated, reestablished, resurrected; rising again or reviving after a period of little activity/dullness.

15.agitation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आंदोलन
English Meaning - (public) protest.

16.flip the script (noun)

English Meaning - change/reverse/turn the representation/order of a particular situation; do something unpredicted/unanticipated.

17.secure (verb)

English Meaning - obtain, gain, get, acquire.

18.cater to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - present someone with what is needed; try to satisfy/fulfil a need of; please, satisfy, gratify.

19.accrue (verb)

English Meaning - to receive something gradually over a period of time; accumulate, gather, build up, be added.

20.whopping (adjective)

English Meaning - huge, massive, very large, substantial.

21.social engineering (noun)

English Meaning - the act of tricking someone into divulging (revealing sensitive (or) personal) information or taking action usually through technology. It is to take advantage of a potential victim’s natural tendencies and emotional reactions.

22.prop up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to give support to someone or something otherwise that person/thing would fail/collapse; support, help, aid, assist, bolster (up), shore up, hold up, buttress, undergird, underpin, reinforce, strengthen.

23.sail through (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - succeed easily at, gain success in easily, pass easily.

24.saddle with (verb)

English Meaning - to give someone an unpleasant responsibility or problem, burden, etc. and that will cause a lot of difficulty

25.project (verb)

English Meaning - predict, indicate, forecast, prognose, speculate, calculate (of future events or trends).

26.coalition (noun)

English Meaning - alliance, association, union, partnership.

27.dent (verb)

English Meaning - reduce, diminish, lessen, shrink, lessen, undermine, damage.

28.stronghold (noun)

English Meaning - fort, fortress, bulwark, mainstay, support.

29.bugbear (noun)

English Meaning - bane, anathema, curse, bogey, pet peeve, aversion, iritation.

30.help matters (phrase)

English Meaning - to make a situation or condition better/stronger.

31.gloss (noun)

English Meaning - shine, brightness.

32.flak (noun)

English Meaning - strong criticism, censure, disapproval, condemnation, castigation, lambasting, denunciation.

33.underwhelming (adjective)

English Meaning - unsatisfactory, not exciting, disappointing.

34.back to the drawing board (phrase)

English Meaning - used to point out that a new idea/plan has to be formed as the old one is not working well.

35.strategy (noun)

English Meaning - plan of action (in order to achieve a more expansive set of political, economic, and security interests).

36.upend (verb)

English Meaning - overturn, overthrow, topple over, knock down, capsize, cancel; turn something upside down.

37.heartland (noun)

English Meaning - the most important part of a field of activity; the central part of something.

38.two-faced (adjective)

English Meaning - having two aspects; deceiving, untrustworthy, insincere, cunning.

39.reserve (verb)

English Meaning - put aside, set aside, earmark, preserve, keep, withhold.

40.Valley (noun)

English Meaning - a low area between hills or mountains typically with a river running through it.

41.decade (noun)

English Meaning - a period of ten years.

42.reduce to (verb)

English Meaning - bring someone to a worse state or condition.

43.decisive (adjective)

English Meaning - conclusive, deciding.

44.rebel (noun as modifier)

English Meaning - dissident, nonconformist.

45.isolate (verb)

English Meaning - set apart, alienate, distance, detach, separate, disunite; estrange, make hostile/make unfriendly.

46.mainstream (adjective)

English Meaning - accepted, established, recognized.

47.polity (noun)

English Meaning - a politically organized society.

48.delimitation (noun)

English Meaning - the act of establishing limits or boundaries in a Treaty, Judgement or other Agreement.

49.demarcation (noun)

English Meaning - the physical marking of the boundary on the ground.

50.manufacture (verb)

English Meaning - devise, formulate, frame, fabricate, think up, contrive.

51.electorate (noun)

English Meaning - all the people in a country who are eligible to vote in an election.

52.favour (verb)

English Meaning - support, back, endorse, approve , advocate, champion, chosen, stand up for.

53.in particular (phrase)

English Meaning - particularly, especially, to be specific.

54.designate (adjective)

English Meaning - appointed, nominated, selected, chosen, elected, named (but yet to take up the role/responsibility).

55.have one’s task cut out (phrase)

English Meaning - be faced with a tough task/work to do; faced with a lot of hard work to accomplish something.

56.strive (verb)

English Meaning - aim, try hard, fight, make an effort, do one’s utmost, do one’s best.

57.statehood (noun)

English Meaning - the condition of being an independent state.

58.empowered (adjective)

English Meaning - authorized, accredited, allowed, permitted, entitled.

59.prospects (noun)

English Meaning - likelihood, hope, chances, possibilities, expectations, possibility, probability.

60.conflict (noun)

English Meaning - war, warfare, armed conflict, military action, armed clash.

61.prone (adjective)

English Meaning - susceptible to, vulnerable to, liable to, subject to, vulnerable to, at/in risk of.

62.conflict-prone (adjective)

English Meaning - subjected to armed conflict; suffering from armed clash.

63.province (noun)

English Meaning - a part of a country that has its own government; territory, region, area, state,

64.heed (verb)

English Meaning - pay attention to, listen to, take notice of, take into account, consider.

65.mandate (noun)

English Meaning - approval, acceptance, endorsement, authority (given by a constituency to someone acting as its representative).