Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Travesty in Chandigarh: On mayoral election and the Supreme Court of India’s remarks

Travesty in Chandigarh: On mayoral election and the Supreme Court of India’s remarks

Manner in which mayor poll was manipulated has grave implications for democracy

The Supreme Court of India’s stinging ((of criticism) harsh, bitter, nasty, hurtful, biting, venomous/poisonous) remarks on the manner in which the Mayor of Chandigarh was elected has confirmed suspicion (संदेह) that the victory of Manoj Sonkar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate was obtained through manipulation (falsification, rigging, misrepresentation, distortion, exploitation, deception, trickery). After viewing footage (a part of video that’s been shot or recorded or videographed) of the videographed electoral process, the Chief Justice of India found it appalling (shocking, horrific, horrible, terrible, awful, shameful, pathetic, sickening) that the presiding officer (पीठासीन अधिकारी) himself appeared to be defacing (बिगाड़ना, बदनाम करना) the ballots (मतदान), and termed (call, name, describe as) it a “mockery (मज़ाक) of democracy”. Many had noted as soon as the election was called in favour of (के पक्ष में) the BJP that it was a travesty (a false representation of something; misrepresentation, distortion, perversion, poor imitation, caricature, farce, joke, mockery, parody, sham; (Travesty is derived from the French travesti, which means “dressed in a disguise.”)) that took place on January 30, as eight votes cast (vote, register, record, enter (a vote)) by elected councillors were declared invalid. The election held on January 30 itself was based on a direction (order, command, instruction) from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Earlier, it was due (expected, awaited, anticipated, scheduled for) to be held on January 18, but it was deferred (put back, hold off, postpone, delay, suspend, shelve, mothball) to February 6 at the last minute (अंतिम क्षण में) as it was disclosed (खुलासा) that Anil Masih, a nominated councillor and a BJP minority wing (group, arm, section) functionary (पदाधिकारी), fell ill. However, thanks to (because of, on account of, owing to) the court’s intervention (हस्तक्षेप), it was advanced (change the date of (an event) in order to happen earlier than scheduled; move forward, bring forward) to January 30. The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) allege (आरोप) that the election was put off (postpone, delay, defer, put back, reschedule, shelve) only because two parties, which were contesting jointly, were set (be situated in a specified position; put into a specified state) to win. AAP has 13 members and the Congress seven in the Corporation, but the AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar polled only 12 votes, with eight votes being declared invalid. Mr. Sonkar, with 16 votes, was declared the winner.

The Mayor is chosen by the 35 elected Councillors and the Member of Parliament for Chandigarh. A simple method for a comparatively (तुलनात्मक रूप से) small elected body choosing its mayor is by a show of hands (a vote taken by counting the raised hands of people) or the members rising in support of the respective candidates. That they had to record their preferences (प्राथमिकता) through voting slips indicates that there was suspicion of possible cross-voting (voting for an opposition candidate/political party against one’s own party). What made the process dubious (संदिग्ध) was that Mr. Masih, who presided over the election, was accused of not showing the ‘invalid’ ballot papers to the candidates. As a result, no one knew why exactly these votes, presumably (संभवतः) those that ought to (must, should) have gone to the AAP candidate, were declared invalid. The apex court has done the right thing in ordering the ballots and the records be handed over to the High Court’s Registrar-General (In the judicial forum, Registrar-General manage both administrative and judicial sides in departments under the authority of the president/chairman of the tribunals and chief justices of the high courts and supreme courts. His/Her responsibility and duties include 1) to act as the Spokes-person for the High Court and coordinate between the High Court and the State/Central Governments in administrative affairs and others) and the proposed Corporation meeting postponed until further orders. The development (evolution; turn of events, incident, occurrence, happening) may concern only one municipal corporation in the country, but the idea that an election can be so brazenly (blatantly, clearly, fragrantly, unashamedly, shamelessly) rigged has grave (crucial, critical, important, significant, serious) implications (consequence/outcome, ramification, repercussion) for democracy. A political party seeking (try, aim, attempt) to be re-elected for a third consecutive (subsequent, successive, continuous) term at the national level cannot be seen as manipulating any election in this manner. Only a verdict invalidating the election and ordering a fresh one, with safeguards (protection, precaution, safety measure) against manipulation, will be in the interest of (for the advantage/benefit of) justice.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.suspicion (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संदेह
English Meaning - mistrust, distrust, doubt, qualm, mistrust, misgiving, apprehension, lack of faith/confidence/trust.

2.presiding officer (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पीठासीन अधिकारी
English Meaning - the officer in charge of a polling station during elections.

3.deface (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बिगाड़ना, बदनाम करना
English Meaning - damage, impair, spoil, disfigure, vandalise, disfigure intentionally.

4.ballot (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मतदान
English Meaning - the piece of paper used to record a vote; vote, poll.

5.mockery (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मज़ाक
English Meaning - insulting/absurd imitation of something; a false representation of something; travesty, farce, poor imitation, poor substitute.

6.in favour of (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के पक्ष में
English Meaning - in support of, to the advantage of, approve of.

7.at the last minute (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - अंतिम क्षण में
English Meaning - the last possible time before something (event).

8.disclose (verb)

Hindi Meaning - खुलासा
English Meaning - communicate, reveal, report, make known.

9.functionary (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पदाधिकारी
English Meaning - official, office-bearer, office-holder, administrator.

10.intervention (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हस्तक्षेप
English Meaning - the process of intervening in something; stepping in, involvement, interference.

11.allege (verb)

Hindi Meaning - आरोप
English Meaning - state, indicate, profess, argue, contend, claim, charge, accuse.

12.comparatively (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - तुलनात्मक रूप से
English Meaning - relatively, fairly, reasonably, satisfactorily.

13.preference (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्राथमिकता
English Meaning - choice, selection, favourite.

14.dubious (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संदिग्ध
English Meaning - suspicious, questionable, doubtful.

15.presumably (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - संभवतः
English Meaning - supposedly, apparently, probably, undoubtedly, evidently, seemingly, reportedly, ostensibly.

16.travesty (noun)

English Meaning - a false representation of something; misrepresentation, distortion, perversion, poor imitation, caricature, farce, joke, mockery, parody, sham; (Travesty is derived from the French travesti, which means “dressed in a disguise.”).

17.manipulate (verb)

English Meaning - falsify, alter, change, rig, misrepresent, tamper with.

18.grave (adjective)

English Meaning - crucial, critical, important, significant, serious.

19.implications (noun)

English Meaning - consequence/outcome, ramification, repercussion.

20.stinging (adjective)

English Meaning - (of criticism) harsh, bitter, nasty, hurtful, biting, venomous/poisonous.

21.manipulation (noun)

English Meaning - falsification, rigging, misrepresentation, distortion, exploitation, deception, trickery.

22.footage (noun)

English Meaning - a part of video that’s been shot or recorded or videographed.

23.appalling (adjective)

English Meaning - shocking, horrific, horrible, terrible, awful, shameful, pathetic, sickening.

24.term (verb)

English Meaning - call, name, describe as.

25.call (verb)

English Meaning - predict the result of an election.

26.cast (verb)

English Meaning - vote, register, record, enter (a vote).

27.held past and past participle of hold (verb)

English Meaning - conduct, preside over, organize.

28.direction (noun)

English Meaning - order, command, instruction.

29.due (adjective)

English Meaning - expected, awaited, anticipated, scheduled for.

30.defer (verb)

English Meaning - put back, hold off, postpone, delay, suspend, shelve, mothball.

31.wing (noun)

English Meaning - group, arm, section.

32.fall ill (phrase)

English Meaning - become ill, fall sick, be taken sick, be suffering from.

33.thanks to (phrase)

English Meaning - because of, on account of, owing to.

34.advance (verb)

English Meaning - change the date of (an event) in order to happen earlier than scheduled; move forward, bring forward.

35.put off (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - postpone, delay, defer, put back, reschedule, shelve.

36.set (verb)

English Meaning - be situated in a specified position; put into a specified state.

37.a show of hands (phrase)

English Meaning - a vote taken by counting the raised hands of people.

38.cross-voting (noun)

English Meaning - voting for an opposition candidate/political party against one’s own party.

39.preside over (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to be in charge of something (e.g. a polling station during elections).

40.ought to (modal verb)

English Meaning - must, should.

41.Registrar-General (noun)

English Meaning - In the judicial forum, Registrar-General manage both administrative and judicial sides in departments under the authority of the president/chairman of the tribunals and chief justices of the high courts and supreme courts. His/Her responsibility and duties include 1) to act as the Spokes-person for the High Court and coordinate between the High Court and the State/Central Governments in administrative affairs and others.

42.development (noun)

English Meaning - evolution; turn of events, incident, occurrence, happening.

43.brazenly (adverb)

English Meaning - blatantly, clearly, fragrantly, unashamedly, shamelessly.

44.rig (verb)

English Meaning - manipulate/conduct something fraudulently, particularly elections; falsify, fake, forge, distort, pervert, tamper with, tinker with.

45.seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

46.consecutive (adjective)

English Meaning - subsequent, successive, continuous.

47.safeguard (noun)

English Meaning - protection, precaution, safety measure.

48.in the interest of (phrase)

English Meaning - for the advantage/benefit of.

49.in the interest of justice (noun)

English Meaning - in order to make something (a situation or system) fair & impartial; for the sake of even-handedness and completeness; to the cause of fairness and equity.