Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Bugle for restraint: On scheduling of five Assembly elections

Bugle for restraint: On scheduling of five Assembly elections

However adversarial (विरोधात्मक), elections should not allow for a socially divisive (बांटनेवाला, विभाजक, अलग करना) campaign (अभियान, प्रचार करना, चुनाव प्रचार करना)

The schedule for Assembly elections in five States announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on January 8 was along expected lines (पंक्तियां, तरीका, दिशा). Polling will begin in Uttar Pradesh on February 10 and end on March 7, spanning (अवधि, फैलाना) seven phases. The Manipur polls would be held in two phases and the Goa, Punjab and Uttarakhand polls in one. Given (दिया गया, विचार करना, ध्यान में रखना) the size of the States and deployment (तैनाती, परिनियोजन) of paramilitary (अर्द्धसैनिक) forces, the ECI has split (विभाजन, बांटना, अलग करना) the polling into seven phases this time, as in the 2017 Assembly polls. In the U.P. elections, the ECI has stuck to its earlier pattern of starting with constituencies (चुनाव-क्षेत्र, निर्वाचन क्षेत्र) in the western part of the State first and then moving towards the east. Dismissing (ख़ारिज करना, अस्वीकार करना, ठुकराना) reports of the Bharatiya Janata Party asking for (पूछना, अनुरोध, मांग) the phases to be from east to west, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said that the polls would be held from west to east and that no party had made a demand during the ECI’s visit to U.P. in December to change this. The farm protests have had more of an impact in western U.P. The announcement of the poll schedule also came with a total ban on physical campaigning till January 15 due to (इस कारण, की वजह से) the COVID-19 pandemic (वैश्विक महामारी) entering its third wave. The ECI plans on reviewing the situation, including prevailing (existing; current, present) positivity rates (the proportion of positives to total tests done for disease; the percentage of tests that are turning out to be positive for disease; the rate at which people getting tested for disease receive positive results) in the States, before deciding on allowing any rallies (gathering, march/procession, meeting) after January 15.

Till then, candidates and parties have been encouraged to use online ways to reach out (contact someone to obtain/offer help/assistance/cooperation) to voters, throwing (If you throw down a challenge to someone, you do something anew/ unexpected boldly or forcefully that will most likely make them to respond equally strongly) a challenge to the election authorities (officials) on enforcing the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) (a set of guidelines meant for political parties, candidates and governments to adhere to during an election) and monitoring expenditure. Considering the fact that several emotive (controversial, contentious, emotional) and controversial issues are at play (in effect, happening), this is going to be a tough test for the ECI. It will have to reinforce (strengthen, support, fortify, bolster up, underpin) its impartiality (fairness, equality, neutrality, probity) and rigour (strictness, severity, sternness, harshness, rigidity, inflexibility) to ensure that the rules of the game (a number/list/group of rules or conventions or principles regulating conduct or behaviour in a particular area of activity) are followed by all parties. Political parties must take special care to not only follow the MCC but also observe (comply with, abide by, keep, obey, adhere to, conform to, heed, respect) COVID-related additional restrictions on campaigning. Ruling parties both at the Centre and States have to bear (endure, tolerate, put up with, suffer, experience, undergo, go through (burden/difficulty)) an extra burden of ensuring that they do not misuse official machinery (system, apparatus, structure) to influence (affect, have an effect on) the elections. Social media have made toxicity (hatefulness, nastiness, venom; the quality of being very harmful/dangerous) a low risk, high reward instrument (means, mechanism, medium, factor) of political campaigns, causing serious harm to social cohesion (unity, togetherness, solidarity, coherence) and national integrity (unity, unification, wholeness, coherence, cohesion, togetherness, solidarity). The breach (contravention, violation, breaking, non-observance, infringement, transgression, neglect, dereliction) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security in Punjab took a political colour (tone, quality, hue), but the issue must now be left to the Supreme Court which has decided to (choose, opt for, select, go for, settle on) appoint a judicial commission (advisory body; committee, board, council, panel) to inquire (investigate (officially); probe, look into) into it. The substance (meaningfulness, significance, importance; significant subject, important matter/content, valid message) and rhetoric (the art of speaking or writing effectively & persuasively or impressively (but, often lacking substance); bombast, loftiness, hyperbole/extravagant language) of the campaign will be adversarial in a multiparty democracy, but they need not, and must not, be socially divisive. The elections must be a celebration of democracy, and not a threat to it.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.restraint (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संयम, नियंत्रण, प्रतिबंध
English Meaning - restriction, limitation, control.

2.adversarial (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - विरोधात्मक
English Meaning - involving conflict or opposition.

3.divisive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - बांटनेवाला, विभाजक, अलग करना
English Meaning - alienating/isolating, disharmonious, discordant.

4.campaign (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभियान, प्रचार करना, चुनाव प्रचार करना
English Meaning - canvassing, electioneering, an act of soliciting (asking for/requesting) votes; an organized effort that seeks to influence the decision-making progress within a specific group.

5.lines (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पंक्तियां, तरीका, दिशा
English Meaning - procedure, way, system, method, course, direction.

6.span (verb)

Hindi Meaning - अवधि, फैलाना
English Meaning - extend over, stretch across, spread over, range over.

7.given (preposition)

Hindi Meaning - दिया गया, विचार करना, ध्यान में रखना
English Meaning - considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.

8.deployment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तैनाती, परिनियोजन
English Meaning - the bringing of resources into effective action.

9.paramilitary (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अर्द्धसैनिक
English Meaning - (of semi-militarized force) organized like a military force.

10.split (verb)

Hindi Meaning - विभाजन, बांटना, अलग करना
English Meaning - divide, separate.

11.constituency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - चुनाव-क्षेत्र, निर्वाचन क्षेत्र
English Meaning - a particular area whose voters elect a representative to a legislative body.

12.dismiss (verb)

Hindi Meaning - ख़ारिज करना, अस्वीकार करना, ठुकराना
English Meaning - reject, deny, spurn, disregard.

13.ask for (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - पूछना, अनुरोध, मांग
English Meaning - request, demand.

14.due to (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - इस कारण, की वजह से
English Meaning - because of, owing to, on account of, as a result of.

15.pandemic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - वैश्विक महामारी
English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

16.stick to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - abide by, keep, adhere to, hold to.

17.along expected lines (phrase)

English Meaning - in an expected way.

18.bugle (noun)

English Meaning - (figuratively) signal; (bugle is generally a musical, brass instrument like a simple trumpet used for military signals).

19.prevailing (adjective)

English Meaning - existing; current, present.

20.positivity rate (noun)

English Meaning - the proportion of positives to total tests done for disease; the percentage of tests that are turning out to be positive for disease; the rate at which people getting tested for disease receive positive results.

21.decide on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - choose, opt for, select, go for, settle on.

22.rally (noun)

English Meaning - gathering, march/procession, meeting.

23.reach out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - contact someone to obtain/offer help/assistance/cooperation.

24.throw (down) a challenge (phrase)

English Meaning - If you throw down a challenge to someone, you do something anew/ unexpected boldly or forcefully that will most likely make them to respond equally strongly.

25.authorities (noun)

English Meaning - officials.

26.model code of conduct (MCC) (noun)

English Meaning - a set of guidelines meant for political parties, candidates and governments to adhere to during an election.

27.code of conduct (noun)

English Meaning - a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party or an organization.

28.emotive (adjective)

English Meaning - controversial, contentious, emotional.

29.at play (phrase)

English Meaning - in effect, happening.

30.reinforce (verb)

English Meaning - strengthen, support, fortify, bolster up, underpin.

31.impartiality (noun)

English Meaning - fairness, equality, neutrality, probity.

32.rigour (noun)

English Meaning - strictness, severity, sternness, harshness, rigidity, inflexibility.

33.rules of the game (phrase)

English Meaning - a number/list/group of rules or conventions or principles regulating conduct or behaviour in a particular area of activity.

34.observe (verb)

English Meaning - comply with, abide by, keep, obey, adhere to, conform to, heed, respect.

35.bear (verb)

English Meaning - endure, tolerate, put up with, suffer, experience, undergo, go through (burden/difficulty).

36.bear the burden (phrase)

English Meaning - to endure/go through something stressful or difficult, particularly for the sake of others.

37.machinery (noun)

English Meaning - system, apparatus, structure.

38.influence (verb)

English Meaning - affect, have an effect on.

39.toxicity (noun)

English Meaning - hatefulness, nastiness, venom; the quality of being very harmful/dangerous.

40.instrument (noun)

English Meaning - means, mechanism, medium, factor.

41.cohesion (noun)

English Meaning - unity, togetherness, solidarity, coherence.

42.social cohesion (noun)

English Meaning - the capacity of a society to ensure the well-being of all its members, minimizing disparities and avoiding marginalization (or) the belief held by citizens of a given nation-state that they share a moral community, which enables them to trust each other.

43.integrity (noun)

English Meaning - unity, unification, wholeness, coherence, cohesion, togetherness, solidarity.

44.breach (noun)

English Meaning - contravention, violation, breaking, non-observance, infringement, transgression, neglect, dereliction.

45.colour (noun)

English Meaning - tone, quality, hue.

46.be left (to) (verb)

English Meaning - remain to be dealt with.

47.commission (noun)

English Meaning - advisory body; committee, board, council, panel.

48.inquire (verb)

English Meaning - investigate (officially); probe, look into.

49.substance (noun)

English Meaning - meaningfulness, significance, importance; significant subject, important matter/content, valid message.

50.rhetoric (noun)

English Meaning - the art of speaking or writing effectively & persuasively or impressively (but, often lacking substance); bombast, loftiness, hyperbole/extravagant language.