Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Decisive wins: On M.P., Rajasthan, Telangana and Chhattisgarh Assembly election results

Decisive wins: On M.P., Rajasthan, Telangana and Chhattisgarh Assembly election results

The BJP rode on the back of its national leadership in the Hindi heartland, while the Congress relied on regional satraps for its success in Telangana

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trumped (Get the better of) the Congress in all the three States where the two were in a face-to-face fight, wresting control of both Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and retaining power in Madhya Pradesh. A remarkable revival in Telangana that pushed the BJP to the third place was the only consolation (सांत्वना) for the Congress. The BJP’s victories signify a consolidation (दृढ़ीकरण, एकीकरण) of its hold over the Hindi heartland and in straight contests against its principal national opponent. The Congress had won all three States five years ago, though it lost Madhya Pradesh midway through its term to politically opportunistic mass defections (दल-बदल, विद्रोह). True, the Congress’s consolation prize in Telangana is remarkable, beating back a regional party that had sought to become synonymous with the struggle for Statehood. But to regain support in the Hindi-speaking States in time for the Lok Sabha election next year seems an uphill (कठिन) struggle for the party. The overall electoral map now suggests a divergence (भिन्नता, विचलन) between the BJP strongholds in the north and the west, and peninsular India where non-BJP parties are in power. But the party’s performance in Telangana where it won eight seats compared to just one last time is notable. The setback to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana is not ordinary anti-incumbency, but a pointed rejection of its dynastic reign (शासनकाल) devoid (रहित) of any ideological content. The BJP campaign had pivoted (to turn or balance on a central point) around Prime Minister Narendra Modi, relegating (पदावनत करना, बाहर निकाल देना) its regional leaders, including sitting Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of Madhya Pradesh, to the background. This was a highly risky strategy, considering the party’s defeat in Karnataka in May after it antagonised (विरोध करना) regional satraps (a subordinate ruler, esp one who is connected with or typical of a leader with great power, especially one who uses it in a cruel way) and caste groups. In the end, the party won 115 out of 199 (one yet to be held) seats in Rajasthan, 164 of 230 in Madhya Pradesh, and 54 of 90 in Chhattisgarh.

These decisive numbers give the BJP central leadership the latitude (अक्षांश) to have its way in government formation in all three States. The lion’s share of the credit for the victories belongs to Mr. Modi, reinforcing his authority ahead of 2024 when he will be seeking a third straight term. Mr. Chouhan chose not to raise his profile in the campaign, allowing the central leadership to take full responsibility in Madhya Pradesh, just as in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot fought a spirited battle, and though he lost, prevented a complete washout of the Congress. In Chhattisgarh, the party collapsed in the storm of allegations of corruption and under the weight of botched (An embarrassing mistake) social engineering that isolated the tribal communities. All three heartland States have exposed many a chink (a small narrow crack) in the Congress armour, particularly its two prongs (each of the separate parts of an attack, argument, etc. that somebody uses to achieve something) of social justice and welfare schemes. These are essential but not sufficient tools for victory. Trust in leadership, representation of social groups, astute (चतुर) selection of candidates, effective campaigning, ideological clarity and, above all, organisational cohesion are required, especially to retain power.

Calling for a more representative political and social order is one thing, but turning that into an obsessive call for a caste census is quite another. Rahul Gandhi’s campaign for a caste-based census, if at all it had any electoral impact, was not a differentiator in these elections. In combination with other factors that worked against the Congress and for the BJP, it had little traction. The BJP’s Hindutva politics continued to resonate better across caste groups in the heartland. The BJP’s campaigning was laced with communal propaganda, and had a more effective outreach to subaltern segments. Caste politics as a counter to communalism is hardly inspiring. The BJP, by denying a ticket to Yunus Khan, its lone Muslim MLA in Rajasthan, removed the last traces of religious inclusivity from its benches. The BJP and the Congress appealed to women, tribal communities, and youth through mixes of welfare schemes. The BJP had more takers as the results show — the possible differentiators for it being leadership and the strong tailwind of Hindu identity politics. Mr. Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and the party’s nominal nod to non-dynastic politics in the election of Mallikarjun Kharge as president had some resonance in Telangana where the ruling BRS relied heavily on Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s family, but against the BJP in the heartland, these were not adequate.

The Congress got a lot right in Telangana though, where its strategy mirrored the successful playbook in Karnataka. It managed to assemble one dominant caste, Other Backward Classes, Dalits and the religious minorities behind it. The Congress call to reject the BRS’s Dorala (feudal) Telangana and embrace Prajala Telangana (the rule of the people) was received well by the subaltern social groups that have felt the weight of feudalism and social discrimination. The party’s central leadership could harness the skillset of its State unit president Revanth Reddy, and the social appeal of Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, a Dalit leader who went on a Statewide foot march, into a winning force. As for the BRS, its cleverness has hit a speed breaker. Unlike the Dravidian parties, the BRS has no ideological essence to sustain it without power. The BJP confused its own cadres in the run-up to the polls, but still won eight seats. The southern dreams of the BJP remain distant. By upstaging a regional party, the Congress has demonstrated a possibility. The Congress has regional parties as its main opponents in several States. The results give momentum and confidence to the BJP and Mr. Modi; the Congress and Mr. Gandhi must go back to the drawing board before resuming their long yatra with greater ideological clarity.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Consolation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सांत्वना
English Meaning - The comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment.

2.Consolidation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दृढ़ीकरण, एकीकरण
English Meaning - The act of combining into an integral whole.

3.Defection (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दल-बदल, विद्रोह
English Meaning - Withdrawing support or help despite allegiance or responsibility.

4.Uphill (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कठिन
English Meaning - Against difficulties.

5.Divergence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भिन्नता, विचलन
English Meaning - The act of moving away in different direction from a common point.

6.Reign (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शासनकाल
English Meaning - A period during which something or somebody is dominant or powerful.

7.Devoid (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - रहित
English Meaning - Completely wanting or lacking.

8.Relegate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - पदावनत करना, बाहर निकाल देना
English Meaning - Assign to a lower position; reduce in rank.

9.Antagonise (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विरोध करना
English Meaning - Act in opposition to.

10.Latitude (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अक्षांश
English Meaning - Freedom from normal restraints in conduct.

11.Astute (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - चतुर
English Meaning - Marked by practical hardheaded intelligence.

12.Satrap (noun)

English Meaning - a subordinate ruler, esp one who is connected with or typical of a leader with great power, especially one who uses it in a cruel way.

13.Trump (noun)

English Meaning - Get the better of.

14.Pivot (noun)

English Meaning - to turn or balance on a central point.

15.Botch (noun)

English Meaning - An embarrassing mistake.

16.Chink (noun)

English Meaning - a small narrow crack.

17.Prong (noun)

English Meaning - each of the separate parts of an attack, argument, etc. that somebody uses to achieve something.