Read Editorial with D2G – Ep CXXXXVIII

In Read Editorial With D2G
May 20, 2016

POLITICAL LANDSCAPE CHANGES IN INDIA’S EAST

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 D2G wears no responsibility of the views published here by the respective Author. This Editorial is used here for Study Purpose. Students are advised to learn the word-meaning, The Art of Writing Skills and understand the crux of this Editorial.

MEANINGS are given in BOLD and ITALIC

Confounding (If someone or something confounds you, they make you feel surprised or confused, often by showing you that your opinions or expectations of them were wrong – उलझाना ) conventional (ordinary / normal) wisdom has been a defining feature of Mamata Banerjee’s political career. Through dogged (If you describe someone’s actions as dogged, you mean that they are determined to continue with something even if it becomes difficult or dangerous – हठी ) persistence, bravery and picking the right causes she brilliantly marshalled public protests to trounce (If you trounce someone in a competition or contest, you defeat them easily or by a large score – बुरी तरह से हराना ) the CPI(M)’s party-state apparatus in 2011. But heading for a second term, she did not seem like a runaway winner and noticeably did not exude (If someone exudes a quality or feeling, or if it exudes, they show that they have it to a great extent – पसीजना ) the optimism we’ve come to expect from her. Trinamool Congress (TMC) cadres were clearly apprehensive, leading analysts to speculate about the possibilities of the Congress-Left alliance owing to the alienation caused by TMC cadres’ strong arm-tactics and intimidation. In the end, she has been able to withstand withering criticism from the liberal intelligentsia and corruption allegations against her party leaders to secure a resounding affirmation from the voters.

Ms Banerjee’s victory will have far-reaching implications. With this scale of victory she may have snuffed out (To snuff out something such as a disagreement means to stop it, usually in a forceful or sudden way) whatever chances the CPI(M) had of forging a comeback in Bengal. That the Congress has done better than the CPI(M) is an astonishing tale of decline for the latter and portends (If something portends an event or occurrence, it indicates that it is likely to happen in the future) a further churning of political loyalties in localities across the state — a process that can expected to be marked by violence while providing opportunities for the BJP to expand. How Ms Banerjee and the NDA navigate their relationship hereon will have a bearing on Bengal’s future and India’s.

The BJP’s historic victory in Assam is a significant boost for the party after last year’s setbacks in Delhi and Bihar and crucially signals that it is no longer a purely Hindi-heartland party, but is in fact ready to make a further push into the East. It also represents a strong comeback for party president Amit Shah, who deftly (A deft action is skilful and often quick – बाहर नास ) handled the dynamics within the BJP’s Assam unit and choreographed the alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodoland People’s Front. Managing two regional heavyweights is no easy task, particularly if they are recent entrants (An entrant is a person who is taking part in a competition – नवागंतुकों ) from opposing parties, but the BJP managed to project Sarbananda Sonowal, formerly of the AGP, as the chief minister while drafting in a former Congressman, Himanta Biswa Sarma, as the election convener. The Congress, meanwhile, paid the price for poor performance on the economy and infrastructure development despite being in power for three terms. Its electoral handling was counterproductive; it failed to explore alliances while efforts to project Tarun Gogoi’s son, Gaurav, ended up alienating Sarma, who was a huge asset to the party. The ambitions of Badruddin Ajmal, the head of the All India United Democratic Front, also foundered (fail or break down as a result of a particular problem) at the hustings (If you bust something, you break it or damage it so badly that it cannot be used – चुनावपूर्व की राजनैतिक गतिविधियाँ ). He was hoping to be kingmaker in the event of a hung verdict. Mr Ajmal himself lost the poll, suggesting that the migrant and indigenous Muslim support base he was banking on voted with more discernment (Discernment is the ability to judge which things of a particular kind are good and which are bad – प्रत्यक्ष ) than he anticipated.

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