{"id":239240,"date":"2024-04-21T01:02:11","date_gmt":"2024-04-20T19:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/?p=239240"},"modified":"2024-04-21T01:02:11","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T19:32:11","slug":"1st-phase-sees-boycott","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/2024\/04\/21\/1st-phase-sees-boycott\/","title":{"rendered":"1st phase sees boycott"},"content":{"rendered":"

India Votes<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri<\/strong>
\n(Secretary General, Assn for Democratic Socialism)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest democratic exercise in the world kicked off yesterday. Of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, 102 went to the polls in the first phase across 21 states and UTs. While the Election Commission was reeling out polling percentages, as 40% odd around 1 p.m. across the board, it would be upset with its tally by the end of the day, given chunks of voters chose to boycott instead. In six districts and 20 Assembly segments of 60 in eastern Nagaland not a single vote had been cast. This is in response to call by Eastern Nagaland People\u2019s Organisation (ENPO) asking for a complete shutdown for the solitary Lok Sabha seat given the Center\u2019s failure to keep its promise of creating Frontier Nagaland Territory. Apparently, state CEO show-caused the ENPO asking why action shouldn\u2019t be taken against it for interfering or attempting to interfere with free\u00a0exercise of any electoral right and thereby committing undue influence. Pat came the reply: \u201cshut down was voluntary initiative by people\u201d and call was given for maintaining law and order situation! In down south Tamil Nadu, the story is similar. In nine places, the voters did not go to polling stations either as a protest against a greenfield airport coming up, or for a railway bridge not being built, or non-resolution of their long-pending demands for basic facilities. However, no action can be taken against the voter. The blame lies elsewhere. The voters make their point, and it must be corrected.<\/p>\n

Rajputs To Boycott BJP
\nShould the BJP be worried on western UP front? At a \u2018mahapanchayat\u2019, on Tuesday last, Rajputs decided to boycott the saffron party candidates in Muzaffarnagar, Kairana and Saharanpur Lok Sabha constituencies. Their grudge is that the community has been neglected in the distribution of party tickets. And thus, in these areas, the community will not vote for BJP candidates, \u2018but will opt for another strong candidate from other parties.\u2019 Interestingly, while the boycott is for BJP candidates, the Rajputs said it wouldn\u2019t apply to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who \u2018was their voice, but wasn\u2019t being heard by central BJP leadership\u2019! Intriguing indeed for the voter as in UP, it\u2019s not Prime Minister Modi alone which holds sway, but Yogi too, who has come to be seen as a good administrator. The region has helped BJP per se win majority of seats in the past due to a consolidated Hindu vote. But now the big question is whether the \u2018mahapanchayat\u2019 decision \u2018will become the reason for BJP\u2019s downfall in Western UP,\u2019 as claimed.
\nTN in Focus
\nTamil Nadu this time round has surprised many an election watcher. Campaigning in the state had been hitting national headlines. This, given the fact that BJP has kept a sharp focus on the south and longs to make inroads. And that\u2019s why this election is seeing a three-cornered contest: the ruling DMK-led alliance which includes Congress, two Communist parties and Muslim League; BJP and opposition AIADMK, which parted company from NDA. While the DMK and team is confident that it shall rule the roost, the margin victories may not be as easy as was in 2019 and that it is facing an inti-incumbency factor. For the BJP, state president K Annamalai has kept the party\u2019s presence in the state, but it is star campaigner Modi and his popularity which the party is banking upon, given his repeated campaign visits in past year, especially the past couple of months. BJP, which has raised the stakes seeks to change the arithmetic, by relegating AIADMK to the third spot, managing the second for itself. Recall, the state has in the past voted one-sided: in 2019 of 39 seats, DMK-Congress got 38 and in 2014, AIADMK got 37. Will BJP be a new entrant in Dravidian politics?<\/p>\n

Chhattisgarh \u2018Surgical Strike\u2019
\nNaxalism will see an end in five years in Chhattisgarh if BJP comes to power, were words of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking votes during last November\u2019s Assembly polls. He is determined as on Tuesday last, the BJP-ruled state witnessed the biggest encounter in the state\u2019s history of fighting Left Wing Extremism, with 29 Maoists killed in Kanker district and 3 security personnel injured in a joint operation of BSF and state police\u2019s District Reserve Guard. It\u2019s being said senior cadres of outlawed CPI-Maoist Shankar, Lalita, Raju and others, may have died in the operation launched and a huge cache of weapons, including AK-47, SLR, Insas and .303 rifles, were recovered. Since 2024, 79 Maoists have been killed in their stronghold of Bastar region, which goes to polls yesterday. Polling in Kanker district will be held on April 26. Hailing it as a \u2018surgical strike\u2019, Deputy CM and state home minister Sharma reached out to the Maoists saying \u2018We want talks\u2026whether they do it in a group or through representatives. Bastar needs peace. We are committed to this.\u2019 Will his offer be taken up after this encounter?<\/p>\n

States Laxity On Mob Lynching
\nState governments must pull up their socks. With most not filing their affidavits in a writ petition filed in July last regarding action they have taken in incidents of mob lynching and cow vigilantism against the Muslim community, the Supreme Court has issued a deadline of six weeks and shall take up the case after summer break. The petition was filed by National Federation of Indian Women seeking directions to States to take immediate steps viz the top court\u2019s verdict of 2018 to effectively deal with such cases. Notices were issued to the Centre and DGPs of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Orissa, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana. While the latter two states filed their reply, the petitioner pointed out that in MP there was an incident of alleged mob-lynching, but the FIR was for cow slaughter against victims and likewise in Haryana FIR was registered for transporting beef but not mob lynching. All incidents, not selective, must be reported as states have principal obligation to ensure vigilantism, be it cow vigilantism or any other vigilantism of any perception, doesn\u2019t take place, had said the court. It issued guidelines for authorities to deal with such incidents, but so far it\u2019s been in vain!<\/p>\n

Relief For Dog Lovers
\nDog lovers will be relieved but must be watchful. The Centre\u2019s notification banning sale and breeding of 23 breeds of ferocious dogs, including American Bulldog and Pit-bull Terriers has been a no-go in two courts. Karnataka High Court quashed it with no such power available under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 or Animal Birth Control Rules, New Delhi had no such authority. A week later, petitions challenging the directive in Delhi High Court were disposed, after Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying admitted it was put out without consulting or inviting objections and suggestions from private entity or stakeholders. Agreeing it wasn\u2019t possible to give an oral hearing to every dog owner, the Centre was directed to issue \u201ca public notice on its official website and one national daily inviting objections to the proposed draft notification\/amendment to the rules.\u201d These, it said, shall be considered before finalising fresh notification. The Dept must listen lest it finds itself in the doghouse! \u2014 INFA<\/p>\n

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India Votes By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri (Secretary General, Assn for Democratic Socialism) The biggest democratic exercise in the world kicked off yesterday. Of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, 102 went to the polls in the first phase across 21 states and UTs. While the Election Commission was reeling out polling percentages, as 40% odd […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-239240","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-features"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239240\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}