Recent Assembly Elections at a Glance
The elections held in five States produced a mixed verdict, with the BJP winning in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, and the Congress defeating the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana. The Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) defeated the Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram. Although there were some possibilities of the Congress losing the elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the party’s defeat in Chhattisgarh came as a big surprise.
The results send out a few important messages. First and foremost is that the Modi magic is still working. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign played an important role in the BJP’s victory in the three States it won. The results also reinforce the Congress’ inability to take on the BJP in the Hindi heartland States in a direct contest. However, the party still has a presence in the southern States. The results also indicate that the Congress failed to make the caste census an issue that resonates with common voters.
1. Mizoram
The state of Mizoram, saw a three-way fight between the ruling MNF, the ZPM and the Congress. The Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) won 27 out of 40 seats in Mizoram. The counting was supposed to happen along with Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. However, it was deferred by the Election Commission following appeals by political parties, NGOs, churches and students’ bodies. Polling was held on November 7, and over 80 per cent of the state’s 8.57 lakh voters exercised their franchise. A total of 174 candidates, including 18 women, were in the fray. The MNF, ZPM and Congress contested 40 seats each, while the BJP fielded candidates in 13 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which contested the assembly polls here for the first time, fought in four seats. Also, there were 17 Independent candidates.
Stats at a glance
- Capital: Aizawl
- CM: Lal Thanhawla
- Governor: Hari Babu Kambhampati
- As union territory: 21 January 1972
- Before was: Part of Assam
- Districts: 11
- Formation: 20 February 1987
- High Court: Gauhati High Court
- Literacy (2011): 91.58%
State Symbols
- State Animal: Himalayan Serow
- State Bird: Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant
- State Flower: Red Vanda
- State Fish: Burmese Kingfish (Ngahvang)
- State Tree: Ironwood Tree
- State Fruit: Passion Fruit
- State Dance: Bamboo dance or Cheraw Dance
2. Rajasthan
The elections in Rajasthan, ahead of the Assembly polls being billed as a semi-final for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, saw a direct contest between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. The BJP trounced the Congress winning 115 of the total 199 seats in the state Assembly. Approximately 74.13 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Rajasthan on November 25. It was slightly above the 74.06 percent voter turnout recorded in the 2018 assembly polls. In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress — which won 100 seats — had wrested power from the BJP and formed the government with Ashok Gehlot as chief minister for a third time.
Stats at a glance
- Capital: Jaipur (Executive Branch)
- CM: Bhajan Lal Sharma
- Governor: Kalraj Mishra|
- Formation: 30 March 1949
- High Court: Rajasthan High Court
State Symbols
- State animal: Chinkara
- State bird: Indian Bustard (Godawan)
- State flower: Rohida
- State Tree: Khejri
- State plant: Cactus
3. Madhya Pradesh
The Bharatiya Janata Party recorded a massive victory in the Madhya Pradesh elections, bagging 163 seats in the 230-seater Assembly. Meanwhile, Congress has won 66 seats and the Bharat Adivasi Party tasted its maiden win in the state polls from the Sailana constituency near Rajasthan border. BJP, which had been in power for two decades reportedly cashed in on Chouhan’s schemes that were popular among the women. In addition to this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the election campaign in the state and Union Home Minister Amit Shah took control of the electioneering on the ground level.|
Stats at a Glance
- Capital: Bhopal (Executive Branch)
- CM: Mohan Yadav
- Governor: Mangubhai C. Patel
- Districts: 53 (10 divisions)
- Formation: 26 January 1950
- High Court: Madhya Pradesh High Court
State Symbols
- State Animal: Barasingha
- State Bird: Asian Paradise Flycatcher
- State Fish: Mahseer
- State Tree: Banyan Tree
- State Flower: White lily
4. Chhattisgarh
In a huge turnaround from 2018, the BJP pulled off a victory ousting the ruling Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel. The BJP had crossed the halfway mark by winning 54 seats. The two tribal dominated divisions of Surguja and Bastar, having 26 Assembly seats that contributed hugely to the Congress’ landslide victory in Chhattisgarh in 2018, have swung to the Bharatiya Janata Party this time. The results were in contrast to most of the Exit polls which had predicted another term for the Congress. Voting for the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly was held in two parts on November 7 and 17. A voter turnout of 68.15 per cent was recorded in the second phase of polls for 70 constituencies on November 17 while the first phase of elections for 20 seats in the Naxal-affected state saw a high voter turnout of 78 per cent.
Stats at a glance
- Capital: Raipur (Executive Branch)
- CM: Vishnu Deo Sai
- Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
- Districts: 33 (5 divisions)
- High Court: Chhattisgarh High Court
State Symbols
- State Animal: Wild Buffalo
- State Bird: Hill Myna
- State Flower: French marigold
- State Fruit: Jackfruit
- State Tree: Sal
5. Telangana
The Congress ousted Bharat Rashtra Samithi in Telangana after securing 64 out of the 119 seats. BRS has been ruling the state since 2014, when Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh. The trends predicted the national party racing ahead of the incumbent BRS, which had a lead in 39 seats. Telangana, which went to polls on November 30 to elect 119 members to the Legislative Assembly, witnessed a triangular contest between the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, the Congress and the BJP. On the November 30 polls, the state saw a voter turnout of 70.60 per cent. The BRS had fielded candidates in all 119 seats. As per the seat sharing agreement, the BJP and actor K Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party (JSP) contested in 111 and eight seats its ally Communist Party of India (CPI), and fought from the other 118.
Stats at a Glance
- Capital: Hyderabad
- CM: Revanth Reddy
- Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
- Before was: Part of Andhra Pradesh
- Districts: 33
- Formation (by bifurcation): 2 June 2014; Telangana Day
- High Court: Telangana High Court
State Symbols
- Animal: Jinka or Deer
- State Bird: Palapitta (Indian Roller or Blue Jay)
- State Tree : Jammi Chettu (Prosopis Cineraria)
- State Fruit : Mango
- Flower: Tangedu Puvvu (Tanner’s Cassia)
- Sport: Kabaddi
srael Vs Palestinians: What is at stake
Hamas’ attack on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War was the deadliest single day in Israeli history. Showers of rockets, kidnappings and indiscriminate killings have led to a death toll already over 1,200 Israelis, leading many to describe the event as “Israel’s 9/11”. Israel has wasted no time in its response – declaring “war” and heavily bombarding Gaza. More than 1,000 Gazans have been killed, with the death toll certain to rise. Israel’s defence minister has ordered a “complete siege” of the territory, cutting off food, fuel and electricity.
Hamas’ legitimacy
Hamas’ legitimacy within Gaza is complicated. The strip has been under a heavy blockade for over 15 years. Unemployment is at 45 per cent, and 60 per cent of Gazans require humanitarian assistance. Some of this is provided by the United Nations, but much comes from Hamas. Hamas also argues that violence against Israel is the only form of resistance at its disposal because the blockade and Israel’s opposition to other political movements have reduced options for peaceful resistance.
Hamas has long had little political legitimacy outside Gaza, however. The group has not held elections in 17 years and has been labelled a terrorist organisation by the US, Australia, the European Union and others. Hamas’ military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, has routinely targeted civilian populations in Israel, while also putting Palestinian civilians in harm’s way by encouraging the use of human shields. Even the Palestinian National Authority, the governing body in the West Bank, does not recognise the political legitimacy of Hamas.
What’s at stake for Israel
Yes, Israel enjoys the external legitimacy of statehood and governing authority, and it has never lost the right to defend itself. But its decades of occupation and settlement in the Palestinian territories have brought into question its moral authority. If Israel claims to be a liberal democracy and respect international law, how can the government legitimise its policies towards the West Bank and Gaza? Over the years, this question has faded into the background as the Oslo Accords have fallen apart and several Arab states have normalised relations with Israel.
This new era of external legitimacy has effectively led Israel to abandon negotiations with the Palestinians, accelerate settlements in the West Bank and tighten its blockade of Gaza. Now Israel needs to make a choice. Will it recognise that withholding political legitimacy from Palestinians does not keep its people safe? Or will it squander its own legitimacy by destroying Gaza?
Israel has squandered its political legitimacy through conflict before. Israel has squandered its political legitimacy through conflict before. The indiscriminate attacks on Lebanon in Operation Litani and Operation Peace for Gallilee which resulted in the siege of Beirut in 1982 brought significant condemnation from normally staunch allies, including the United States. More importantly, the destruction of Gaza is not a solution to this conflict and only puts the lives of civilians – both Israeli and Palestinian – at risk. The closest this conflict has ever gotten to peace was when the Palestine Liberation Organisation was given political legitimacy through the Oslo Accords.
Hamas’s acts of terror cannot and should not be legitimised, but the broader call for Palestinian self-determination is something Israel must now meaningfully acknowledge.
What are Oslo Accords?
The Oslo Accords are a pair of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993; and the Oslo II Accord, signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995. The Oslo process began after secret negotiations in Oslo, Norway, resulting in both the recognition of Israel by the PLO and the recognition by Israel of the PLO.
What is Hezbollah, the group that poses threat to Israel from the north?
Hezbollah has been a significant force in Lebanon, wielding both political power and military strength — all while engaging in tit-for-tat skirmishes with its southern enemy, Israel. Hezbollah or ‘Party of Allah’ is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led since 1992 by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. In 1982, Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran primarily to fight the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. That time, Israel moved into southern Lebanon with the goal of quashing the Palestine Liberation Organization, but soon found itself up against a new Shiite-Muslim movement founded to rally popular will against the Israeli occupation. Hezbollah soon found a new ally in Iran, and a foe in the United States, after it was involved in the suicide bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in 1983. Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, but Hezbollah’s threat has remained ever since. Hamas has strengthened ties with Iran and Hezbollah in recent years following a period of colder relations a decade ago, when the two armed groups backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.
What is the fundraising scandal engulfing Japan’s ruling party?
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is battling to stem the fallout from one of the biggest financial scandals to hit his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in decades. Prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into whether dozens of lawmakers received proceeds from fundraising events that saw millions of dollars kept off official party records. Several cabinet ministers have already resigned over the scandal, while the Kishida administration’s public support has dropped to around 20%, the lowest since he came to office in October 2021, raising doubts about his leadership and throwing his government into disarray.
Here are some key issues surrounding the scandal.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Japan’s current Political Funds Control Act bans corporate donations to individual lawmakers. But there is a loophole. It’s legal for a political entity to raise funds through ticket sales to fundraising events and redistribute it to member lawmakers – as long as they file political funding reports. However, in this case, the party’s internal factions allegedly did not disclose the full amount of the ticket revenues transferred to some lawmakers, while some lawmakers also kept money that was not reported in their funding disclosures.
WHAT ARE THE SUMS INVOLVED
The probe centres around the LDP’s biggest and most powerful Seiwa-kai faction, formerly led by late prime minister Shinzo Abe and still referred to as the “Abe faction”. Prosecutors are investigating allegations that members of Abe’s faction failed to report about ¥500m (£2.7m) raised via fundraising parties over the past five years. Investigators are looking into whether Kishida’s faction is also involved. The group is suspected of failing to declare more than ¥20m in the three years to 2020.
Note: Japan’s five-year statute of limitations under the Political Funds Control Act means prosecutors cannot bring charges for any unreported funding that occurred before 2018.
Japanese political parties routinely organise events attended by supporters to raise funds, with the profits ploughed back into campaigning. Holding gatherings to raise funds is legal. Members of the Abe faction reportedly exceeded their ticket sales quotas and pocketed the difference. That, too, is not a crime. But their alleged failure to record the sums in official statements would be a violation of political funding laws.
HOW DID THE ALLEGATIONS SURFACE?
The allegations were first reported more than a year ago by a newspaper run by the opposition Japanese Communist Party. Based on that report, an academic filed multiple criminal complaints to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.
HAVE THERE BEEN SIMILAR SCANDALS IN THE PAST?
Money scandals have forced out several ruling administrations of the LDP, which has held power for nearly all of Japan’s post-war era, and its short-lived rival.
- In 1974, then-Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka resigned after reports on his shadowy real estate businesses and was arrested two years later for an international bribery case involving the aerospace giant Lockheed.
- In 1989, Noboru Takeshita lost his premiership after allegations surfaced over insider trading of private equity linked to human resources company Recruit that led to several other high-profile resignations from the party.
- In 2010, during a brief period the LDP was out of power, Yukio Hatoyama resigned as premier due in part to allegations he and his Democratic Party officials under-reported fundraising proceeds.
