Daily Briefing: Election day across Maharashtra, phase 2 polls in Jharkhand; CM Soren interview; and more

With that, let’s determination connected to today’s edition:

🚨Big Story

It’s polling day crossed Maharashtra and successful Jharkhand’s remaining Assembly seats. Our unrecorded blog volition track voter turnout, and person real-time updates connected what happens successful and astir polling stations done the day.

The contention successful Maharashtra volition spot the ruling Mahayuti — comprising the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the NCP — prosecute successful a rematch of the Lok Sabha polls. In June this year, Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) emerged up of Mahayuti.

Poll eve action: The state also witnessed immoderate precocious voltage play connected the eve of its single-phase Assembly elections. Three FIRs were filed against BJP’s nationalist wide caput Vinod Tawde, enactment campaigner from Nalasopara Rajan Naik and implicit 200 others by Palghar police. The enactment came aft Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi (BVA) workers alleged that Tawde was distributing currency among voters.He was booked aft betterment of currency from the edifice successful Virar adjacent Mumbai, but Tawde refuted the allegations and said helium was astatine the edifice for a gathering of BJP workers.

Also, check retired these 10 high-profile constituencies across Maharashtra (excluding those successful Mumbai) that are acceptable to witnesser fierce battles today.

“Today, if Maharashtra is an indicator of the signifier of things to come, India’s parliamentary ideology whitethorn good get confined to immoderate 500-odd families. And it could hap sooner than we think.”

The ideology question: Columnist Neerja Chowdhury takes america done the state to constituent retired that virtually each territory is dominated by 1 oregon adjacent 2 families – from Pawars to the Thackerays – that person travel to get immense governmental influence, often with much clout than the parties. Highlighting however “parivarwaad” thrives here, she raises the question: “Is humor thicker than enactment and ideology?”

Meanwhile successful Jharkhand, the remaining 38 of 81 seats ballot successful the 2nd signifier of the elections today. Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) person Hemant Soren, successful an interrogation to The Indian Express, discusses the polls, his governance way record, however the BJP is moving connected “top gear” to crush the JMM, and the clip helium spent successful situation successful a wealth laundering lawsuit which made him deliberation that “jail ki duniya alag hai”.

⚡Only successful Express

At Express Adda: Foreign argumentation analyst, writer and TV host Fareed Zakaria joined america successful Mumbai to sermon however US President-elect Donald Trump’s 2nd word could play retired for India, China and the world. Calling India “the astir protectionist ample system successful the world”, helium said there’s a aureate accidental for the state successful Trump’s pledge to levy precocious tariffs connected each imports from China successful his coming term.

🎧Deep dive: The latest occurrence of our 3 Things podcast is besides astir each things Trump 2.0, and talks specifically astir the leaders whose assignment volition interaction the US-India relations.

📰 From the Front Page

Next steps: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wangi Yi Tuesday discussed the “next steps successful India-China relations,” a period aft the 2 countries agreed to disengage astatine 2 friction points on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). These steps would see “resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage, information sharing connected trans-border rivers, nonstop flights betwixt India and China and media exchanges”. 

Back to business: Meanwhile, facing prospects of an escalating commercialized warfare with the United States aft Donald Trump takes complaint arsenic the US President, concern and governmental leaders successful Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, are hoping for a reset successful China’s economical ties with India. And the disengagement on the borders has provided the accidental to “look into the future”, Chinese officials and apical concern executives told The Indian Express. For instance, the NDA government’s absorption connected creating home manufacturing capabilities tin assistance Beijing research concern opportunities successful India.

Putin’s sojourn to India: In a archetypal since the Russia-Ukraine warfare started successful February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to sojourn India and the dates for his travel are being finalised, Kremlin property caput Dmitry Peskov has informed. His sojourn comes arsenic portion of a laid-down operation betwixt the 2 countries for reciprocal yearly visits by their leaders. Last week, Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov besides visited India to clasp cardinal discussions connected bilateral and planetary issues with the Indian leadership.

📌Must Read

Retest: Last year, Karnataka announced it would clasp Board examinations 3 times successful an world twelvemonth for Classes 10 and 12, giving each students, whether they passed oregon failed, up to 2 chances to amended their performance. Data from the unique experiment for the 2023-2024 league present shows that subject subjects person the highest stock of repetition takers. 

‘Extra vigilant’: Authorities successful Assam’s Cachar are moving overtime to ensure the communal fire from the neighbouring territory of Manipur’s Jiribam, which has been connected the boil since November 7, with the unit claiming 21 lives truthful far, does not dispersed there. The representatives of Meitei and Hmar groups held their archetypal bid gathering successful Lakhipur with section medication and constabulary officers, wherever they discussed measures, including maintaining vigilance, instructions to debar rumour mongering, shutting down markets earlier dark, and reporting suspicious activities to officials.

“The aerial we respire is simply a prime we marque arsenic a nine astatine the disbursal of our wellness and that of young children. The aerial prime contented this clip has thrown up much questions than answers.”

In our Opinion conception today, Dr Gufran Beig delves into the emerging disorder successful the readings of Delhi’s aerial prime scale (AQI), and the factors contributing to terrible contamination levels.

⏳ And Finally…

“In the past, the intelligence prep was an accessory successful aiding his technique, present it has to besides flooded a fewer batting issues. Dhoni’s advice, then, seems each the much dependable than ever. Can Virat Kohli, then, spell with the flow?”

A vicious cycle: While India batsman Virat Kohli practises the creation of doing everything imaginable mentally earlier a game, batting, for him, is 70 per cent technical. Earlier, helium was much assured astir his crippled and has present been forced these days to fuss astir his method more. Here are some method issues that grips Kohli connected the field.

That’s each for today.

Until tomorrow

Vibha B Madhava and Ariba

Business As Usual by E P Unny (Nov 20)