The BJP tightened its stranglehold in the Hindi heartland with Assembly election victories in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh while the Congress ousted the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana on December 3 with the three-one poll score sets the stage — and the mood — for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
As votes were counted for elections to the four Assemblies, the leads and wins threw up a BJP-dominated electoral picture with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s imprint writ large. While the saffron party retained Madhya Pradesh with decisive win, it wrested Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh from the Congress.
The Congress, however, won Telangana, the upset in the southern State giving the grand old party something to celebrate.
It was not clear who would be the BJP’s Chief Minister in any of the three States where it won.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Assembly poll results in the three States indicated that the people were firmly with politics of good governance and development, which the BJP stands for. He also thanked the people of Telangana and said that the support for the BJP in the State has been increasing. Several BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, attributed the party’s victory in the polls to PM Modi’s leadership.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge thanked the people of Telangana for bringing the party to power. “Our performance in these three states have no doubt been disappointing, but with determination, we reaffirm our strong resolve to rebuild and revive ourselves in these three states,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), about his party’s performance in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Meanwhile in Nagaland, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), which rules the State in alliance with the BJP, won the by-election to the Tapi Assembly constituency in the Mon district. NDPP candidate Wangpang Konyak defeated Congress rival Wanglem Konyak by 5,333 votes. The former polled 10,053 votes while the latter managed 4,720. The bypoll was necessitated by the death of Noke Wangnao on August 28.
ECI recommends suspension of Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar for meeting Revanth Reddy
The Election Commission of India (ECI) directed the Chief Secretary of Telangana to initiate disciplinary action against the Director General of Police (DGP) Anjani Kumar in the backdrop of him, along with two other senior IPS officers, meeting the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A. Revanth Reddy at the latter’s house even as Assembly election results were being announced.
Hours after the suspension, the Telangana State government issued orders appointing Ravi Gupta, as the Director-General of Police for the State.
Earlier, Anjani Kumar, accompanied by Additional DGP Sanjay Kumar Jain and Crime Investigation Department (CID) chief Mahesh Bhagwat, visited Reddy at his house in Jubilee Hills and presented him bouquets.
Sources said a communication from the ECI recommending disciplinary action was sent following the visit. The orders will be sent to CEO Telangana for further action.
The images and video clips of the State police chief meeting Reddy went viral on social media, stirring up a debate on how the top official, in uniform, met the politician while the model code of conduct was in force till 5 p.m.
The ECI authorities, it is learnt, shot a letter the State government seeking action against the DGP as his action amounted to violation of model code of conduct.
Meanwhile, Anjani Kumar said that the TPCC president had called him to discuss about the arrangements to be made for the swearing ceremony of the new government by the Congress party. The TPCC president said the Congress party was planning to convene the swearing in ceremony on Monday, the DGP said.
He also said he didn’t receive any notice from the ECI and that the reports about his suspension were correct.
Severe cyclonic storm Michaung likely to make landfall between Nellore, Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh on December 5
The cyclonic storm Michaung over southwest Bay of Bengal is likely to make landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam during forenoon of December 5 as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph, the India Meteorological Department said on December 3.
As per the observations of the track of the system around December 3 noon, it moved north-westwards with a speed of 9 kmph from December 3 morning over the same region, which was located 500 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam, 380 km south-southeast of Nellore and 250 km southeast of Chennai.
It is likely to intensify further and reach West-central Bay Of Bengal off south Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts by December 4 forenoon.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on December 4 and 5. Light to moderate rainfall at many places with isolated heavy to extremely heavy falls is very likely in Rayalaseema.
Very rough to high sea condition is prevailing and likely to continue till December 4 morning and likely to become rough to very rough thereafter till December 5 morning.
Storm surge of about 1-1.5 meter above astronomical tide is likely to inundate south Coastal Andhra Pradesh districts at the time of landfall. Damage is expected over coastal districts of Nellore, Tirupati, Prakasam, Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna and West Godavari during the landfall period.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy instructed the officials to take all possible efforts for minimising the loss. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to the CM and took stock of the preparations and assured of all help.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government declared a public holiday for all government offices in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts on December 4 in view of the cyclone.
Senior Ministers of the State visited various parts of the four districts on December 3 and reviewed precautionary measures.
Over 500 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were rushed to Chengalpattu, Chennai, Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur, Villupuram districts.
While 14 teams with 350 personnel were from the SDRF, 225 personnel constituting nine teams were from the NDRF. Also, 121 multi-purpose centres and 4,967 relief centres with basic amenities have been kept ready across the State.
The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority warned people against stepping out unnecessarily or in terraces. It also requested those living in low-lying areas to evacuate to relief camps on the advice of the district and local administration. The Greater Chennai Corporation too advised residents along the coastal zones and residents in low-lying areas of the city to shift to safer locations.
COP28 Climate Summit | India will not be bound by curbs on energy use: Environment Secretary
On December 2, at COP28, India was conspicuously absent from a list of 118 countries signed on to a pledge to triple installed renewable energy capacity by 2030. The elision was odd as India was a proponent of tripling energy capacity, beginning with a mention in the G-20 declaration text this September.
India, so far, has also not signed on to another major pledge signed by 123 countries on December 3, namely, the ‘Declaration on Climate and Health’. The latter was a precursor to the first ever ‘health day’ organised at a climate summit.
The declaration enjoins governments to protect communities and prepare healthcare systems to cope with climate-related health impacts such as extreme heat, air pollution and infectious diseases.
Both of these texts, though still drafts and far from having legal sanctity, link climate and health goals to restricting fossil fuel emissions.
Nudges to shun coal power run contrary to India’s long-standing position that it needs to rely on its largest source of energy, coal power, to rapidly improve living standards for the mass of its population. India has also reiterated its right to use coal on the grounds that its historical contribution to the carbon crisis has been negligible, as below-global-average per-capita emissions of 4%.
The climate health declaration, according to an accompanying press statement from the COP Presidency, mentions the “...need to reduce the health impacts of climate change beyond the health sector and include new initiatives to drive rapid de-carbonisation to reduce emissions...”
India’s discomfort lies in linking the objectives of these declarations to cutting specific categories of emissions.
“We need cold storages for storing vaccines and medicines and these are linked to making our healthcare systems resilient. However, suggestions that using these are contributing to climate emissions and that we must choose some fuels over the other are not acceptable,” said Nandan.
Though it is still early days in COP-28 negotiations, which is expected to last at least until the 12th of this month, India would be “constructive” but not at the cost of denying energy access to those at the margins of development, she added.
Suspected bomb blast kills at least 4 Christian worshippers during Mass in southern Philippines
The morning Mass was underway in a gymnasium at the state-run Mindanao State University in Marawi city when the explosion happened, causing panic among dozens of students and teachers and leaving the victims bloodied and sprawled on the ground, said Taha Mandangan, the security chief of the state-run campus.
At least two of the wounded were fighting for their lives, Mandangan said.
“This is clearly an act of terrorism. It’s not a simple feud between two people. A bomb will kill everybody around,” Mandangan told The Associated Press by telephone.
Regional military commander Maj. Gen. Gabriel Viray III said at least four people were killed by the explosion, including three women, and 50 others were brought to two hospitals for treatment of mostly minor injuries.
Only two of those killed had been identified, officials said.
Army troops and police immediately cordoned off the area and were conducting an initial investigation and checking security cameras for any indication of who may have been responsible for the attack. Security checkpoints were set up around the city.
The deadly blast set off a security alarm beyond Marawi city as the Christmas season ushered in a period of travel, shopping sprees and traffic jams across the country. The Philippine coast guard said it ordered all its personnel to intensify intelligence gathering, stricter inspections of passenger ferries and the deployment of bomb-sniffing dogs and sea marshals following the suspected bomb attack.
Regional police director Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza said investigators were assessing if the explosion was caused by a home-made bomb or a grenade, and if the attack was connected to the killing of 11 suspected Islamic militants in a military offensive backed by airstrikes and artillery fires on December 1 near Datu Hoffer town in southern Maguindanao province.
In Brief:
Amid the Assembly election results, the Congress on December 3 said that the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) group of parties would meet on December 6 at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. It has been nearly three months since the last meeting of the bloc.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
