While not ignoring the US Presidential election, the Urdu dailies have kept their focus on the Maharashtra and Jharkhand polls as well as a slew of bypolls being held across the country. In the case of the Maharashtra polls, whose outcome would have a crucial bearing on national politics, the dailies have sought to provide saturation coverage, capturing the gamut of a keen battle in a teeming fray, where a lot is at stake for six major parties and their key faces.

Commenting on the final push of the contenders in the high-stakes Maharashtra elections, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its November 1 editorial, says that while the fight is essentially between the ruling Mahayuti and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalitions, the battle is between their respective “lead players”, the BJP and the Congress. “As regards the other parties from the two alliances — the Shiv Sena and NCP from the Mahayuti and the Sena (UBT) and the NCP(SP) from the MVA — they would each essentially battle out with their respective factions on the rival side,” the editorial says. Both the BJP and the Congress are contesting most seats in their camps. While the Congress is fighting from about 102 constituencies, the BJP is contesting about 148 seats, the edit says. “The duel between the Congress and the BJP would determine the outcome of the Maharashtra polls.”

Of all the regions in Maharashtra, says the editorial, Vidarbha would be especially pivotal in the polls. “The fate of both the Congress and the BJP would depend on their performance in this cotton belt, where they are caught in direct fight in 36 out of 62 seats,” it says. Their top leaders hail from the region, including Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule as well as state Congress president Nana Patole and Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, all of whom are in the fray too, the edit notes.

The performance of both the parties in the region in the Lok Sabha elections was reflected in their overall showing in the state, with the Congress emerging as the single largest party with 14 seats and the BJP notching up a tally of just nine seats. “This has boosted the morale of the Congress this time, but after the Lok Sabha poll results the BJP has changed tack and has been moving ahead as per a well-thought-out strategy. So for the Congress, the Assembly polls may not necessarily mirror its Lok Sabha showing. If the grand old party becomes overconfident, it would not be difficult for the BJP to pull off a victory,” the daily adds.

Flagging the controversial remarks made by actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty at a party event in Kolkata, the Hyderabad-based Siasat says several film stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Dutt, Raj Babbar, Govinda and Sanjay Dutt, have taken a plunge into politics over the years, with most of them getting elected as MPs on tickets of different parties. A few of them still remain active in politics. “Some actors, such as late Sunil Dutt, practised the politics of principles, joining various parties as per their ideological affiliations to serve in public life. Mithun himself gave such indications when he joined politics and did a stint in the Trinamool Congress,” the editorial notes. Mithun later quit as the TMC Rajya Sabha MP and went on to join the BJP ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls. “It seems Mithun is now eyeing a BJP position at the Centre or in the state, perhaps looking to be projected as the party’s chief ministerial face, which explains his alleged hate speech against the Muslim community at a BJP event in Kolkata in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This is unfortunate,” the edit says.

Mithun, who was recently conferred with India’s highest honour in cinema Dadasaheb Phalke Award, was apparently slamming TMC leader Humayun Kabir over his alleged incendiary remarks during the Lok Sabha polls for which he was censured by the Election Commission.

The daily points out that in his speech Mithun pledged to do whatever it takes to clinch the “masnad” (throne) of Bengal in the 2026 Assembly elections. “The actor-politician talked about the politics of blood in this regard, which is disgraceful for a civilised country and democracy like India,” it says. “Mithun’s alleged hate remarks are unacceptable. He should be booked and prosecuted. He should himself withdraw his comments. Several other BJP leaders also keep making such disturbing remarks.”

With the Central government set to conduct the Census from early 2025, the Bengaluru-based Salar, in its leader on October 31, points out that the decadal headcount should have been undertaken in 2021 but it got disrupted due to the Covid pandemic. The Census has been further delayed as a couple of years have elapsed since the end of pandemic, the daily says, noting that the Opposition INDIA bloc has kept the heat on the BJP-led NDA government on the issue. “The Census conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner under the Union Home Ministry is a vital exercise that enumerates a range of demographic and economic details of every household across the country. Its delay is causing various complications, especially in allocation of funds based on population,” the editorial says.

What would make this Census more crucial is its linkage with the delimitation exercise which might get underway in 2027 after the publication of the Census data by 2026, the edit states. “As per the constitutional amendment done during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government in 2002, the redrawing of the Lok Sabha constituencies could only be done on the basis of the first Census after 2026 – that is, after 2031. But the Modi government seems to be intent on holding the next Lok Sabha elections in 2029 with redrawn constituencies,” it says.

Underlining that population is used as the criterion for carving the seats, the daily writes that the proposed delimitation has “created a row between North and South” in the country. “The southern states, which have done well in implementing population control, fear that they may lose out on the Lok Sabha seats and their clout in national politics, and that the northern states would gain more parliamentary seats and heft owing to their underperformance over family planning,” the editorial says, adding that it is to be seen how the government addresses such apprehensions.

The Opposition has also been pressing for a national caste census which has also been backed by some NDA allies, although the government has still not made clear its stand. The next Lok Sabha polls would also see the implementation of the women reservation law, the edit says. “Various sections have a lot of expectations and apprehensions over the Census, which would make it a more formidable challenge for the government.”