The outcome of the Maharashtra Assembly elections was seen by the Urdu dailies as a crushing setback to the Congress, eclipsing the INDIA bloc’s success in Jharkhand and the resounding win of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in her electoral debut from Kerala’s Wayanad. The dailies read the BJP’s triumph as another pointer to the rise of unipolar politics in the country. They also spotlighted the indictment of the Adani Group by US prosecutors, stressing on the need for a thorough, transparent probe into the company by Indian regulators too.

Commenting on the Assembly poll results, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its November 24 editorial, points out that the Mahayuti’s triumph in Maharashtra, the second largest state, assumes additional significance as it had suffered a severe blow here only five months ago in the Lok Sabha polls. “The Opposition must conduct a comprehensive, objective post-mortem over its unexpected rout, looking at the entire gamut of issues ranging from strategies and poll plank to selection of candidates and campaigning. The INDIA bloc’s defeat in state after state would only result in further damaging the morale of its leaders and workers,” the daily writes. “None of the three MVA players — Congress, Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) and Uddhav-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) — could transfer their votes to their allies, even as they failed to ensure their own candidates’ victory in most of the seats they fought across the state. They must own collective responsibility for the debacle, learn their lessons and reach out to people again.”

In Jharkhand, the editorial says, the JMM-led alliance’s bid spearheaded by Chief Minister Hemant Soren proved successful, leading to the INDIA bloc retaining power in the tribal state. “The BJP’s defeat in Jharkhand is notable, given its shrill, polarising campaign with its entire top brass raking up issues like infiltrators to inflame the voters’ sentiments. They openly played the Hindu-Muslim card, targeting the minority community,” the edit says. “The people of the state, however, rebuffed their negative politics and campaign decisively. Their votes marked a positive mandate. It enhances the responsibility of the Soren government 2.0, which should leave no stone unturned in fulfilling the public expectations with renewed vigour and determination.”

Highlighting the Maharashtra election results, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its leader on November 24, writes that the incumbent BJP-led Mahayuti pulled off an “incredible feat” by sweeping the polls. “This victory has stunned everyone, including politicians and experts. No one, not even any exit poll, had anticipated such a grand victory for the ruing coalition. There is one key reason behind this outcome: the BJP’s mastery over fighting elections. For, more than anything, the BJP remains a formidable poll machine,” it says, adding that the party again proved it in the Maharashtra polls.

The daily states that while other parties start preparing for the hustings only in poll season, the BJP always remains in election mode. “A financial assistance scheme for women, like the Ladki Bahin Yojana, is also being implemented in several Opposition-ruled states. But the manner in which the BJP showcased this scheme throughout Maharashtra, down to the booth level, it was unprecedented,” the editorial says. “Using its deep connect with media for the purpose, the BJP also reached out to those sections who may not be part of its core base,” it says adding that on the other hand, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) struggled in taking its message to its own supporters.

From its debacle in the April-June Lok Sabha polls to storming back to power, the deciding factor for the Mahayuti has proved to be the Ladki Bahin scheme, the edit notes. “The BJP could script this victory riding on not just its Hindutva plank, but also because of the Mahayuti government’s welfare schemes.”

These elections have “drastically changed” the politics of Maharashtra, the edit says. “Sharad Pawar had been a pivot of state politics for decades. But Ajit Pawar has now turned the tables on him. Despite being in an alliance with the BJP, Ajit distanced himself from Yogi Adityanath’s “Batenge toh katenge” slogan, making it clear that such a pitch was unacceptable in Maharashtra,” it states. “There would be uncertainty over Uddhav Thackeray’s political future now. And the BJP has achieved such a dominant position in Maharashtra, it would be within a striking distance of realising its dream of coming to power on its own steam from here.”

Flagging the indictment of Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and six others by US prosecutors for allegedly offering bribes of about Rs 2,029 crore to Indian government officials, in order to secure “lucrative solar energy supply contracts” with state discoms, the New Delhi edition of Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, in its editorial on November 22, says that the Adani Group is facing serious allegations of moral turpitude which have a bearing on political, economic and institutional aspects of the polity. Noting that the Adani Group has rejected such accusations as baseless, the editorial says that the row raises questions about the ethics of its corporate governance as well as the lack of probity in global businesses.

“The question is, if there is any substance in such allegations, why is the Adani Group not facing any probe in our country? Is its influence so overwhelming that it could evade the law? The answers to these questions would shine light on the nature of relations between the government and corporates,” the daily writes. It points out that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly accused the Modi government of shielding the Adani Group. “Any bid to indulge in crony capitalism would undermine the rule of law.”

The editorial says some other questions arising out of the indictment pertain to the independence and integrity of Indian institutions. “If American agencies are probing the Adani Group in alleged bribery and fraud cases, why can India’s regulators and law-enforcement agencies such as the SEBI or CBI not do the same? If these institutions are not independent enough to fulfil their mandates objectively, then it dents public confidence in them, to the detriment of the broader economy,” the edit states. “This issue should not be confined to just one group. It could be an opportunity to examine closely the larger political and economic systems and apply correctives in order to make our institutions more robust and transparent.”

Why Trump wants to buy GreenlandSubscriber Only

In our Constitution, two competing visions of powerSubscriber Only

At home with Irfan Habib: The History KeeperSubscriber Only

Republic Day: How the passport mapped the journey of IndiaSubscriber Only

A creeping horror about how politics distorts the personal

Hrithik Roshan completes 25 years as an actorSubscriber Only

The croon of the magpie-robinSubscriber Only

The Helicopter, the Scorpion, and the Grace of SurvivalSubscriber Only

Mahakumbh: Why Kinnar Akhada is drawing manySubscriber Only