TOPIC – Bugle for restraint
The schedule for Assembly elections in five States announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on January 8 was along expected lines. Polling will begin in Uttar Pradesh on February 10 and end on March 7, spanning seven phases. The Manipur polls would be held in two phases and the Goa, Punjab and Uttarakhand polls in one. Given the size of the States and deployment of paramilitary forces, the ECI has split the polling into seven phases this time, as in the 2017 Assembly polls. In the U.P. elections, the ECI has stuck to its earlier pattern of starting with constituencies in the western part of the State first and then moving towards the east. Dismissing reports of the Bharatiya Janata Party asking for the phases to be from east to west, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said that the polls would be held from west to east and that no party had made a demand during the ECI’s visit to U.P. in December to change this. The farm protests have had more of an impact in western U.P. The announcement of the poll schedule also came with a total ban on physical campaigning till January 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic entering its third wave. The ECI plans on reviewing the situation, including prevailing positivity rates in the States, before deciding on allowing any rallies after January 15. Till then, candidates and parties have been encouraged to use online ways to reach out to voters, throwing a challenge to the election authorities on enforcing the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and monitoring expenditure. Considering the fact that several emotive and controversial issues are at play, this is going to be a tough test for the ECI. It will have to reinforce its impartiality and rigor to ensure that the rules of the game are followed by all parties. Political parties must take special care to not only follow the MCC but also observe COVID-related additional restrictions on campaigning. Ruling parties both at the Centre and States have to bear an extra burden of ensuring that they do not misuse official machinery to influence the elections. Social media have made toxicity a low risk, high reward instrument of political campaigns, causing serious harm to social cohesion and national integrity. The breach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security in Punjab took a political colour, but the issue must now be left to the Supreme Court which has decided to appoint a judicial commission to inquire into it. The substance and rhetoric of the campaign will be adversarial in a multiparty democracy, but they need not, and must not, be socially divisive. The elections must be a celebration of democracy, and not a threat to it.
The Hindu Editorial Words with meanings, synonyms, and antonyms
Stuck (adjective) – Firmly fixed in place
Synonyms – Snug, stiff, pegged, clenched, sturdy
Antonyms – Slack, wobbly, flimsy, wonky, tottering
Impact (noun) – The action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another
Synonyms – Bump, prang, percussion, clout, buffeting
Antonyms – Circumvention, eluding, ducking, avoidance, dodging
Prevailing (adjective) – Used or accepted broadly
Synonyms – Catholic, ecumenical, regnant, wonted, ubiquitous
Antonyms – Despised, abhorred, obnoxious, contentious, weird
Controversial (adjective) – Giving rise or likely to give rise to controversy or public disagreement
Synonyms – Polemical, notorious, scrappy, prickly, poignant
Antonyms – Apodictic, veritable, clinching, conciliatory, placatory
Impartiality (noun) – The quality of not being biased
Synonyms – Neutralism, veracity, decorum, reverie, frostiness
Antonyms –Bigotry, proclivity, penchant, compassion, predilection
Rigor (noun) – Hardship or suffering experienced or endured
Synonyms – Austerity, ordeal, asperity, obduracy, torment
Antonyms – Felicity, affluence, relish, cheer, pliability
Cohesion (noun) – The action or fact of forming a united whole
Synonyms –Solidarity, adherence, dovetailing, consistency, linkage
Antonyms –Discord, dissention, schism, feuding, segregation
Integrity (noun) – The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles
Synonyms –Probity, rectitude, reputability, candor, impeccability
Antonyms –Chicanery, iniquity, depravity, turpitude, devilry
Rhetoric (noun) – The quality of being pretentious
Synonyms –Pomposity, snobbery, ostentation, hauteur, huffiness
Antonyms –Modesty, reality, pragmatic, restrained, humble
Divisive (adjective) – Tending to cause disagreement or hostility between people
Synonyms –Intricate, perplexing, nasty, fractious, poignant
Antonyms –Biddable, compliant, soothing, docile, obedient