Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has suffered a series of landmark defeats in regional elections, setting the stage for a sea-change in Indian politics.
The election defeats have renewed hopes among political rivals of the Hindu nationalist leader that his rule is not invincible.
Mr Modi’s party lost three of the four state elections after polling ended last month as a wave of coronavirus infections exploded across the country.
The national crisis has triggered allegations against his government that it faltered in handling the deadly second outbreak.
In the key battleground of West Bengal, incumbent Mamata Banerjee held on to power while Modi's alliance partner in southern Tamil Nadu was ousted.
The Hindu nationalist party failed to win a single seat in southern Kerala state, where left wing parties won a historic re-election.
Political analysts blamed Modi’s defeat in West Bengal on his government’s abysmal management of the pandemic and the crisis unfolding in the country.
"Covid mismanagement definitely played a role in the BJP's defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections," Aarti Jerath, a political analyst based in Delhi, told The National.
“It fared dismally in the last three phases, which took place in the midst of a nationwide Covid surge.”
The only consolation for the ruling party was its victory in north-east Assam state and the federally controlled territory of Puducherry, where it retained power through an alliance of regional parties.
Mr Modi and his close aide, Home Minister Amit Shah, extensively campaigned in West Bengal, holding mega gatherings and roadshows to unseat Ms Banerjee, despite several parts of the country reeling under the pandemic.
There was jubilation on social media when the results were announced as critics of Mr Modi were furious with his mega rallies, that were attended by tens of thousands of people in the eastern state, even as desperate families in other parts of the country scrambled for oxygen beds and ICUs for Covid patients.
“Bodies are piling up in hospitals and crematoriums and people are not getting critical medical help in the form of hospital beds, medicines and oxygen, there is palpable public anger,” Ms Jerath said.
A win in West Bengal would have been a watershed moment for Mr Modi's BJP. The party has been trying to expand its reach in the eastern state that remained a centre of left wing politics for more than three decades before Ms Banerjee's Trinamool Congress defeated the Communists in 2011.
BJP had claimed it would sweep the state and had used all its might to unseat the two-time state leader.
The massive defeat of Mr Modi's party is likely to embolden regional political parties in polls next year in seven states, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, coastal Goa, and the prime minister's home state of Gujarat.
“The results have proved that despite having all the machinery and technology at their disposal, Modi-Shah are not invincible,” Shiv Sena party, Mr Modi’s political rival in western Maharashtra state, said in its official newspaper.
The most populous state Uttar Pradesh is also India's most crucial political state as it sends the maximum number of representatives to the lower house of the Parliament, shaping the narrative of Indian politics.
In 2017, BJP decimated the two strong regional parties – the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party – and appointed Yogi Adityanath, a firebrand Hindu monk as the chief minister.
The state government has since passed several controversial laws, including banning beef and most recently, a law to safeguard Hindu women from marrying Muslims and Christians.
The government enjoys strong support in the state that has a long history of polarisation on religious lines and caste identity but experts say Mr Modi’s recent defeat, coupled with the ongoing farmer agitation against new farm laws, will decide the future of his party in the state.
Since November last year, tens of thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting in tent cities on key highways connecting capital New Delhi against new farm laws.
The impact of the protests is already visible on the party in the states, where BJP leaders are being ostracised by villagers.
“The BJP is in any case on the back-foot in UP where farmers are up in arms against the new farm laws," Ms Jerath said.
"Farmers' anger coupled with Covid mismanagement will be potent issues in a state that is crucial to the BJP's and Modi's national fortunes."
In Gujarat, the state that was already reeling under economic distress after weeks-long coronavirus lockdown last year, the resurgence of the infection has left the state in dire situation.
The wealthy state is reporting thousands of new cases each day and hundreds have died in the surge that has prompted reopening of defunct crematoria to cope with the deluge of funerals.
"The actions and inactions of the Modi government in the 2-4 months will shape up things for the future," Rahul Verma, a fellow at Delhi based think tank Centre for Policy Research, told The National.
“Indian voters are likely to take into account how the Centre and their state governments functioned to provide relief to them during tough times.”
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TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Crime%20Wave
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The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:
Juventus 1 Ajax 2
Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate
The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
Day 2, stumps
Pakistan 482
Australia 30/0 (13 ov)
Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
