But the
Congress and BJP let down Himachal voters with excessively personal campaigns
Himachal Pradesh turned out in record
numbers for the
Assembly elections held on Thursday, with 74.6% of the electorate casting their
votes. This provisional estimate may be revised a little
upwards or downwards, but as of now it is marginally higher than the previous
high of 74.5% in the 2003 polls. Preliminary figures showed uniform voting close
to the same mark across districts, with Kullu district registering the highest
turnout of nearly 78%. Such a high level of polling is a trend that has been
seen in most States in India since 2010. This is an affirmation of the work
done by the Election Commission in updating electoral rolls, easing the process
of voting with the use of electronic voting machines and photo identity cards,
besides seeking to educate more voters about the polling process through enrolment initiatives. Himachal Pradesh, in any case, has always had
robust voter participation, with much higher turnouts
relative to other north Indian States. It is ranked second in the Human
Development Index in the country, and a high HDI has correlated well with increased electoral participation in a State,
as seen in Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well. As for psychological readings,
traditionally higher levels of polling in a State had been seen to indicate an
anti-incumbency mood — but that correlation has broken in recent years, with
turnouts of more than 90%, for example, in Tripura returning the incumbent
government. How it plays out in Himachal Pradesh this year will be known on
counting day on December 18.
The
contest in Himachal Pradesh is limited largely to the ruling
Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, even though the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) has attempted to build on its rare north Indian success in the
Shimla mayoral
elections of 2012 by focussing on a few constituencies. The State has
alternated between regimes led by the Congress and the BJP in every election
since 1990. At various points of the=-campaign this year right up to voting
day, the political discourse turned vitriolic
and personal. The Congress sought to make the elections a referendum on the Central government’s policies, by taking up the
implementation of the goods and services tax and the effects of demonetization.
The BJP hit back by focusing on the corruption cases faced by Chief Minister
Virbhadra Singh. The star campaigners of
both parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, gave the campaign a plebiscitary touch — but in previous elections, voters in Himachal
Pradesh have been influenced by State-specific issues such as the local apple
and tourism economy as well as local infrastructure and social welfare. Now, as
the BJP and the Congress move the focus to Gujarat, they will do well to delineate their positions on social and economic issues, without the
vitriol that marked the campaign in the hill State.
1. PROVISIONAL < PRO / WIN / SHE /A / L >
[Adjective]
Meaningà arranged or existing for
the present, possibly to be changed later.
Exampleà "a provisional government"
2. ENROLMENT/ < EN / ROLL / MENT>
[Noun]
Meaningà The action of
enrolling or being enrolled
Exampleà "The amount
due must be paid on enrolment in October"
3. TURNOUTS < TN / OUT >
[Noun]
Meaningà the number of people attending or taking part in an event, especially
the number of people voting in an election.
Synà Attendance
,Audience , Congretion, Assembly ,gathering,
Exampleà "we reckon that thirty-five per cent is a good turnout for local
elections"
4 CORRELATED.< KO /RE /LAE / TED >
[Verb]= past tense: correlated
Meaningà have a mutual
relationship or connection, in which one thing affects or depends on another.
Synà Correspond ,Match up , Tally ,
Dovetail, Be in Agreement
Antonyms:=
Exampleà "the study found that success in the educational system correlates highly with class"
5. MAYORAL < MAY / O / RL
>
[Adjective]
Meaning à relating
to a mayor.
Synà the office of mayor
Antonymsà Not relating to a Mayor
Exampleà "mayoral candidates"
6. DISCOURSE < DIS /COR /S >
[Noun]
Meaning à written or spoken communication or debate
Synà Discussion
,Convers ation , Dialogue ,Talk , Conference
Exampleà "the language of political discourse"
7. VITRIOLIC < VEE /TREE /O
/LICK >
[Adjective]
Meaningà filled with bitter criticism or malice.
Exampleà "vitriolic attacks on the politicians"
Synà acrimonious , rancorous ,bitter ,caustic ,mordant
Antonymà pleasant
,kind
8. REFERENDUM <
REE /FER /REN / DUM >
[Noun]
Meaning à a general vote by the electorate on a single political question which
has been referred to them for a direct decision.
1.
Synà Plebiscite ,Vote ,Ballot ,Poll
,Public vote
Exampleà “The called
for a referendum on the death penalty”
9. PLEBISCITARY <PLAY
/B /CITE >
[Noun]
Meaningà A type of voting, or of proposing
laws
Exampleà ‘The administration will hold a plebiscite for the approval of
constitutional reforms’
Antonymà
Report
10. DELINEATE </ / >
[Verb]
Meaningà
describe
or portray (something) precisely .
Exampleà
"the law should delineate and prohibit
behaviour which is socially abhorrent"
Synà Describe ,Set Forth ,Present
,Outline ,Depict ,Represent.
Antonym à Twist, Undelineated, Warp, Misdescribe.
Comments
Post a Comment