The Evening Wrap: BJP, SKM win big in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim Assembly polls

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) on June 2 recorded landslide victories to retain power for their third and second successive terms, in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim respectively. The BJP bagged 46 of the 60 seats in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly. The party had approached the April 19 election with 10 seats won uncontested, as no other party fielded candidates against Chief Minister Pema Khandu in the Mukto constituency, his deputy Chowna Mein in Chowkham, and eight others. In Sikkim, the SKM won an unprecedented 31 of the 32 seats in the State Assembly, with Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang bagging two of them – Rhenock and Soreng-Chakung. The lone winner for the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), Tenzing Norbu Lamtha, had switched over from the SKM ahead of the Assembly election after being denied a ticket. The SKM was a constituent of the BJP-helmed National Democratic Alliance, but the two parties had ended their partnership ahead of the April 19 election. Political observers said that Sunday’s outcome followed a pattern: the party that rules the State and at the Centre usually wins elections in Arunachal Pradesh. While the BJP did not face any anti-incumbency, it was also better organised at the grass-roots level, and faced hardly any opposition. The Congress, which had ruled the State for more than 30 years, only managed to field candidates for 19 of the 34 seats it had intended to contest. The National People’s Party (NPP), otherwise an NDA constituent, contested 20 seats, the most after the 60 fielded by the BJP. While the NPP won five seats, the same as in 2019, it was only former Minister Kumar Waii who saved the Congress from a complete rout by winning the Bameng seat. The Congress had won four seats five years ago. The remaining seats were divided among the Nationalist Congress Party (three), the regional People’s Party of Arunachal (two) and Independents (three). Among the major losers was 77-year-old Gegong Apang, who had been Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for more than 22 years. He had floated the Arunachal Democratic Front ahead of the election in a bid to revive his political career. The Sikkim election was expected to be a close contest between the SKM and the SDF. Instead, it turned out to be an almost complete sweep in favour of the SKM. Questioning of Prajwal continues; four special teams formed to track down Bhavani Officials of the Special Investigation Team continued to grill Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing allegations of sexually abusing several women and also recording them. The SIT officials are also trying to get information about the phone used by Prajwal Revanna to record the videos as the device is missing at present, according to sources. The MP has already been suspended by the Janata Dal (Secular). Prajwal, who was using another phone which is presently in the custody of the SIT, allegedly told the police that he had lost his phone long ago and had even filed a complaint with the police, seeking that the phone be traced and restored to him. The officials are investigating to ascertain the purpose of recording the videos and the possible involvement of other people in it. The police are also questioning him about his whereabouts during his escape and the people with whom he was in touch. Prajwal Revanna has allegedly not responded to most of the questions. Meanwhile, the SIT team is planning to take Prajwal Revanna for a spot ‘mahazar’, where the alleged crime took place. Meanwhile, special teams have also been formed to track down Prajwal’s mother Bhavani, who is on the run. On May 31, a court in Bengaluru rejected her plea for anticipatory bail in the case related to the abduction of a woman who was allegedly sexually abused by Prajwal Revanna. She was supposed to appear before SIT for questioning but has not responded despite officials visiting her house on June 1. Taking a serious note on this, four specials teams have been formed to track down Bhavani and dispatched to Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Hassan, sources said. Arvind Kejriwal returns to jail at the end of 21-day interim bail for campaigning Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal surrendered at Tihar jail on June 2 evening, soon after telling Aam Aadmi Party workers, “I am going back to jail not because I was involved in corruption but because I raised voice against dictatorship.” The 21-day interim bail granted by the Supreme Court to Mr. Kejriwal to campaign in the Lok Sabha election expired as polling came to an end. Immediately after surrendering, Kejriwal was produced through a virtual conference before Magistrate Sanjeev Aggarwal, who sent him to judicial custody till June 5. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal left his residence after taking the blessings of his parents, and was accompanied by senior party leaders and his wife Sunita Kejriwal as they made their way to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. The CM then went to the Hanuman Mandir at Connaught Place before addressing party workers at the AAP office on his last stop before heading back to jail. Modi holds review meet on 100-day agenda implementation, as exit polls indicate a third term for NDA government A day after exit polls declared that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely en route to a third term, he held a review meeting on a 100-day programme that his team will seek to implement once government formation is completed. Senior bureaucrats of the government of India attended the review meeting for these plans on June 2. According to sources, at least 10 groups, each headed by a Secretary-level official as a coordinator, have been created to implement this agenda over the first 100 days of the new government. The plans, some details of which have been reported in The Hindu earlier, will kick into action by at least July 1, sources say. “Each Sectoral Group of Secretaries (SGOS) has a Secretary of the government of India heading it, along with four or five senior officers. This was done in February itself and Ministries put to work to fine tune plans. As the election season ground on, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has been holding reviews,” said an official. These groups deal with various subjects, such as governance, infrastructure, security and the economy. The BJP manifesto has committed to holding simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, and sources say that coming up with a common electoral roll, which is key to that exercise, is part of the 100-day plan. Some of these groups made presentations on the day to the PM, who also chaired review meetings on the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, and the challenges arising out of the heatwave hitting northern and western India. Poll panel asks Jairam Ramesh to provide details of the 150 district collectors who allegedly received calls from the Home Minister The Election Commission of India on June 2 sought an explanation from senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh regarding his recent claim that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been calling up district magistrates and collectors and has, so far, spoken to 150 of them. Asking Ramesh to reply by June 2, the ECI said in its notice that when the Model Code of Conduct is in force, officers report to the ECI for any directions. Congress sources said that Ramesh’s lawyers are in touch with the ECI and will soon submit a reply to the notice. In the notice, the ECI said that no DM had reported any such undue influence as alleged by Ramesh. “As you are aware, the process of counting votes is a sacred duty cast upon every returning officer and such public statements by you tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserves to be addressed to larger public interest,” the notice said. The Commission also requested Ramesh to share the details of the 150 DMs and collectors to whom the Union Home Minister has allegedly spoken. On June 1, Ramesh said in a post on X that “the outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors”. He added: “So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch.” The ECI will hold a press conference on June 3, a day ahead of the declaration of results of the Lok Sabha election, for which voting concluded on June 1. Sources said that the ECI would address concerns raised by political parties on various issues and request that the parties do not raise issues which can undermine the poll process. In Brief: The parents of the teenager involved in a luxury car crash in Pune, were on June 2 produced before the court and were remanded to police custody till June 5 in the case involving destruction of evidence. The minor’s mother is accused of swapping her blood sample with that of her 17-year-old son at Sassoon General Hospital in Pune. The need for a blood sample was part of a police investigation to ascertain alcohol content in the teenager’s blood. She was arrested on June 1 and both the parents are charged with destroying evidence. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 02 June 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( BJP, SKM win big in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim Assembly polls The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) on June 2 [recorded landslide victories]( to retain power for their third and second successive terms, in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim respectively. The BJP bagged 46 of the 60 seats in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly. The party had approached the April 19 election with 10 seats won uncontested, as no other party fielded candidates against Chief Minister Pema Khandu in the Mukto constituency, his deputy Chowna Mein in Chowkham, and eight others. In Sikkim, the SKM won an unprecedented 31 of the 32 seats in the State Assembly, with Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang bagging two of them – Rhenock and Soreng-Chakung. The lone winner for the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), Tenzing Norbu Lamtha, had switched over from the SKM ahead of the Assembly election after being denied a ticket. The SKM was a constituent of the BJP-helmed National Democratic Alliance, but the two parties had ended their partnership ahead of the April 19 election. Political observers said that Sunday’s outcome followed a pattern: the party that rules the State and at the Centre usually wins elections in Arunachal Pradesh. While the BJP did not face any anti-incumbency, it was also better organised at the grass-roots level, and faced hardly any opposition. The Congress, which had ruled the State for more than 30 years, only managed to field candidates for 19 of the 34 seats it had intended to contest. The National People’s Party (NPP), otherwise an NDA constituent, contested 20 seats, the most after the 60 fielded by the BJP. While the NPP won five seats, the same as in 2019, it was only former Minister Kumar Waii who saved the Congress from a complete rout by winning the Bameng seat. The Congress had won four seats five years ago. The remaining seats were divided among the Nationalist Congress Party (three), the regional People’s Party of Arunachal (two) and Independents (three). Among the major losers was 77-year-old Gegong Apang, who had been Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for more than 22 years. He had floated the Arunachal Democratic Front ahead of the election in a bid to revive his political career. The Sikkim election was expected to be a close contest between the SKM and the SDF. Instead, it turned out to be an almost complete sweep in favour of the SKM. Questioning of Prajwal continues; four special teams formed to track down Bhavani Officials of the [Special Investigation Team continued to grill Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna]( who is facing allegations of sexually abusing several women and also recording them. The SIT officials are also trying to get information about the phone used by Prajwal Revanna to record the videos as the device is missing at present, according to sources. The MP has already been suspended by the Janata Dal (Secular). Prajwal, who was using another phone which is presently in the custody of the SIT, allegedly told the police that he had lost his phone long ago and had even filed a complaint with the police, seeking that the phone be traced and restored to him. The officials are investigating to ascertain the purpose of recording the videos and the possible involvement of other people in it. The police are also questioning him about his whereabouts during his escape and the people with whom he was in touch. Prajwal Revanna has allegedly not responded to most of the questions. Meanwhile, the SIT team is planning to take Prajwal Revanna for a spot ‘mahazar’, where the alleged crime took place. Meanwhile, special teams have also been formed to track down Prajwal’s mother Bhavani, who is on the run. On May 31, a court in Bengaluru rejected her plea for anticipatory bail in the case related to the abduction of a woman who was allegedly sexually abused by Prajwal Revanna. She was supposed to appear before SIT for questioning but has not responded despite officials visiting her house on June 1. Taking a serious note on this, four specials teams have been formed to track down Bhavani and dispatched to Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Hassan, sources said. Arvind Kejriwal returns to jail at the end of 21-day interim bail for campaigning Delhi Chief Minister [Arvind Kejriwal surrendered at Tihar jail]( on June 2 evening, soon after telling Aam Aadmi Party workers, “I am going back to jail not because I was involved in corruption but because I raised voice against dictatorship.” The 21-day interim bail granted by the Supreme Court to Mr. Kejriwal to campaign in the Lok Sabha election expired as polling came to an end. Immediately after surrendering, Kejriwal was produced through a virtual conference before Magistrate Sanjeev Aggarwal, who sent him to judicial custody till June 5. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal left his residence after taking the blessings of his parents, and was accompanied by senior party leaders and his wife Sunita Kejriwal as they made their way to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. The CM then went to the Hanuman Mandir at Connaught Place before addressing party workers at the AAP office on his last stop before heading back to jail. Modi holds review meet on 100-day agenda implementation, as exit polls indicate a third term for NDA government A day after exit polls declared that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely en route to a third term, he held a [review meeting on a 100-day programme]( that his team will seek to implement once government formation is completed. Senior bureaucrats of the government of India attended the review meeting for these plans on June 2. According to sources, at least 10 groups, each headed by a Secretary-level official as a coordinator, have been created to implement this agenda over the first 100 days of the new government. The plans, some details of which have been reported in The Hindu earlier, will kick into action by at least July 1, sources say. “Each Sectoral Group of Secretaries (SGOS) has a Secretary of the government of India heading it, along with four or five senior officers. This was done in February itself and Ministries put to work to fine tune plans. As the election season ground on, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has been holding reviews,” said an official. These groups deal with various subjects, such as governance, infrastructure, security and the economy. The BJP manifesto has committed to holding simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, and sources say that coming up with a common electoral roll, which is key to that exercise, is part of the 100-day plan. Some of these groups made presentations on the day to the PM, who also chaired review meetings on the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, and the challenges arising out of the heatwave hitting northern and western India. Poll panel asks Jairam Ramesh to provide details of the 150 district collectors who allegedly received calls from the Home Minister The Election Commission of India on June 2 [sought an explanation]( from senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh regarding his recent claim that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been calling up district magistrates and collectors and has, so far, spoken to 150 of them. Asking Ramesh to reply by June 2, the ECI said in its notice that when the Model Code of Conduct is in force, officers report to the ECI for any directions. Congress sources said that Ramesh’s lawyers are in touch with the ECI and will soon submit a reply to the notice. In the notice, the ECI said that no DM had reported any such undue influence as alleged by Ramesh. “As you are aware, the process of counting votes is a sacred duty cast upon every returning officer and such public statements by you tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserves to be addressed to larger public interest,” the notice said. The Commission also requested Ramesh to share the details of the 150 DMs and collectors to whom the Union Home Minister has allegedly spoken. On June 1, Ramesh said in a post on X that “the outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors”. He added: “So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch.” The ECI will hold a press conference on June 3, a day ahead of the declaration of results of the Lok Sabha election, for which voting concluded on June 1. Sources said that the ECI would address concerns raised by political parties on various issues and request that the parties do not raise issues which can undermine the poll process. In Brief: The [parents of the teenager involved in a luxury car crash in Pune, were on June 2 produced before the court]( and were remanded to police custody till June 5 in the case involving destruction of evidence. The minor’s mother is accused of swapping her blood sample with that of her 17-year-old son at Sassoon General Hospital in Pune. The need for a blood sample was part of a police investigation to ascertain alcohol content in the teenager’s blood. She was arrested on June 1 and both the parents are charged with destroying evidence. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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