The Evening Wrap: Americans head out to vote

The Hindu Newsletter - Here are the biggest news stories of the day [The Hindu Logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( Tuesday 03, November 2020 [alt_text]( The Evening Wrap [Here are the biggest news stories of the day]( [alt_text]( Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying safe. Trump vs Biden: Americans head out to vote [It’s Election Day in the U.S.](, and polling has begun in a hugely consequential battle between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden. As a result of the unprecedented circumstances of 2020, some 100 million Americans have already cast their ballot through mail-in voting, throwing up a number of possibilities for how the declaration of results could play out. In The Hindu [In Focus podcast today](, we preview these likely scenarios and the closing messages from each of the campaigns. We also tackle the question of whether there will be a conclusive result on Tuesday night in the U.S., as President Trump has repeatedly questioned the validity of mail-in voting and has already hinted that a legal challenge could be in the works. Yon can also check out [this round-up of the ten major states](that could play a critical role in determining the outcome Rajiv Gandhi murder case: Probe into larger conspiracy does not concern convicts already in jail, says SC [The Supreme Court on Tuesday said](the Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) investigation into the “larger conspiracy” behind Rajiv Gandhi assassination in 1991 need not deter the Tamil Nadu Governor from deciding the plea for pardon of convicts such as A.G. Perarivalan, who have been serving their sentence in jail for over two decades. “Larger conspiracy probe is only to prove if any other people are involved. It is not for them [people already convicted],” Justice L. Nageswara Rao, leading a three-judge Bench, observed orally. Turning to Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, the judge asked “this larger conspiracy investigation is pending for the past 20 years... Still you are waiting for details from U.K., Thailand?” The court was responding to submissions made by Mr. Nataraj that the scope of the MDMA probe extended to many countries and was still on. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, for Mr. Perarivalan, said the status reports filed about the MDMA probe was a “copy-paste” of earlier such reports. The court in January this year had said the body was yet to conclude its investigation pertaining to the origin and make of the bomb which killed the former Prime Minister. The court made it clear during the hearing that it was reluctant to exercise its jurisdiction when the Governor was already seized of Mr. Perarivalan’s plea for pardon under Article 161 of the Constitution. “Why don’t you ask the Governor to pass orders without our intervention?” Justice Rao asked. Mr. Perarivalan had applied to the Governor for pardon on December 30, 2015. Almost three years later, on September 2018, the Supreme Court had asked the Governor to decide the pardon plea as he “deemed fit”. Three days after this court order, on September 9, the Tamil Nadu Cabinet recommended to the Governor to remit Mr. Perarivalan’s sentence and release him forthwith. “However, it seems neither the recommendation was signed by the Tamil Nadu Governor nor was the order of September 6 honoured by the Governor for the past two years,” an application filed by Mr. Perarivalan through advocate Prabu Ramasubramanium said. Phase II: Bihar records over 55% polling [The second phase of elections]( for 94 seats across 17 districts in Bihar ended peacefully on Tuesday, though there were some reports of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) malfunctioning. The voter turnout till 6 p.m. was over 54.05 %. In the first phase poll for 71 seats, voter turnout was over 55 % - higher that the figures for the 2015 Assembly election. Meanwhile, top leaders including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U), Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav continued campaigning for the third phase of 78 seats. Addressing an election rally, Mr. Modi said he won elections because he worked to resolve the issues of mothers and sisters (among the poor). Mr. Modi also said that Bihar was all set to re-elect the NDA government to take the State to new heights. “Some people ask how Mr. Modi wins elections... Mr. Modi wins elections because he works to resolve the issues of all the [poor] mothers and sisters...they bless Mr. Modi as their son who has dedicated his life for the poor,” he said, while addressing a public meeting at Forbesganj in Araria district of northeast Bihar. Meanwhile, addressing a competing rally, Gandhi Congress leader and former party president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, alleging that they had “looted” the State and didn’t come out to help the poor migrant workers, who were forced to return home due to the Covid-19 lockdown. “The youth of Bihar know that both PM Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar have looted Bihar and destroyed small traders, farmers and others… But now people of Bihar have made up their mind to vote for mahagathbandhan and bring a change in the State,” Mr. Gandhi said. The Congress leader was addressing public meetings at Katihar and Kishanganj districts of northeast Bihar, where the third phase of the polls is scheduled to be held on November 7. Govt defence of land laws a bundle of lies: Gupkar alliance The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an amalgam of around six parties in Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday [disputed the Centre’s defence of the newly introduced land laws]( and described it as “a bundle of lies” and “an attempt to change demography”. “The PAGD rejects the statement of the official spokesman [of November 2] as a bizarre attempt to distort facts, weave lies and mislead people,” a spokesman of the Gupkar alliance said in a statement. Disputing the remarks made by government spokesman Rohit Kansal that the previous laws were “archaic and regressive”, the alliance spokesman said the land laws regime of Jammu and Kashmir was “the most progressive, pro-people and pro-farmer in the entire Indian subcontinent”. “The real object of repealing the basic land laws and making massive amendments to the other laws is to push in and implement the agenda of effecting demographic change and disempowering the people of Jammu and Kashmir”. The previous laws had ended the exploitative practice of “absentee landlordism”, he stated. “Whosoever calls it archaic would be guilty of ignorance of the history of J&K. It is because of the timely land reforms that there are no starvation deaths in J&K and no farmer suicides,” he asserted. Describing the new laws as undemocratic, unconstitutional, and backward-looking, he said, “The recently introduced land laws ‘now allow’ the land to be transferred to non-state subjects, denuding the residents of J&K of their most precious rights”. The claimed protection of rights in agricultural land was mere eyewash as the Act provided for permission to sell agricultural land almost at mere asking without difficulty, he observed. The PAGD includes the National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party, the CPI(M) and the Congress. After U.P., Haryana, now Karnataka and M.P. mull law against ‘love jihad’ The BJP government in Karnataka is set to follow the example of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, with Karnataka Minister and BJP National General Secretary C.T. Ravi on Tuesday declaring that the State will enact a law[banning religious conversions for the sake of marriage](. “We will not remain silent when Jihadis strip the dignity of Our Sisters. Any one involved in the act of conversion shall face severe & swift punishment,” Mr. Ravi tweeted. His statement comes three days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s remarks that his government would bring an “effective law” against “love jihad”, a term used by the Hindu right-wing to target inter-faith relationships and marriages involving a Muslim man. Earlier, on Monday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had also said that his government will make [legal arrangements to curb the alleged practice of love jihad]( in the state. To date, four BJP-ruled states have announced their intention to make legal provisions against “love jihad”. Future Retail files caveat before Delhi High Court against any early move by Amazon Kishore Biyani led-Future Group has [filed a caveat before the Delhi High Court](requesting it to be heard if any plea is filed by e-commerce major Amazon over its ₹24,713 crore deal with Mukesh Ambani-led RIL. Anticipating a move by Amazon, which had got an interim arbitration award in its favour, putting the announced deal on hold, the Future Group firm has moved the Delhi High Court. A caveat is filed by a litigant in High Courts and in the Supreme Court to ensure that no adverse order is passed against the party without it being heard. The Future group firm has already served a copy of the caveat petition to Amazon, it said. On October 25, Singapore International’s Arbitration Centre (SIAC) passed an interim award in favour of Amazon, with a single-judge bench of V K Rajah barring Future Retail Ltd (FRL) from taking any step to dispose of or encumber its assets or issuing any securities to secure any funding from a restricted party. However, subsequently, in a regulatory filing, FRL said the Singapore arbitrator’s interim order against its ₹24,713 crore deal with RIL is not binding and any attempt to enforce it will be resisted. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported[coronavirus](cases from India stood at 82,97,920 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 1,23,641. The Health Ministry on Tuesday said that it has asked state governments to refrain from making isolated plans for vaccine distribution. In a statement, it noted that states have been asked to create a database according to the template issued by the Central government and also take stock of the storage and transport facilities for vaccine distribution. In Brief: [China has suspended the Jack Ma-led Ant Group’s $37 billion stock market listing]( in both Shanghai and Hong Kong in a dramatic move just two days before what was set to be the world’s largest-ever stock market debut. Ant said that its listing was suspended following a recent interview that regulators held with its founder Jack Ma and top executives. It said it may not meet listing qualifications, and also cited recent changes in the fintech regulatory environment. Ant was set to go public in Hong Kong and Shanghai on Thursday after raising about $37 billion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday meet 20 large global investors, including sovereign wealth funds and pension funds with over 20 trillion dollars under management. The virtual conference to woo investors will be followed by one-on-one meetings with their top officials over 15 days, according to Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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