The Evening Wrap: 77% voter turnout in Mizoram, 70% in Chhattisgarh

Voting for the 40-seat assembly concluded on November 7 in Mizoram, with the State recording 77.04% polling. In the 2023 elections, the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), the main opposition party Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), and the Congress have fielded candidates for all 40 seats. The BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party have fielded 23 and 4 candidates, respectively, in addition to 27 independents already in the fray. The Mizoram Assembly election has apparently become a show of which political party cares more for people who have taken refuge from two of India’s neighbours. For the first time in five decades, foreigners have become a poll issue in Mizoram. MNF had bagged 26 seats with a vote share of 37.8% to emerge victorious in the 2018 polls. The Congress had secured five seats and the BJP won one seat. Chief Minister Zoramthanga is confident of the MNF returning to power on the strength of its performance and the initiative for ‘Zo unification’ after the ethnic violence in Manipur since May 3 made more than 11,000 Kuki-Zomi people take refuge in Mizoram. The votes will be counted on December 3. Meanwhile, the day also witnessed the first round of polling in Chhattisgarh, to its 90-seat Assembly. The State recorded 70.87% voter turnout until 5 p.m. As many as 5,304 polling booths were set up covering 20 Assembly seats. In the first phase, the political fate of 223 candidates, including 25 women, will be decided by over 40 lakh voters, who voted amidst tight security in Naxal-affected areas. The first phase of polling was marred by an IED blast triggered by Naxalites and three different encounters between them and security personnel. A commando of CoBRA, an elite unit of CRPF, was injured in an IED blast triggered by Naxalites in Sukma district. Meanwhile, encounters took place near Panavar village, and near Banda polling station. In the 2023 election, the ruling Congress’ manifesto has promised loan waivers for farmers, ₹3,200 per quintal for paddy, and subsidised cooking gas cylinders for women. While farm-loan waivers didn’t find a mention the BJP manifesto, the saffron party has included paddy procurement at ₹3,100 per quintal and cooking gas cylinder at ₹500 to poor families, besides financial assistance to married women and landless agricultural labourers. Both parties are also fervently courting Other Backward Class (OBC) voters, who comprise a significant portion of the population in Bastar division areas that voted today. In the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress had won 17 out of the 20 seats that will go to polls in the first phase. The Congress has 71 seats in the 90-member House. The second phase of polls to 70 seats will take place on November 17, while results will be counted on December 3. Air pollution | Supreme Court orders Delhi and neighbouring States to stop stubble burning immediately The Supreme Court on November 7 directed the State governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi to ensure that stubble burning is “forthwith” stopped as an immediate measure to protect the lives and health of people. “Pollution is not a political game where one State shifts the blame to another depending on the ruling political dispensation… This [pollution] is a murder of the health of the people. You see children in Delhi suffering from health issues,” Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said. As a long-term measure, the Bench of Justices Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia agreed with the submission made by the Punjab government to take steps to incentivise farmers to switch over from paddy cultivation to alternate traditional crops like millets by offering them the minimum support price (MSP). Punjab, on its own admission in court on November 7, said it was one of the biggest contributors of large-scale burning of paddy stubble. The State is also witnessing a drastic lowering of the water table due to paddy cultivation, which spans across 31 lakh acres. The Bench asked the Delhi government to respond to a submission by amicus curiae, senior advocate Aparajita Singh, that the ‘odd-even’ scheme was an “unscientific method” to control vehicular pollution. The scheme did not stop diesel vehicles from plying the national capital’s roads. The court asked the Delhi government’s response to its suggestion to stop stage taxis registered outside Delhi, especially during this time, as an additional immediate measure to control the increasing pollution. “There are ‘n’ number of taxis seen on the roads. Every second vehicle is a taxi sporting Haryana, Uttar Pradesh or other State registrations. Each invariably carries one passenger… Are you monitoring or controlling vehicles coming into Delhi? Is there any thought process applied to it?” Justice Kaul asked the Delhi government. At one point, Justice Kaul said “god knows what would have happened if the metro service was not there”. The court sought information from the neighbouring States of Delhi on the implementation of the colour-code sticker scheme to identify polluting vehicles based on their fuel type. It noted that the scheme was put to action only in Delhi. The other States had not even bothered to file compliance reports in the apex court. The court agreed to take up on Friday (November 10) senior advocate Vikas Singh’s application that the implementation of the construction ban imposed in Delhi was “mere eyewash”. Meanwhile, the court directed the Delhi government to come clean on the environment compensation charges it had collected and utilised so far. The court made the local Station House Officers and the Chief Secretaries of the States concerned responsible for ensuring that no further instances of crop burning occurred. The court directed the four States to meet with the Cabinet Secretary on November 8 to chalk out steps to redeem a safe environment. The proposed measures have to be placed in court on November 10. The Supreme Court made clear its firm intention to fight pollution. “As they say, if we start the bulldozer, we will not stop it until we take this issue to its logical conclusion,” Justice Kaul said. ‘Kept in the dark, democratic norms thrown to the wind’, says Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on selection of Chief Information Commissioner Congress MP and member of the selection committee for appointment of the Chief Information Commissioner Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to President Droupadi Murmu saying he was “kept in the dark” in the selection process and that all democratic norms, customs and procedures were “thrown to the wind”. In the letter, Chowdhury said the voice of the Opposition has been “ignored” and that is not good for democracy. Former IAS officer Heeralal Samariya was on November 6 sworn in as the Chief Information Commissioner by President Murmu. Chowdhury alleged that his plea for change of timing of the meeting of the selection committee, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was not changed from evening to morning of November 3 and that he was not even informed about the decisions taken. “Given the facts pertaining to the entire selection process as brought out above, I would urge upon you to take every possible measure for ensuring that our democratic traditions and ethos do not continue to get diluted by not giving the Opposition its rightful and legitimate place to be heard,” Chowdhury said in the letter to the President. The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament said despite being a member of the selection committee, he was “totally kept in the dark” about the selection of the CIC/ICS, at the meeting that was held at the residence of the Prime Minister at 6 p.m. on November 3. “The fact that within hours of the meeting in which only the Prime Minister and the Home Minister were present and the ‘face of the Opposition’, that is, me, as a bona-fide member of the selection committee was not present, the names of the selected candidates were announced, notified and also sworn into Office, only indicates that the entire selection exercise was pre-determined,” he alleged. “The process, as it unfolded within a short span, is not conducive for your democratic ethos and norms,” Chowdhury claimed. “It is with extreme sadness and a heavy heart that I bring to your notice that all democratic norms, customs and procedures were thrown to the wind in the matter of selection of the Central Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners,” he said in his letter. He said the Right to Information Act, 2005, in consonance with democratic norms and traditions envisages that the voice of the Opposition too is heard in the process of selection of the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners. “I, as a member representing the largest Opposition Party in the selection committee to these all-important posts under the landmark RTI Act, was extremely keen and enthusiastic to partake in the selection process by attending the meeting, had it been convened at a time that would have been suitable to all members,” he said. “Unfortunately, while the scheduled time of the selection meeting at 6 p.m. on November 3 suited the Prime Minister and the Home Minister despite their hectic electioneering schedules, his plea for re-scheduling the meeting, to be held in the morning on the same day was “totally disregarded” and all his “sincere efforts” to attend the meeting failed,” he stated. “More blatant is the fact that I was not even informed of the outcome of the meeting. And even more glaringly, apart from being deprived of the opportunity to be a part of the meeting called in connection with the selection process, I received an invitation this morning for attending the swearing-in ceremony of the newly selected candidates for the posts of CIC/ICS,” the Congress leader said. The post was lying vacant following the completion of Y. K. Sinha’s tenure on October 3. Samariya, the first Dalit to have been appointed to the post, was working as information commissioner in the transparency panel Central Information Commission (CIC). Celebrate, but not at the cost of the environment, says Supreme Court Days before Deepavali celebrations, the Supreme Court clarified on Tuesday that its orders to minimise air and noise pollution caused by firecrackers bind States across the country and not just Delhi National Capital Region. “Celebrations can take place, but with some moderation. One can bring happiness to others with celebrations, but not at the cost of the environment,” Justice M.M. Sundresh, on the Bench, said. Justice A.S. Bopanna said adults tended to behave worse than children, bursting crackers galore, with no thought of the pollution and discomfort caused by them. “Due to awareness spread in school, children do not burst crackers much. It is the adults who do it,” Justice Bopanna remarked. He said people easily dodge time restrictions imposed for bursting crackers. “If we give a 10.30 p.m. limit, they will burst their entire stock of crackers by 10 p.m. All they think of is finishing their stock of crackers,” Justice Bopanna said. Justice Sundresh said the impetus should be on sensitising people. “We live on hope,” the judge remarked. The court was hearing an application highlighting a spike in pollution in Rajasthan despite restrictive orders passed by the Supreme Court. The Rajasthan counsel said the desire to protect the environment had to be a part of the “collective consciousness of society”. “Every citizen should agree to celebrate with fewer crackers,” the counsel said. The applicants said governments could not leave the responsibility of protecting the environment to individual citizens. Authorities, who hold the environment in public trust, were obliged to take action and remain on their toes to ensure clean air. The court said State governments should take steps to minimise air and noise pollution not only during festive seasons but even otherwise. The orders of the Supreme Court bind all States, including Rajasthan, the Bench reiterated. Israel-Hamas war | Netanyahu says Israel will have ‘security responsibility’ in Gaza for indefinite period after war with Hamas Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on November 6 that Israel will take control of “overall security” of besieged Gaza after the war, as the Hamas-run Health Ministry said the death toll has surged past 10,000. Resisting calls for a ceasefire, Netanyahu said there would be no let-up in the war to destroy Hamas, whose October 7 attack left 1,400 dead in Israel, most of them civilians. He also said Israel would consider “tactical little pauses” in Gaza fighting to facilitate the entry of aid or the exit of hostages but again rejected calls for a general ceasefire despite growing international pressure. Asked about the potential for humanitarian pauses in fighting, an idea supported by Israel’s top ally the United States, Netanyahu said a general ceasefire would hamper his country’s war effort. ”As far as tactical little pauses - an hour here, an hour there - we’ve had them before. I suppose we’ll check the circumstances in order to enable goods, humanitarian goods to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages, to leave,” Netanyahu said. “But I don’t think there’s going to be a general ceasefire,” he added. Meanwhile, a Palestinian journalist was killed in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip and another was wounded, the official Palestinian news agency reported on the day. Mohammad Abu Hasira was the latest among dozens of journalists killed in the month-long conflict. WAFA news agency reported that Abu Hasira “and 42 members of his family, including his sons and brothers” were killed in the strike. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on the G7 to speak “in a clear voice” about the Israel-Hamas war as he kicked off talks with fellow Foreign Ministers from the grouping in Japan. In Brief: Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa resigned on November 7 amid an investigation into alleged irregularities committed by his majority Socialist administration in handling lithium mining and hydrogen projects in the country. Costa announced the decision in a televised statement after meeting President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. He said he conscience was clear but he would not stand as candidate for premiership again. Prosecutors earlier on November 7 named Infrastructure Minister Joao Galamba as a formal suspect and detained Mr. Costa’s chief of staff. The opposition has demanded that the government step down with immediate effect. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 07 November 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Mizoram records 77.04% polling, while Chhattisgarh sees 70.87% in its first phase Voting for the 40-seat assembly concluded on November 7 in Mizoram, with the State [recording 77.04% polling](. In the 2023 elections, the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), the main opposition party Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), and the Congress have fielded candidates for all 40 seats. The BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party have fielded 23 and 4 candidates, respectively, in addition to 27 independents already in the fray. The Mizoram Assembly election has apparently become a show of which political party cares more for people who have taken refuge from two of India’s neighbours. For the first time in five decades, foreigners have become a poll issue in Mizoram. MNF had bagged 26 seats with a vote share of 37.8% to emerge victorious in the 2018 polls. The Congress had secured five seats and the BJP won one seat. Chief Minister Zoramthanga is confident of the MNF returning to power on the strength of its performance and the initiative for ‘Zo unification’ after the ethnic violence in Manipur since May 3 made more than 11,000 Kuki-Zomi people take refuge in Mizoram. The votes will be counted on December 3. Meanwhile, the day also witnessed the first round of polling in Chhattisgarh, to its 90-seat Assembly. The [State recorded 70.87% voter turnout until 5 p.m.]( As many as 5,304 polling booths were set up covering 20 Assembly seats. In the first phase, the political fate of 223 candidates, including 25 women, will be decided by over 40 lakh voters, who voted amidst tight security in Naxal-affected areas. The first phase of polling was marred by an IED blast triggered by Naxalites and three different encounters between them and security personnel. A commando of CoBRA, an elite unit of CRPF, was injured in an IED blast triggered by Naxalites in Sukma district. Meanwhile, encounters took place near Panavar village, and near Banda polling station. In the 2023 election, the ruling Congress’ manifesto has promised loan waivers for farmers, ₹3,200 per quintal for paddy, and subsidised cooking gas cylinders for women. While farm-loan waivers didn’t find a mention the BJP manifesto, the saffron party has included paddy procurement at ₹3,100 per quintal and cooking gas cylinder at ₹500 to poor families, besides financial assistance to married women and landless agricultural labourers. Both parties are also fervently courting Other Backward Class (OBC) voters, who comprise a significant portion of the population in Bastar division areas that voted today. In the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress had won 17 out of the 20 seats that will go to polls in the first phase. The Congress has 71 seats in the 90-member House. The second phase of polls to 70 seats will take place on November 17, while results will be counted on December 3. Air pollution | Supreme Court orders Delhi and neighbouring States to stop stubble burning immediately The [Supreme Court on November 7 directed the State governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi to ensure that stubble burning is “forthwith” stopped as an immediate measure]( to protect the lives and health of people. “Pollution is not a political game where one State shifts the blame to another depending on the ruling political dispensation… This [pollution] is a murder of the health of the people. You see children in Delhi suffering from health issues,” Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said. As a long-term measure, the Bench of Justices Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia agreed with the submission made by the Punjab government to take steps to incentivise farmers to switch over from paddy cultivation to alternate traditional crops like millets by offering them the minimum support price (MSP). Punjab, on its own admission in court on November 7, said it was one of the biggest contributors of large-scale burning of paddy stubble. The State is also witnessing a drastic lowering of the water table due to paddy cultivation, which spans across 31 lakh acres. The Bench asked the Delhi government to respond to a submission by amicus curiae, senior advocate Aparajita Singh, that the ‘odd-even’ scheme was an “unscientific method” to control vehicular pollution. The scheme did not stop diesel vehicles from plying the national capital’s roads. The court asked the Delhi government’s response to its suggestion to stop stage taxis registered outside Delhi, especially during this time, as an additional immediate measure to control the increasing pollution. “There are ‘n’ number of taxis seen on the roads. Every second vehicle is a taxi sporting Haryana, Uttar Pradesh or other State registrations. Each invariably carries one passenger… Are you monitoring or controlling vehicles coming into Delhi? Is there any thought process applied to it?” Justice Kaul asked the Delhi government. At one point, Justice Kaul said “god knows what would have happened if the metro service was not there”. The court sought information from the neighbouring States of Delhi on the implementation of the colour-code sticker scheme to identify polluting vehicles based on their fuel type. It noted that the scheme was put to action only in Delhi. The other States had not even bothered to file compliance reports in the apex court. The court agreed to take up on Friday (November 10) senior advocate Vikas Singh’s application that the implementation of the construction ban imposed in Delhi was “mere eyewash”. Meanwhile, the court directed the Delhi government to come clean on the environment compensation charges it had collected and utilised so far. The court made the local Station House Officers and the Chief Secretaries of the States concerned responsible for ensuring that no further instances of crop burning occurred. The court directed the four States to meet with the Cabinet Secretary on November 8 to chalk out steps to redeem a safe environment. The proposed measures have to be placed in court on November 10. The Supreme Court made clear its firm intention to fight pollution. “As they say, if we start the bulldozer, we will not stop it until we take this issue to its logical conclusion,” Justice Kaul said. ‘Kept in the dark, democratic norms thrown to the wind’, says Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on selection of Chief Information Commissioner Congress MP and member of the selection committee for appointment of the Chief Information Commissioner Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to President Droupadi Murmu saying [he was “kept in the dark” in the selection process]( and that all democratic norms, customs and procedures were “thrown to the wind”. In the letter, Chowdhury said the voice of the Opposition has been “ignored” and that is not good for democracy. Former IAS officer Heeralal Samariya was on November 6 sworn in as the Chief Information Commissioner by President Murmu. Chowdhury alleged that his plea for change of timing of the meeting of the selection committee, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was not changed from evening to morning of November 3 and that he was not even informed about the decisions taken. “Given the facts pertaining to the entire selection process as brought out above, I would urge upon you to take every possible measure for ensuring that our democratic traditions and ethos do not continue to get diluted by not giving the Opposition its rightful and legitimate place to be heard,” Chowdhury said in the letter to the President. The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament said despite being a member of the selection committee, he was “totally kept in the dark” about the selection of the CIC/ICS, at the meeting that was held at the residence of the Prime Minister at 6 p.m. on November 3. “The fact that within hours of the meeting in which only the Prime Minister and the Home Minister were present and the ‘face of the Opposition’, that is, me, as a bona-fide member of the selection committee was not present, the names of the selected candidates were announced, notified and also sworn into Office, only indicates that the entire selection exercise was pre-determined,” he alleged. “The process, as it unfolded within a short span, is not conducive for your democratic ethos and norms,” Chowdhury claimed. “It is with extreme sadness and a heavy heart that I bring to your notice that all democratic norms, customs and procedures were thrown to the wind in the matter of selection of the Central Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners,” he said in his letter. He said the Right to Information Act, 2005, in consonance with democratic norms and traditions envisages that the voice of the Opposition too is heard in the process of selection of the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners. “I, as a member representing the largest Opposition Party in the selection committee to these all-important posts under the landmark RTI Act, was extremely keen and enthusiastic to partake in the selection process by attending the meeting, had it been convened at a time that would have been suitable to all members,” he said. “Unfortunately, while the scheduled time of the selection meeting at 6 p.m. on November 3 suited the Prime Minister and the Home Minister despite their hectic electioneering schedules, his plea for re-scheduling the meeting, to be held in the morning on the same day was “totally disregarded” and all his “sincere efforts” to attend the meeting failed,” he stated. “More blatant is the fact that I was not even informed of the outcome of the meeting. And even more glaringly, apart from being deprived of the opportunity to be a part of the meeting called in connection with the selection process, I received an invitation this morning for attending the swearing-in ceremony of the newly selected candidates for the posts of CIC/ICS,” the Congress leader said. The post was lying vacant following the completion of Y. K. Sinha’s tenure on October 3. Samariya, the first Dalit to have been appointed to the post, was working as information commissioner in the transparency panel Central Information Commission (CIC). Celebrate, but not at the cost of the environment, says Supreme Court Days before Deepavali celebrations, the [Supreme Court clarified on Tuesday that its orders to minimise air and noise pollution caused by firecrackers bind States across the country and not just Delhi National Capital Region](. “Celebrations can take place, but with some moderation. One can bring happiness to others with celebrations, but not at the cost of the environment,” Justice M.M. Sundresh, on the Bench, said. Justice A.S. Bopanna said adults tended to behave worse than children, bursting crackers galore, with no thought of the pollution and discomfort caused by them. “Due to awareness spread in school, children do not burst crackers much. It is the adults who do it,” Justice Bopanna remarked. He said people easily dodge time restrictions imposed for bursting crackers. “If we give a 10.30 p.m. limit, they will burst their entire stock of crackers by 10 p.m. All they think of is finishing their stock of crackers,” Justice Bopanna said. Justice Sundresh said the impetus should be on sensitising people. “We live on hope,” the judge remarked. The court was hearing an application highlighting a spike in pollution in Rajasthan despite restrictive orders passed by the Supreme Court. The Rajasthan counsel said the desire to protect the environment had to be a part of the “collective consciousness of society”. “Every citizen should agree to celebrate with fewer crackers,” the counsel said. The applicants said governments could not leave the responsibility of protecting the environment to individual citizens. Authorities, who hold the environment in public trust, were obliged to take action and remain on their toes to ensure clean air. The court said State governments should take steps to minimise air and noise pollution not only during festive seasons but even otherwise. The orders of the Supreme Court bind all States, including Rajasthan, the Bench reiterated. Israel-Hamas war | Netanyahu says Israel will have ‘security responsibility’ in Gaza for indefinite period after war with Hamas Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on November 6 that Israel will take control of “overall security” of besieged Gaza after the war]( as the Hamas-run Health Ministry said the death toll has surged past 10,000. Resisting calls for a ceasefire, Netanyahu said there would be no let-up in the [war to destroy Hamas]( whose October 7 attack left 1,400 dead in Israel, most of them civilians. He also said Israel would consider “tactical little pauses” in Gaza fighting to facilitate the entry of aid or the exit of hostages but again rejected calls for a general ceasefire despite growing international pressure. Asked about the potential for humanitarian pauses in fighting, an idea supported by Israel’s top ally the United States, Netanyahu said a general ceasefire would hamper his country’s war effort. ”As far as tactical little pauses - an hour here, an hour there - we’ve had them before. I suppose we’ll check the circumstances in order to enable goods, humanitarian goods to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages, to leave,” Netanyahu said. “But I don’t think there’s going to be a general ceasefire,” he added. Meanwhile, a Palestinian journalist was killed in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip and another was wounded, the official Palestinian news agency reported on the day. Mohammad Abu Hasira was the latest among dozens of journalists killed in the month-long conflict. WAFA news agency reported that Abu Hasira “and 42 members of his family, including his sons and brothers” were killed in the strike. U.S. Secretary of State [Antony Blinken called on the G7 to speak “in a clear voice” about the Israel-Hamas war]( as he kicked off talks with fellow Foreign Ministers from the grouping in Japan. In Brief: [Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa resigned on November 7 amid an investigation into alleged irregularities]( committed by his majority Socialist administration in handling lithium mining and hydrogen projects in the country. Costa announced the decision in a televised statement after meeting President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. He said he conscience was clear but he would not stand as candidate for premiership again. Prosecutors earlier on November 7 named Infrastructure Minister Joao Galamba as a formal suspect and detained Mr. Costa’s chief of staff. The opposition has demanded that the government step down with immediate effect. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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