New Delhi: With the upcoming elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the Congress must seize every opportunity to learn from its loss in Haryana, Urdu newspapers suggested this week.
After the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, Urdu newspapers dedicated the entire week to editorials focusing on the upcoming elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
On 11 October, Siasat asserted that, despite not winning a single seat, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s participation in Haryana indirectly helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secure a third consecutive victory. On the same day, Inquilab emphasised that political unity requires a spirit of sacrifice among alliance members; without it, stability cannot be achieved.
Roznama Rashtriya Sahara’s editorial on 11 October highlighted the backlash against Dasna Devi temple head priest Yati Narsinghanand’s anti-Islam remarks, which led hundreds of Muslims to file complaints. Despite over 80 cases against him, Narsinghanand remains free, amid allegations of complainants in Ghaziabad and Meerut facing police brutality and threats.
The editorial condemned “systemic injustices” faced by the Muslim community, criticising the government for demolishing minority places of worship and the ineffective response from Muslim leaders. It urged the Modi government to uphold justice and public trust, questioning the silence over Narsinghanand’s comments and asking why Muslims face police backlash for raising concerns.
‘AAP helped BJP win Haryana’
On 11 October, Siasat in its editorial said that the Congress needs a serious strategy for the upcoming elections in Maharashtra, where it will be contesting alongside the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and Jharkhand, where it is in alliance with Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. The editorial made the observation in light of the results of the Haryana assembly elections, where the Congress saw a subpar outcome.
Congress must seize every opportunity, learning from Haryana, where it was kept out of power, Siasat said. The focus should be on minimising vote division with no room for disagreements over a few seats. In Haryana, the participation of AAP, an INDIA alliance partner, indirectly helped the BJP secure a third consecutive victory, it said.
Every state has small regional parties with influence in select constituencies. Including these parties in the alliance, even at the cost of a few seats, is essential to avoid gifting power to the BJP, the editorial said.
“They (regional parties) have a vote bank and the ability to influence voters. If efforts are made to include these parties in the alliance, major parties might have to sacrifice two or more seats. Such a sacrifice is insignificant when the aim is to win power in the state and oust the BJP,” wrote Siasat.
“This is something that all major parties need to understand. Given their influence in their constituencies, it would neither be wise nor prudent to ignore regional and local parties and, in doing so, gift power to the BJP,” it added.
The Congress and its allies must prioritise unity and send a clear message of solidarity. Given the political importance of Maharashtra and Jharkhand, all parties need to stay alert and prevent the BJP or its allies from gaining any advantage.
In its editorial on 11 October, Inquilab discussed the significance of the INDIA bloc partners in elections, highlighting the Congress’s inability to form a government in Haryana as a typical challenge of coalition politics. It highlighted how leaders like the Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav and AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal are pushing for more substantial roles after the Congress’s poor performance.
The editorial argued that political unity requires sacrifice among alliance members, warning that if the Congress is seen as a weak link rather than a strong leader, the coalition’s effectiveness against the BJP could be compromised. “To protect the unity of INDIA, the Congress must act as an elder brother, nurturing and supporting its allies,” wrote Inquilab.
On 10 October, Siasat’s editorial warned that the BJP, along with its troll army, may launch a misinformation campaign against Congress ahead of the elections in Jharkhand and Maharashtra. It said there was a need for the Congress to stay alert and actively counter false narratives, similar to Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to reshape his public image.
“To stop misinformation, Congress must expose those covertly working for the BJP and guide the public to make informed decisions,” Siasat said. The editorial also highlighted the importance of these elections for Bihar’s elections next year, urging the Congress to strengthen alliances, avoid unnecessary compromises, and swiftly expose any duplicity to maintain a clear stance.
“To stop misinformation, the Congress must expose those working covertly for the BJP and guide the public to make informed decisions,” wrote Siasat.
On 10 October, Inquilab’s editorial expressed “surprise” at the results of the Haryana elections, where many anticipated a Congress victory due to issues like unemployment and the farmers’ protests.
While the Congress performed well in Jat-dominated areas, the BJP was able to consolidate non-Jat votes through Hindu-Muslim polarisation, according to Inquilab. The editorial concluded that the Congress needs a new strategy for Maharashtra to regain its political standing.
On 9 October, Siasat’s editorial wrote about the rift between Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja affecting voter sentiment in Haryana, contributing to Congress being out of power for five years. Despite attempts by Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi to unite them, the division hurt the party, it said.
The editorial also criticised Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly aiding the BJP by creating voter confusion among voters. In Jammu and Kashmir, despite extensive efforts by the BJP, the party was rejected by the people. The Congress must now focus on maintaining unity in Maharashtra and Jharkhand to avoid further losses like those in Haryana, it said.
Iran’s confrontational stance
On 5 October, Inquilab’s editorial said Iran’s stance towards Israel was becoming increasingly confrontational, marking a shift from its previous restraint.
Highlighting Israel’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, it noted that the Iranian response had been measured despite the targeting of key leaders like Hamas’s Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah.
The editorial suggested that Israel’s aggressive tactics may have forced Iran’s hand, with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for Muslim unity against Israel’s actions and emphasising Iran’s right to self-defence.
Khamenei called upon all Muslim countries to unite, urged them to build a defensive line, and said that every country has the right to defend itself against aggression. It is difficult to say how Arab countries will reply to this appeal, but it is certain that the war in Gaza and the spectre of a larger regional war will stand in the way of them normalising ties with Israel, the editorial said.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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