A SAFFRON CROWN NITISH KUMAR
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PAKISTAN: IMRAN ASSAM: HIMANTA BENGAL: THE
LOSING PACE STRAINING AT THE LEASH HINDU VOTE TRICK
www.indiatoday.in NOVEMBER 23, 2020 `75
REGISTERED NO. DL(ND)-11/6068/2018-20; U(C)-88/2018-20; FARIDABAD/05/2020-22 LICENSED TO POST WITHOUT PREPAYMENT
RNI NO. 28587/75
NITISH KUMAR
A SAFFRON CROWN
THE NDA COALITION WINS THE BIHAR POLL BUT THE BJP,
WHICH WON FAR MORE SEATS THAN THE CM’S PARTY, IS
LIKELY TO BE THE REAL POWER BEHIND THE THRONE
FROM THE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
W
hen we put Prime Minister Narendra Modi old when father Lalu first became chief minister in 1990. In
and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the cover the final weeks before the polls, Tejashwi commandeered
of the magazine three weeks ago, with the his father’s party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), waged a
headline ‘A Winning Combination’, it seemed tenacious political campaign that sidestepped his family’s
like the Bihar elections would be a cakewalk for the NDA. troubled history and focused instead on the aspirations of the
A Lokniti-CSDS poll predicted a comfortable majority and state’s youth bulge. His efforts have not gone unrewarded—the
given this formidable alliance of leaders—one with national RJD remains the state’s single largest party and Tejashwi has
charisma and the other with powerful local salience—facing emerged as a leader of the present and future.
a relative newcomer, the 31-year-old dynast Tejashwi Yadav
and his hastily assembled allies, the result seemed a foregone
conclusion. But as former British prime minister Harold
Wilson famously said, “One week is a long time in politics”.
he directionless Congress, meanwhile, continues its drift
into the widening gap between its promise and perfor-
mance. It dealt the MGB a fatal blow by winning just 19 of
T
Three weeks, of course, would then be an age. the 70 seats it contested. Keeping Hyderabad MP Asaduddin
So it was in the recent Bihar elections. After a shaky Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) out
start, Tejashwi emerged as a serious contender. He ditched of the MGB was another costly mistake, splitting the Muslim
the dubious legacy of this father, Lalu Yadav, and took up the vote. The AIMIM grabbed five valuable seats. All sides will
issue of unemployment, which hit a nerve with the young. closely study these changed ground realities and new actors
In the end, he brought the Bihar elections to a nail-biting for the assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
finish, closer than any seen in recent years. Yet, ultimately, and Assam next year.
political math prevailed. The formations that made the right Our cover story, ‘Saffron Crown’, written by Senior Ass-
set of pre-poll alliances coasted past the finish line with a ociate Editor Amitabh Srivastava, analyses the results of
simple majority. these elections and looks at the road ahead for the
There are several takeaways from this elec- government in Patna. Nitish Kumar has to walk the
oc
DRONES: THE NEW AIADMK: AMMA’S BEST B-SCHOOLS
tion. It has established that Prime Minister talk on issues of unemployment and development AIR WARS
www indiatoday in
AMBITIOUS HEIRS OF INDIA
november 2 2020 `75
Modi’s charisma remains undiminished by the raised by Tejashwi in one of India’s poorest, least
reg stered no dl(nd -11/6068/2018-20 U(c 88 2018 20 Ar dABAd/05/2020 22 l censed to post w thoUt prepAyment
Covid pandemic and economic downturn. It is industrialised states. He has to meet the aspirations
also a verdict on the success of central schemes, of the 16.7 million young people in his state who are
such as Jan Dhan, PM Ujjwala Yojana, PM between 18 and 29 years old. He has to deliver on his
Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana and the distri- pre-poll promises of skill development, healthcare,
bution of five kilos of foodgrains and a kilo of promoting entrepreneurship among women, provid-
rn no 28587 75
pulses every month to poor families through the A WINNING COMBINATION
ing irrigation facilities to farms and waiving student bihar assembly polls
pandemic. The increase in the turnout of wom- loans. The state’s per capita income had gone up A LokNiti-CSDS Survey giveS tHe NDA A viCtory, witH
MoDi’S popuLArity NeutrALiSiNg tHe uNDerCurreNt
of ANti-iNCuMbeNCy AgAiNSt NitiSH kuMAr
en apparently worked to the BJP’s advantage as from Rs 30,617 in 2018-19 to Rs 43,000 in 2019-
November 2, 2020
they credited Modi for all these schemes. 20. But it is still less than half the national average.
The BJP has emerged as a major force in Nitish Kumar will have to focus on the services and
Bihar—with many more seats than its ally—although the manufacturing sectors to provide jobs and boost incomes.
chief minister will be from the Janata Dal (United) for now. The November 10 verdict has also sown the seeds of poten-
The BJP cannot form a government without Nitish Kumar’s tial conflict. Nitish Kumar faces significant challenges in the
party, and to his credit, he has pulled off a record seventh next five years as chief minister. With a three-seat majority,
stint as the state chief minister. But his party lost seats and the NDA will need to depend for its survival on fickle allies
vote share to anti-incumbency and the challenge from a like the Vikassheel Insaan Party and the Hindustani Awam
former ally, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). Morcha (Secular), which have four seats each. Nitish Kumar
Also, the JD(U) vote got transferred to BJP candidates but will have to deal with the looming shadow of a Big Brother-
the favour was not returned. like BJP, now the state’s second largest party. While the BJP
These were the first Bihar elections in recent years in will support Nitish Kumar’s candidature for chief minister,
which issues like development and employment proved as there is likely to be a significant reset in the equation. The BJP
significant as the state’s powerful caste equations. Bihar’s is unlikely to be content with just 10 cabinet berths out of 33
young voters, who have never known a non-Nitish Kumar as it was in the last government. A larger number of berths
government, voted in large numbers for the opposition. It is could increase their say in the government. Nitish Kumar,
imperative for Nitish Kumar to expand his party beyond his ever conscious of his secular image, had always reined in the
traditional support base, the women and extremely back- forces of Hindutva in Bihar. How this will play out against the
ward classes. He also has to build the missing second rung ambitions of a resurgent BJP, looking to become the state’s
of leadership in his party which, like many other regional predominant party, remains to be seen.
parties, has become a one-person show; otherwise, it will
disintegrate on his departure.
The challenger, Mahagathbandhan (MGB) alliance
head Tejashwi, came within a whisker of becoming India’s
youngest ever state chief minister. Tejashwi was four months (Aroon Purie)
NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0 INDIA TODAY 3
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A SAFFRON CROWN
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Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will have to contend with the BJP’s
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UPFRONT
FARM LAWS: THE LAY OF THE
PUNJAB UPS THE LAND IN KASHMIR
ANTE PG 10 PG14
MIRACLE DRUG?
The Pfizer and
BioNTech’s mRNA
vaccine could usher
in an exciting era in
vaccine technology
REUTERS
C OV I D VAC C I N E
NOT A SILVER BULLET
By Sonali Acharjee
O
n November 10, even as the 2-8 degrees Celsius. The Pfizer vaccine being developed by Moderna, which is
world enthused over the pos- BNT162, however, needs to be stored based on similar technology, does not
sible introduction of a Covid at minus 70 degrees Celsius or below to need to be stored at such low tempera-
vaccine courtesy US drug last up to six months. In standard fridg- tures. Interestingly, the government’s
major Pfizer and BioNTech, whose es, it has a lifespan of five days. current blueprint for vaccine distribu-
mRNA-based vaccine had logged For developing nations, setting up tion involves schools and anganwadi
90 per cent efficacy in Phase 3 trials, infrastructure for extreme cold chain centres as vaccination points, neither of
many smaller players in India’s chal- storage will be a major challenge. which will have anything beyond every-
lenged health ecosystem wondered if Facilities without appropriate freezers day refrigerators.
they could ever be a part of the rollout will have two options: i) store them in There are also fears of a shortfall
of this vaccine in India. Why? Because regular fridges and use all 975 doses in of syringes to administer the vaccine.
most small hospitals—and some larger each container in less than five days; ii) Unicef, the world’s largest buyer of vac-
public hospitals too—usually have restock them with ice and open them cines, has already announced that it
cold chain facilities for vaccine storage less frequently to increase the effective will stockpile 520 million syringes in
capable of maintaining temperatures of lifespan of the vaccines. The vaccine its warehouses, as part of its larger plan
NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0 INDIA TODAY 5
UPFRONT While many
developed countries
of 1 billion syringes by 2021, to guaran-
have firm bookings Committee (DMC) from the Phase 3
tee initial supply. “Ensuring equitable for their share of the clinical study. This first interim analysis
distribution of any vaccine in India will Pfizer vaccine, India evaluated 94 confirmed cases of COVID-
require investment and fair pricing. 19 in participants without prior SARS-
Everybody is going to want it, but in the
does not yet have a
CoV-2 infection between 16 to 85 years
rush people shouldn’t get left out,” says production and/ or of age. As established in the protocol, we
Malini Aisola, co-convenor of the All marketing deal in will continue the study until we accrue
India Drug Action Network. Earlier this place. Some of the at least 164 cases and conduct the final
year, unregulated prices for Covid tests analysis. Submission for Emergency
meant that many ended up paying 3x the
biggest orders have Use Authorization (EUA) to the U.S.
current standard Rs 2,400 charged for been placed by: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is
the RT-PCR test in various parts of the planned for soon after the required safety
country. Health activists fear a repetition milestone is achieved, which is currently
of this very scenario, where only those UNITED STATES expected to occur in the third week of
who can afford the vaccine will have easy
access to it. But quite apart from the 600mn doses November,” adds the spokesperson.
If all goes well, the BNT162 could
challenges involved in an equitable dis- (agreed in July) usher in a new and exciting era of vaccine
tribution of BNT162 in developing coun- technology. The mRNA vaccine is novel
tries such as India, there is the larger because it does not contain the actual
EUROPEAN UNION
problem of securing enough supplies of virus in a weakened or altered form like
the vaccine.
300mn doses other vaccines. Instead, it consists of an
mRNA strand that codes for a disease-
I
(agreed November)
n July, the UK had signed an agree- specific antigen. Once the strand is inside
ment with Pfizer for 90 million the body’s cells, the cells use the genetic
doses of its vaccine. Of these, follow- JAPAN information in the strand to produce
120mn doses
ing results of the vaccine, the UK has the antigen themselves. This antigen is
ordered 40 million doses—enough to then recognised by the immune system,
vaccinate a third of its population—as which produces antibodies in response,
(agreed July)
soon as the vaccine receives final approv- and is thereby primed to respond when it
als. The US and Canada too had signed encounters the real virus.
deals with Pfizer in July—for 600 million UNITED KINGDOM The Pfizer vaccine would need two
and 20 million doses, respectively. While
Indian companies have an agreement for 90mn doses doses in order to be effective. According
to the spokesperson, “Since no viral vec-
the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, whose (agreed July) tor is used, mRNA vaccines pose no risk
results are still awaited, there is no clarity of an anti-vector neutralising antibody
on how many doses of the BNT162 India response, thereby permitting repeated
can hope to receive this year. Activists for AUSTRALIA boosting, which may be important if
equitable distribution of vaccines have
been concerned over the huge orders 50mn doses additional vaccinations are recommend-
ed in the future.” The mRNA technology
placed for the vaccine by the developed (agreed November) enables rapid development if the vaccine
world and how it could potentially leave needs to quickly adapt to potential muta-
the developing world with a limited tions. It also has an efficient and rapid
CANADA
stock. According to a Pfizer spokesper- production process, without the need for
son, “Based on current projections, Pfizer
expects to produce up to 50 million vac-
20mn doses complex mammalian cell systems like
other RNA or DNA vaccines. “It is a new
cine doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion (agreed August) technology but it will make production
doses in 2021. If our vaccine candidate is of vaccines much more streamlined, and
successful, Pfizer will allocate the avail- fast,” says Dr Shahid Jameel of the DBT/
able doses across the countries where we It is not clear how many Wellcome Trust India Alliance. As of
have fully executed supply agreements.” now, no major side effects of the technol-
For now, however, the vaccine still
doses, if any at all, of ogy have been observed during the trials.
has a few more steps to clear before it can the Pfizer BNT162 So, while there is cause for cheer,
be ready for production. “The current vaccine India can hope the rollout challenges for BNT162, both
results are based on the first and only in terms of global supply and national
interim efficacy analysis conducted by an
to get this year distribution, are a certain damper on
external, independent Data Monitoring enthusiasm in India. n
6 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0
Illustration by SIDDHANT JUMDE UPFRONT
NEW SHERIFF
IN TOWN
W hen Bollywood stars have
nightmares these days, they
are about the Narcotics Control
Bureau (NCB), or more specifi-
cally, its zonal director, Sameer
Wankhede. Under Wankhede,
the NCB seems to have become
hyper-active in Mumbai in recent
months, raiding the film fraternity
to ferret out a possible Bollywood
drug nexus. Never mind that his own
wife, Kranti Redekar, is a leading
actor in the Marathi film industry.
An IRS officer of the 2008 batch,
Wankhede shot into the limelight a
few years ago for nabbing top movie
GL ASSHOUSE
stars tip-toeing through Mumbai’s
green channel with goods they
MAKE PEACE, should have paid duty for. Earlier,
as an Intelligence Bureau officer,
NOT WAR FILM he had made a name for himself for
undercover operations.
I
t was a worthy enough cause. To make a film on the India-China skirmish in
Galwan Valley on June 15. Twenty Indian soldiers, including commanding officer
Colonel Santosh Babu, and an undetermined number of People’s Liberation
Army soldiers were killed in the clash. Except that the Indian Army denied
permission to the project announced by actor-producer Ajay Devgn. Government
officials say it had to do with the sketchy proposal they received from Devgn’s
office. But the real reasons lie elsewhere. With the government keen to dial down
tensions with Beijing—a ninth round of military talks with the PLA are set to begin
soon in Ladakh—a Bollywood war film is the last thing you need.
Fare Play ANI
THE GOOD DOC
B oth the BJP and the Trinamool
Congress are lavishing attention on
a tribal family in Bankura in West Bengal
M aharashtra opposition leader
Devendra Fadnavis discovered
a Nagpur connection during his
at whose house Amit Shah stopped 10-day stay at Mumbai’s state-
for some traditional fare on November 5. run St George Hospital for Covid
The BJP has promised to fly an ailing dia- treatment. It turns out the hospital
betic child in the family to AIIMS in Delhi dean, Dr Akash Khobragade, is from
for treatment. The TMC has promised Fadnavis’s assembly constituency,
to get another boy enrolled in a nursing Nagpur Southwest. Fadnavis made
course. A member of a tribal household in it a point to get photographed with
Naxalbari, where Shah dined in 2017, was Dr Khobragade and his team before
given a government job this year. It pays to being discharged on November 7.
have the home minister dine in your home. Never too early to secure a vote.
—Sandeep Unnithan with Romita Datta and Kiran D. Tare
UPFRONT
FA R M L AW S
PUNJAB
UPS THE
ANTE
CHANDRADEEP KUMAR
By Anilesh S. Mahajan
CAPITAL PROTEST Amarinder Singh
at the November 4 dharna in New Delhi
O
n October 20, the Punjab blocking highways and railway tracks crisis. Its five thermal power plants—
assembly passed four bills, and laid siege to power plants, petrol two owned by the state and three by
moved by the Amarinder bunks, malls and much else. Punjab is private players—have a combined
Singh-led Congress govern- in a gridlock. capacity of about 5,680 MW per day.
ment to counter the provisions—and With railway tracks and stations While two private plants ran out of coal
their supposed adverse impact on taken over by protesters, the move- supplies and shut down on October
farmers—of the three new farm laws ment of goods has been crippled. 1, the other plants exhausted their
passed in Parliament a month earlier. According to Railway Board CEO V.K. critical stockpiles in the first week of
The fourth bill, to amend the Code of Yadav, protesters have taken control of, November. Punjab has a daily power
Civil Procedure (CPC), seeks to grant or are camping close to, two stretches demand of about 7,500 MW in the cur-
farmers the right to take their griev- of track and 22 railway stations. The rent season, of which only 1,200 MW
ances to civil courts. Railways are firm that freight and pas- can be met through renewable sources.
The legislative activism—later senger trains cannot resume opera- While the BJP accuses Amarinder
mimicked by the Congress-ruled gov- tions until the protesters are evicted of covertly backing the farmer protests,
ernment in Rajasthan too—has set from these sites—and with the Punjab the Centre, in an apparent retaliatory
the Amarinder Singh government on and Haryana High Court pulling up move, has refused to disburse Rs 1,100
a collision course with the BJP-ruled the state government for its inability to crore owed to Punjab as rural develop-
Union government, and is now really restore law and order, pressure is now ment fund (RDF) on the procurement
getting in the way of life and business building on the government. of paddy during the kharif season.
in the state. To become laws, however, The railways estimate revenue (Punjab receives RDF at the rate of 3
the new state bills need Punjab gover- losses of about Rs 500 crore whereas per cent of MSP (Minimum Support
nor V.P. Badnore’s assent, and chances industry lobby groups in the state Price) on procurement of wheat and
are that he will refer them upward to claim daily business losses to the tune paddy by the Food Corporation of
President Ram Nath Kovind, given of Rs 1,500 crore. With trains not run- India.) The Piyush Goyal-led Union
that the bills fall foul of the recently ning, Punjab is not getting supplies of ministry of consumer affairs, food and
promulgated central laws. coal or fertiliser. Goods manufactured public distribution has held back these
The legislative battle aside, the in the state—woollens, auto parts, payments, demanding that Punjab
unrelenting farmer protests in the hand tools etc.—meant for supply first produce the ‘utilisation certificate’
state have consequences the Punjab to other parts of the country and for for RDF funds released last season.
chief minister must worry about. Since international exports are stuck. His fiscal challenges aside, farmer
late September, protesters have been Punjab is also staring at a power organisations seem unconvinced that
10 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0A LEGAL CENTRE’S POSITION: For
disputes, farmers and corporates
QUAGMIRE can approach the ‘consolation
board’, headed by the sub-divi-
sional magistrate, with the collec-
CENTRE’S POSITION: tor as the appellate authority.
Procurement on MSP basis
from APMC markets to continue. PUNJAB’S AMENDMENTS:
Aadmi Party (AAP). These groups have
The new laws offer farmers an Farmers can move civil courts to
seek redress of grievances. argued that similar laws introduced
alternative to sell produce outside by Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are
APMCs at higher rates. FARMERS’ DEMANDS: Special
tribunals or courts should be set more effective since they have turned
PUNJAB’S AMENDMENTS: the entire state into a unified APMC
Paddy and wheat purchases up for farmers, on the lines of
consumer protection forums. market. “Rather than enter into a con-
from farmers below the MSP
made a criminal offence. frontation over the central farm laws,
CENTRE’S POSITION: Farmers Punjab should have effected changes
FARMERS’ DEMANDS: The bar
on purchases below MSP should can choose where to sell their on the lines of the Chhattisgarh Krishi
extend to other crops as well. produce—the local APMC market or Upaj Mandi (Amendment) Bill, which
anywhere in the country. declared the entire state a single mar-
PUNJAB’S AMENDMENTS: Entry ket for agriculture produce,” says
CENTRE’S POSITION: States
of produce from other states SAD chief Sukhbir Badal. The farmer
cannot levy tax on transactions
restricted. groups are scheduled to meet Union
outside APMC markets.
FARMERS’ DEMANDS: MSP agriculture minister Narendra Singh
PUNJAB’S AMENDMENTS: The
procurement preference should be Tomar and Goyal on November 13 to
state retains the power to levy a
given to local farmers. Farmers do try and break the stalemate.
fee on trade in agricultural produce
not mind opening up of the APMC
outside APMCs.
market for surplus produce.
T
FARMERS’ DEMANDS: While fee/ he Punjab BJP, which has drawn
tax is a Centre-state issue, the the farmers’ ire, has been trying to
CENTRE’S POSITION: The
entire state should be declared cash in on the protests by mobilis-
Centre can regulate supply of
a single APMC market. Markets ing the support of business houses and
items such as cereals, pulses,
should be located closer to farms.
potato, onion and edible oilseeds factories that have suffered losses due to
only during extraordinary circum- the agitation. That is another constitu-
stances like war, famine, unbridled ency Amarinder needs to reach out to
inflation and natural calamities.
for damage control. While looking to
PUNJAB’S AMENDMENTS: win farmers’ hearts with his counter-
The state’s right to impose stock
bills, he must also contain the economic
limits during extraordinary
circumstances restored.
fallout of their agitation.
Adding to Amarinder’s worries,
FARMERS’ DEMANDS:
Infrastructure should be
in end-October, the Enforcement
developed and farmers provided Directorate (ED) summoned his
cheaper access to storage. son Raninder Singh under FEMA
(Foreign Exchange Management Act)
in a 2016 case of alleged transfer of
funds to Switzerland and the creation
of Jacaranda Trust and a few subsid-
iaries in the British Virgin Islands.
Amarinder has questioned the timing
of the summons.
He has exchanged letters with BJP
the state’s recent legal interventions will had come under the umbrella of the All president J.P. Nadda and Goyal on the
work to their advantage. For instance, India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination situation in Punjab due to the suspen-
the government has made sale/purchase Committee to spearhead protests sion of trains. On November 4, he took
of wheat and paddy below the MSP a against the central farm laws. The part in a protest in Delhi. The next day,
criminal offence, inviting a minimum committee included eight factions of eight Congress Lok Sabha MPs from
sentence of three years in jail besides the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Punjab, led by his wife Preneet Kaur,
fines. But farmer groups say the two and even the RSS-affiliated Bharatiya met railways minister Goyal, who told
crops are already being procured by the Kisan Sangh. Gradually, the agitation them that trains could move only after
FCI at MSP and what will really help is was taken over by other farmer groups, the Punjab government vouched for the
to extend the punitive sanctions to all BKU factions backed by Left organ- safety of railway assets, staff and passen-
crops grown in the state. isations and groups supported by the gers. The coming weeks are crucial for
Initially, 31 farmer outfits in Punjab Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Amarinder Singh and Punjab. n
NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0 INDIA TODAY 11UPFRONT
M A D H YA P R A D E S H
THREE
MORE
YEARS
By Rahul Noronha
ANI
T
he BJP’s emphatic win in taking 10 of the 12 seats. The Congress geographically close to Bhopal. The
the byelections to 28 seats did well in a handful of areas—win- gaddari leitmotif found no takers out-
in Madhya Pradesh has ning four of the seven seats in Morena side Gwalior-Chambal—the two seats
smoothed the way for the saf- and Bhind districts, two of three seats that the Congress won in this area were
fron party’s rule in the state for the next in Gwalior and one of two in Shivpuri. those that had fallen vacant after the
three years. The party won 19 of the 28 The party’s poll plank—campaign- deaths of the incumbent MLAs.
seats that went to the polls, more than ing against the gaddari (disloyalty) Many ask if the Congress’ poor
every survey, official or unofficial, had of the defecting MLAs—did not find performance came from a poor poll
predicted, and more than what the BJP much resonance in other areas. Just plank. Hindsight suggests this may be
itself had projected. On the other hand, three of the 14 ex-Congress MLAs who so, but the results also reflect the stiff
the Congress fared worse than surveys had been given ministerial berths in opposition it faced—both the psycho-
predicted, falling far short of its far- the Shivraj Singh Chouhan govern- logical advantage a ruling party has
fetched hope of returning to power, ment after defecting to the BJP—Adal in a byelection as well as the organ-
winning just nine seats. Between these Singh Kansana, Imarti Devi and Girraj isational might of the BJP. While the
over- and under-achievements lies the Dandotiya—lost their elections. The Congress, for a change, ran a slick
story of MP’s biggest byelections in BJP’s strength was visible even in the campaign, there is no replacement for
recent times, necessitated by the defec- GC region: it won the Ashok Nagar, a strong on-ground presence, which
tion of 25 Congress MLAs to the BJP Bamori and Mungaoli seats, which are it lacked. Secondly, the gaddari pitch
since March this year. was compromised by the fact that the
Regionwise, the byelections could Congress itself gave tickets to nearly
broadly be seen as taking place in THE BJP WON 19 OF half a dozen BJP defectors (one of
two areas—MP’s Gwalior-Chambal THE 28 SEATS THAT whom, Satish Sikarwar, won). Another
(GC) region, where 16 of the 28 seats WENT TO THE POLLS; area in which the BJP outperformed
are located, and the rest of the state. the Congress was in ensuring that
The BJP did moderately well in the
THE CONGRESS the party remained more important
GC region, taking nine of the 16 seats WON JUST NINE than the leaders—many expected that
there, and spectacularly outside it, entrenched BJP leaders would damage
12 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0BETTER THAN EXPECTED other states, faces a budget crunch as
MP chief minister Shivraj Singh a result of the economic downturn
Chouhan (centre) and BJP state
resulting from the pandemic and the
president V.D. Sharma (right) cel-
ebrate the win in the byelection
resulting lower revenue collections.
When it comes to Jyotiraditya
Scindia, election watchers say the
the prospects of Congress defectors results will see him past the initial
who had joined the saffron party. coordination issues he faced with his
However, as the results in Sanchi, new party. Though the BJP did lose
Haatpipalya, Badnawar and Gwalior seats in the Gwalior-Chambal region,
show, this was not the case. four Scindia loyalists from elsewhere
in the state—Tulsi Silawat, Prabhuram
T
he results have major conse- Choudhary, Govind Singh Rajput and
quences for the principal players Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaon—won
involved. In the BJP, it is chief their elections by massive margins.
minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Accepted wisdom is that Scindia was
new leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who en route to an appointment as a Union
will benefit the most. Chouhan’s politi- minister, and the results of these
cal career was given a second lease of life bypolls should expedite that matter.
in March, when the BJP appointed him What will be a point of interest going
as chief minister of the state, despite forward is how his politics evolves, now
there being other strong personalities that he is firmly ensconced in his new
in the reckoning, like Narottam Mishra, party—the BJP has a reputation for
Narendra Singh Tomar and Kailash privileging party over personality (with
Vijayvargiya. Some argue that the main honourable exceptions, of course), and
reason for this choice was that the how Scindia and his loyalists adapt to
BJP, looking ahead to the byelections, this will be carefully watched.
realised that it would need a tried-and- Congress leaders will have to reck-
BYPOLL 2020 tested name with a pan-MP appeal. on with the results too. Kamal Nath,
RESULTS In this, Chouhan has proved himself, who is both PCC (Pradesh Congress
consolidating his position in the state Committee) president and the leader of
19 9 and with the party’s central leadership. the opposition, will have to make some
BJP Cong. However, he shares credit for the victory hard choices. However, the party still
with Union minister Narendra Singh has substantial numbers in the assem-
Tomar, who is said to have been central bly, more than enough for it to play the
to winning the Ambah and Joura seats, role of a viable opposition. More impor-
40.5% both of which are in Morena district, tantly, there will likely be a demand for
Seats
49.5 %
Cong. Total seats his Lok Sabha constituency. The byelec- a generational shift within the party’s
BJP tions were also the first test for newly
Vote 28 state unit; whether Nath gives in to this
share appointed BJP state president V.D. or finds a way for the old guard to retain
Others 4.25% 5.75% BSP Sharma, who is from that district. its authority remains to be seen.
Chouhan now has to deliver on The party would also do well to
ASSEMBLY BREAKDOWN the promises made in the run-up to focus on rebuilding its presence at
AFTER BYPOLLS the elections. To counter the Congress’ the grassroots, in the villages where
‘disloyalty’ charge, the saffron party in it once thrived. Congress leaders had
Total
strength 230 turn alleged that it was the Congress recently made much of the fact that
2 that had played gaddari with the the elections were announced on a
BSP state’s voters by letting them down on Tuesday (September 29), as were vot-
126 96 1 the development front. To hammer ing and counting slated for Tuesdays
BJP SP this home, the BJP announced new (November 3 and 10), which would
Congress projects worth lakhs of crores, includ- work in favour of Hanuman bhakt
4 ing the Chambal expressway. However, Kamal Nath (Tuesdays are an auspi-
Ind.
actually breaking ground on these cious day for devotees of Hanuman).
1 projects will be an uphill task, to say That fond hope was belied, but will the
Graphic by TANMOY CHAKRABORTY Vacant the least—Madhya Pradesh, like most Congress see the light? n
NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0 INDIA TODAY 13UPFRONT
JA MMU & K ASHMIR
The New Lay of the
Land in Kashmir By Moazum Mohammad in Srinagar
O
n November 7, the People’s
Alliance for Gupkar, a com-
ing together of seven main-
stream political parties in
Jammu and Kashmir, announced that
they would jointly contest the District
Development Council (DDC) elections,
scheduled from November 28. It’s an
unprecedented decision by political
parties often bitterly opposed to each
other, now making common cause in
an attempt to resist the Centre’s plan to
script a political future for J&K that will
further undermine their role in it.
The DDC elections come 15 months
after the abrogation of Article 370 and
the bifurcation of the state of J&K into
two Union territories on August 5, 2019.
The last elections held were the pan-
chayat and urban body polls in 2018 UNITED WE
which the National Conference (NC) STAND NC chief
and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)— Farooq Abdullah,
PDP’s Mehbooba
the main politcal players in the erstwhile Mufti and other
state—boycotted, effectively handing leaders at a
the BJP a walkover. This helped the Gupkar meeting in
BJP wrest control of the local gover- Srinagar, Oct. 24
nance system in the Valley, where it had
never won any poll of significance. The
Gupkar Alliance leaders want to make existed on August 4, 2019, but that does use their respective party symbols,” says
sure they don’t make the same mistake not bar us from participating in an exer- the 84-year-old former J&K chief min-
again. The 20 DDCs, each led by a chair- cise in public interest.” ister and MP.
person (who may be vested with junior The decision was not easy. Multiple The BJP has announced candidates
minister status), will have a five-year factors, especially how the move would for the polls, but many in the party are
term and appear designed to curtail the go across in Kashmir, was a concern. sceptical about their prospects now. A
powers of elected representatives of any But almost everyone they consulted state unit leader says even without the
future legislative assembly in J&K. was of the opinion that they should NC-PDP and others jumping into the
“The sudden announcement of the not cede unopposed space to the BJP. fray, the people would have baulked at
polls revealed their plans. They want to There were other issues too. NC presi- voting given the public antipathy over
cut us off from the people but we won’t dent and Gupkar Alliance chief Farooq recent policies like the new land laws.
allow it,” says Gupkar alliance signatory Abdullah says they could not get a com- “Even my children will be affected by
and senior CPI(M) leader Mohammad mon election symbol as elections had this,” says a BJP office-bearer pleading
Yousuf Tarigami. “Our agenda is the res- been announced all on a sudden. “We anonymity. “I can’t understand what
toration of the constitutional position as will field joint candidates and they will they (the leadership) are up to.”
14 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0WHAT IS THE
One of the major poll issues is like- ROSHNI ACT? Kansal insists the “new land laws will
ly to be the order issued by the Union not only afford protection to over 90
home ministry on October 26—the J&K State Land Act (vest- per cent of the land in J&K but will also
Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir ing of ownership of land to revamp the agriculture sector, foster
Reorganisation Fifth Order, 2020— occupants) was promulgat- rapid industrialisation and create jobs in
repealing 11 land laws and opening up ed by the Farooq Abdullah J&K”. Kansal says the old laws had scope
government in 2001. It was
land and property ownership in the UT to for discretionary interpretation and rent
to generate a Rs 25,000
all Indian citizens. Earlier, only Permanent seeking. J&K lieutenant governor Manoj
crore corpus to fund
Resident Certificate holders or state sub- power generation, Sinha also clarified that agricultural land
jects defined by a law introduced by Dogra hence the ‘Roshni Act’ has been reserved for farmers. “No outsid-
king Maharaja Hari Singh in 1927 were er will come on those lands,” he says. “But
entitled to buy and own movable and Initially, the act set 1990 we have also defined industrial areas…we
immovable property. The same state sub- as the cut-off year for want industries to come to J&K so that it
ject law was replicated in the Constitution regularising private develops and jobs are generated.”
(Article 35A) through a presidential order ownership of state
T
in 1954, which allowed the J&K legislature land occupied through he Gupkar alliance, though, rejects
to define ‘permanent residents’. encroachment, on these assurances. The real objec-
payment of prevailing
The new land laws have created disqui- tive, they say, is to effect a “demo-
market rates. The cut-off
et in not just the Valley but in Jammu too. graphic change that will only disempower
date was later relaxed to
This is quite evident on the streets as well as 2004, and then 2007 the local population”. Tarigami points out
on social media. Soon after they were intro- that the BJP is only targeting J&K while
duced, protests broke out in Jammu while In 2014, the CAG found there are exclusive land rights laws in
a call of the Hurriyat Conference shut down gross irregularities in Himachal Pradesh and the Northeast too.
the Valley on October 31. Hurriyat leader the sale of land includ “We will approach the courts and every
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is still under ing reduction in prices other forum to repulse these pressures
house arrest, broke his silence for the first to benefit politicians from the Government of India,” he says.
time since August 5, 2019 and called for the and other bigwigs. Report Before the new land laws came into
indicted officials but no
strike against the “anti-people orders”. being, the J&K High Court, on October
further action was taken
Initially, when Parliament ‘fully integr- 9, struck down the J&K State Land Act
ated’ J&K last year, Jammu played a big (vesting of ownership to occupants) 2001,
WASEEM ANDRABI/ GETTY IMAGES
In 2014, Ankur Sharma,
role in the bid to legitimise the decision. who heads Hindu right-wing commonly known as the Roshni Act. It
There were celebrations in many parts, group Ikjutt Jammu, declared the act “unconstitutional” and
denoting an end to what they felt was the challenged the Roshni ordered a CBI probe into the wrongdo-
Valley’s ‘dominance’ in the administra- scheme in court, blaming ings in implementation. All land allot-
tion and politics. But gradually realisa- it for a “demographic inva- ments under the act were declared “void
tion dawned that the new state of affairs sion of Jammu” ab initio from its very inception” (see
was diluting their Dogra identity, leaving What is the Roshni Act?).
them more vulnerable to outside influx. In October 2020, the J&K The BJP has also introduced a com-
high court declared the
“Hamara itihaas khatam kar diya (Our munal angle to it, saying the “land jehad”
act unconstitutional and
history has been destroyed),” says Sunil ordered a CBI probe into
was aimed at changing the demography
Dimple, a Jammu resident and president wrongdoing. All land all of Jammu. Senior BJP leader and former
of ‘Mission Statehood’. He is garnering otments/ ownerships deputy CM Kavinder Gupta even saw a
support for restoration of statehood and vested under the act Pakistan hand in it. But Jammu-based
special status. Dimple now regrets that were declared void lawyer Sheikh Shakeel Ahmad, who
Jammu stood with the BJP and brought filed the original petition in the high
them to power in the 2014 assembly elec- The government said it court challenging the encroachment on
tion (25 seats) and 2019 Lok Sabha elec- would evict the “encroach- state land, calls it a false narrative. To
tion. “The new law is like an advertisement ers” in six months, trigger- cite an example, he says 44,915 kanals
ing speculation that
to bring people from outside. Like the East (1 kanal=550 sq. ft approx.) of land were
the huge land bank—
India Company looted India, they (the regularised in Jammu district under the
348,160 kanals were
BJP) have opened the doors of J&K to big transferred over the Roshni scheme; only 1,180 kanals were
business houses,” he says. “They don’t want years—created through distributed among non-Hindus. “They
the people, they want the land.” this attachment of are running a narrative that is factu-
The J&K government, however, dis- property would be sold ally incorrect,” says Sheikh. “This is just
agrees. Government spokesperson Rohit to outsiders meant for the elections.” n
NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0 INDIA TODAY 15COVER STORY
ASSEMBLY POLL
UNEASY
TRIUMPH It’s not the jubilant return six-time
CM Nitish Kumar might have hoped for.
Big brother BJP is likely to be the real
power behind the throne
BY AMITABH SRIVASTAVA
N
itish Kumar should be a happy man. He proved
wrong scores of opinion polls which had predicted
that he would be swept away by the perceptible under-
current of anti-incumbency. The results of the hard
fought Bihar assembly election showed that the Nat-
ional Democratic Alliance (NDA) headed by Nitish
secured a slender majority, thwarting a determined
challenge by the mahagathbandhan (MGB) led by
young Tejashwi Yadav, the son of his old political rival
Lalu Prasad Yadav. It ensured that Nitish would be
sworn in for a fourth consecutive term as chief minis-
ter of Bihar (all in all, the seventh time).
Yet, hours after the victory, barring a thank you tweet to voters from the official handle of his party, the
Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), there was silence from Nitish about the outcome of the elections. This was
strange, given that his alliance partners, particularly the BJP, were making a big show of celebrating the
victory. Indications were that Nitish was unhappy with his own party’s performance, apart from his grouse
16 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0BIG BROTHER
CM Nitish Kumar
AFTAB ALAM SIDDIQUI
speaks at a rally
in Sasaram with
PM Modi’s picture
looming behindCOVER STORY
ASSEMBLY POLL
THEN
AND NOW e 178
The 2020 results nc
almost upended the lli a
at the way the BJP had handled some key 27
71 Cong.
a
ND
three-side contest
nd
issues during the campaign. It seems Nitish
A5
JD(U)
G ra
wanted to lay down the ground rules for his theory, that an alli- 80 53
8
seventh stint before agreeing to be sworn ance of any two will RJD BJP
in as chief minister of a new NDA govern- sweep past the third 2015
ment. LJP 2; RLSP 2; HAM 1 Others 7
BJP, THE BADA BHAI
There are plenty of reasons for Nitish to be
troubled about the outcome. For one, his
125
NDA
Total
Seats 243 Seats
to win 122 110
MGB
party’s tally has dropped from the 71 seats
4 VI P 4
it won in 2015 to 43 (a loss of 28 seats) HAM
while ally BJP is up from 53 to 74 (a 21-
seat gain), which makes the national party
the senior partner in the new government. 43
Election 2020 has seen the emergence of
the BJP as a dominant force in the assem-
JD(U) 75
RJD
19
bly polls, garnering 19.5 per cent of the
total vote, much higher than the JD(U) 74 Cong.
with 15.4 per cent. Tejashwi’s Rashtriya BJP 16 Left
Janata Dal (RJD), with 23.1 per cent, was 2020
the only party to garner more votes. So, AIMIM 5; LJP 1; BSP 1 Indepe de t 1
in effect, Nitish will be wearing a saffron
crown that would sit uneasily on his head.
The JD(U) chief has been part of coalition
governments in the past, but he’s always POLITICAL
run it on his own terms. He will be wary of
the BJP taking a ‘Bada Bhai’ (big brother)
approach in the governance stakes.
OVERTAKE
Seat tallies of the JD(U)
The second major concern is that the
and BJP have changed
new government is dependent on two
in the past 15 years or
unreliable partners–the Hindustani Awam
so, but clearly the
Morcha (Secular) or HAM(S) headed by
saffron party is the big
former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi
and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) led
brother now in the NDA
by the mercurial Mukesh Sahani. Both par-
ties secured four seats each which helped
115 BJP
push the NDA past the halfway mark of JD(U)
122 in the 243-seat assembly. Both have
switched sides at will in the past and will 88 Lok Sabha seats won
71 74 22
most likely seek more than their pound of
flesh to continue the support. 91 20 17
Apart from these troublesome allies, 55
Nitish is also upset at the way the BJP has
retained the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) as 5 53 1
its alliance partner at the Centre despite 6 12
its president, Chirag Paswan, playing
7
Legislative 4
spoilsport in the assembly election and Assembly seats won
continuing his diatribes against him. 2005 2005 2010 2015 2020 2004 2009 2014 2019
While the LJP won only one seat of the Feb. Oct.
135 it contested, it is said to have damaged
Source: Election Commission of India
18 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0 Graphics by TANMOY CHAKRABORY; Illustrations by SIDDHANT JUMDESO CLOSE, YET...
RJD leader Tejashwi
at an election rally in
Digha, Nov. 1
SANTOSH KUMAR/HINDUSTAN TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES
TEJASHWI, WHO WAS ONCE NITISH’S in Purnia district on November 5,
Nitish, with folded hands, addressed
DEPUTY CM, HAS COME INTO HIS the women in the crowd: “Ab dekhiye,
bahno ko ham kahenge, aap hi ke liye
OWN THIS ELECTION, PROVING TO BE to sabse jyada kaam kiya hai , toh
A CHARISMATIC LEADER WITH WIDE aapse agrah hai, parso subah pahle
vote de dijiyega (Sisters, I have worked
SUPPORT AMONG THE YOUTH for you the most, so please do go and
vote)”. And then he declared that this
was also his last election, ending with
“Ant bhala to sab bhala (All’s well that
ends well)”.
the prospects of the JD(U) in as many about his business as chief minister.
as 36 seats. Even after the results, Chi- Tejashwi, who was once Nitish’s deputy WHY THE NDA WON
rag made it clear that he would never CM before the latter dumped the RJD The appeal to women was well-timed
support Nitish in the state. The latter to ally with the BJP in 2017, has come for, as the results showed, it looks like
is said to have sent word to BJP leaders into his own this election, proving to be it was their support that propelled the
to end the duality over the LJP if they a charismatic leader with widespread Nitish-led NDA to power. Election fig-
wanted the NDA to run smoothly in support among the youth in the state. ures reveal that 65.5 per cent voters in
the state. the final phase were women, massively
B
Nitish will also have to contend ut the real worry for Nitish outnumbering the 54.9 per cent male
with a resurgent Tejashwi as the Opp- will be to keep his flock of voters. Overall, 59.7 per cent women
osition leader. With the RJD emerging 43 legislators intact. For he voted in Bihar against 54.7 per cent
as the single largest party in the state made a political faux pas by men. Nitish has always had the female
with 75 seats (the MGB bagged 110 in announcing on the last day voter in his focus, and hence the vari-
all), Nitish will have to deal with a unit- of campaigning that this would be his ous schemes for them, including dis-
ed, strong and vocal opposition both in last election. It took his supporters by tribution of bicycles to girls and 50 per
the assembly and outside it as he goes surprise when, at a rally in Dhamdaha cent reservation of panchayat posts.
NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0 INDIA TODAY 19ANI
COVER STORY 1 2
ASSEMBLY POLL
WHY THE BIT
PLAYERS
MATTER
The NDA government depends on
eight MLAs from the VIP and HAM(S)
parties. How the small parties have
come good this election
5
1. JITAN RAM 2019. Returned to the with the CPI(ML) win MLAs could prove cru
MANJHI Nitish camp in August ning 12 seats and the cial role in the future
Former Bihar chief CPI and CPI(M) two
2. CHIRAG 5. MUKESH
minister and Dalit seats each
PASWAN SAHANI
SANTOSH KUMAR/HINDUSTAN TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES)
leader Jitan Ram
Though the LJP won 4. ASADUDDIN The selfdescribed
Manjhi rebelled against
just one seat, it still OWAISI ‘Son of Mallah’ started
Nitish Kumar after be
bagged close to 2.4 mil His party, the AIMIM, his political journey by
ing removed from the
lion votes. Also cut the bagged five assembly backing the BJP in the
post. Sacked by the
JD(U)’s chances in seats in Bihar’s Seem 2015 assembly poll.
JD(U), he formed the
close to 36 seats anchal area. In addition The Vikassheel Insaan
Hindustani Awam
to this, the AIMIM also Party (VIP) made its
Morcha (Secular) or 3. CONGRESS AND
got 523,000plus electoral debut in the
HAM(S) in 2015, con LEFT PARTIES
votes and is said to 2019 Lok Sabha poll,
tested the assembly Once part of the big
have hurt the RJDled but returned a blank.
polls as a BJP ally be boys, the Congress
grand alliance in what Joined the NDA in Oct
fore shifting to the RJD has been reduced to
was considered a ober. The VIP won 4
camp for an unsucc 19 MLAs now. The Left
stronghold. His five seats but Sahani lost
essful Lok Sabha run in has seen a resurgence
Even the imposition of prohibition Minister Narendra Modi’s blitzkrieg contributed to the party’s reduced tally.
was for their benefit. Opinion polls campaign in the second and third “In a state with 39.3 million internet
also showed that the prime minister’s phase of the campaign that pulled the users and 62.1 million mobile phones,
schemes like Ujjwala (free gas connec- alliance back from the brink. The PM’s the JD(U) had a lacklustre social me-
tions), Swachh Bharat (free toilets) and popularity remains extremely high dia presence, whereas the opposition
the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan and his strong backing of Nitish at all RJD used it aggressively to bolster its
Anna Yojana (free grain scheme) which his public meetings created a narrative reach. Besides, those tasked to boost
is being extended till the Chhath Puja, of the “double engine”—NDA govern- the JD(U)’s campaign and strengthen
Bihar’s big festival, have had a big ments in Bihar and at the Centre— Brand Nitish were ineffective,” says a
impact. which ultimately helped Nitish retain senior BJP leader.
Along with women voters, what power. A senior JD(U) leader, however,
seems to have worked for Nitish is the admitted that too much reliance on the THE FUTURE THREATS
goodwill earned on his past gover- TINA factor, complacency, overdepen- By making the announcement that this
nance record and the continuing alli- dence on the goodwill for Nitish and was his last election, Nitish has created
ance with the BJP. In fact, it was Prime dismissal of Tejashwi as a non-entity uncertainty among partymen about
20 INDIA TODAY NOV E M BE R 2 3 , 2 02 0SONU KISHAN ANI
3
departure the party would become a
non-entity. It would be in Tejashwi’s
interest to woo disgruntled JD(U)
MLAs and engineer a split in the party,
enabling him to come to power in the
state. Nitish will have to be on the
lookout constantly, for the threat is as
much from ally BJP as the RJD.
Yet, it is not as if Nitish isn’t holding
a few cards of his own. Despite having
the upper hand, the BJP is aware that
it cannot push Nitish beyond a point.
Sources close to the chief minister told
india today that Nitish has always
been a politician in firm control of his
image and the curtailed tally of seats is
unlikely to change his approach. “You
need to see a person’s track record and
4 behavior patterns to gauge how he is go-
ing to do the job at hand. Nitish left the
RJD alliance instead of defending the
sullied image of Lalu’s family. He did
not allow the BJP to flex its Hindutva
muscle on the question of NRC. Now
that the man himself has admitted
that this will be his last tenure, it will
be foolish to expect that he will take
pressure beyond a point. And the BJP
knows it well,” says the source.
JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan,
meanwhile, says that the “vote tallies
should not be viewed separately, as
the 125 seats won were to ensure the
continuation of Nitish Kumar as CM”.
Nitish had also created a rainbow coali-
tion of castes including the EBC and
ANI caste neutral constituencies like women
which enabled the NDA to retain power.
Though the results have left him with
a diminished strength in the assembly,
NITISH WILL the JD(U)’s future. The party, like the
RJD, is a breakaway faction of the
the JD(U) can take solace in the fact
that its vote tally is intact (and has even
HAVE TO BE ON original Janata Dal; the former taking marginally increased, up to 6.48 mil-
shape in 1999 and the latter in 1997. lion votes in comparison to 6.41 million
THE LOOKOUT Both are wedded to socialist ideals but in 2015). The BJP’s share is down to 8.2
CONSTANTLY, FOR the differences between Lalu Prasad
and Nitish ensured that they have
million from 9.3 million votes whereas
the RJD registered a phenomenal rise,
THE THREAT TO only once joined hands—in the 2015 up from 7 million to 9.7 million.
HIS FLOCK IS AS assembly election to ensure the BJP
did not come to power. Nitish has not THE TEJASHWI CHARGE
MUCH FROM ALLY named a successor but he is assisted The BJP’s performance may have been
BJP AS THE RJD by senior JD(U) leaders like Ashok
Choudhary, Sanjay Jha, Bijendra
impressive this election, but it’s Teja-
shwi who has stunned both supporters
Prasad Yadav and Shrawan Kumar. and opponents winning 75 assembly
The fear in the JD(U) is that after his seats for his party. The young leader led
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