Topic Of The Day:-“T.N. Elections: A Lot To Lose For Regional Players”
Tamil Nadu’s regional players are locked in a national battle
The electoral scene in Tamil Nadu presents a picture dramatically different from what it was five years ago. The most obvious difference is the absence of the two towering figures of the State’s recent political history, M. Karunanidhi of the DMK, and Jayalalithaa of the AIADMK. Both parties will miss the distinctive vote-catching capabilities of these leaders. The second is the return of national parties as key players in the Lok Sabha elections. The 2014 election took place when the two regional parties felt that an alliance with a national party would be a liability. The DMK, a partner in the UPA regimes of 2004 and 2009, walked out of the government in 2013, blaming the Congress for the dilution of a UN Human Rights Council resolution against Sri Lanka. It formed an alliance with minor parties, while the AIADMK, despite the personal rapport between the BJP’s then-prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Jayalalithaa, chose to go it alone. With the BJP winning a majority in the Lok Sabha, it required no help from Tamil Nadu to form the government. Though regional parties from the State played key roles in coalitions at the Centre since 1996, the 2014-19 period was a relatively weak phase for them. But now the 2019 contest for the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will be a regional variant of the national battle between Prime Minister Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, as the AIADMK is in the BJP fold and the DMK has tied up with the Congress. The outcome will reinforce the view that regional parties hold sway in Tamil Nadu, but it can potentially reveal the electorate’s national preference.
DMK leader M.K. Stalin was the first ally to endorse Mr. Gandhi’s claim to be the alternative to Mr. Modi, indicating a marked shift from five years ago. The AIADMK faces a double anti-incumbency factor. As the ruling party in the post-Jayalalithaa era, it is fighting off the impression of being a supplicant before the BJP. And issues on which the Modi regime suffers from a negative perception, such as NEET and demonetisation, may rub off on the regional ally too. Crucially, as many as 18 by-elections to the State Assembly are taking place alongside the Lok Sabha polls. Their outcome may have a bearing on the majority enjoyed by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami. The AIADMK is pinning its hopes on its traditional vote base holding firm. It appears to be strong on its own in the western region, and has tied up with the Pattali Makkal Katchi to improve its prospects in the northern districts. The AIADMK also faces a possible threat to its traditional vote base from T.T.V. Dhinakaran, who heads a splinter group. Mr. Dhinakaran’s and actor Kamal Haasan’s fledgling parties are separately in the fray, and whatever they garner will have to be at the expense of the two main parties. By all accounts, this may be the DMK’s election to lose.
WORDS AND MEANINGS:-
1) distinctive
Meaning : characteristic of one person or thing, and so serving to distinguish it from others(adj).
Synonyms : weird
Antonyms : normal
Example : “juniper berries give gin its distinctive flavour”
2) regimes
Meaning : a government, especially an authoritarian one.
Tamil Meaning :
Synonyms : reign
Example : “ideological opponents of the regime”
3) blaming
Meaning : feel or declare that (someone or something) is responsible for a fault or wrong.
Synonyms : charge
Antonyms : absolve
Example : “the inquiry blamed the train driver for the accident”
4) despite
Meaning : contemptuous treatment or behaviour; outrage.
Synonyms : against
Antonyms : spite
Example : “the despite done by him to the holy relics”
5) variant
Meaning : a form or version of something that differs in some respect from other forms of the same thing or from a standard.
Synonyms : derived
Antonyms : agreeing
Example : “clinically distinct variants of malaria”
6) reinforce
Meaning : strengthen or support (an object or substance), especially with additional material.
Synonyms : bolster
Antonyms : diminish
Example : “the helmet has been reinforced with a double layer of cork”
7) sway
Meaning : move or cause to move slowly or rhythmically backwards and forwards or from side to side.
Synonyms : authority
Antonyms : inability
Example : “he swayed slightly on his feet”
8) reveal
Meaning : make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others.
Synonyms : concede
Antonyms : conceal
Example : “Brenda was forced to reveal Robbie’s whereabouts”
9) endorse
Meaning : declare one’s public approval or support of.
Synonyms : approve
Antonyms : attack
Example : “the report was endorsed by the college”
10) impression
Meaning : an idea, feeling, or opinion about something or someone, especially one formed without conscious thought or on the basis of little evidence.
Synonyms : impact
Antonyms : beginning
Example : “his first impressions of Manchester were very positive”
11) intact
Meaning : not damaged or impaired in any way; complete.
Synonyms : unbroken
Antonyms : broken
Example : “the church was almost in ruins but its tower remained intact”
12) perception
Meaning : the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.
Synonyms : attention
Antonyms : ignorance
Example : “the normal limits to human perception”
13) garner
Meaning : gather or collect (something, especially information or approval).
Synonyms : reap
Antonyms : disperse
Example : “the police struggled to garner sufficient evidence”
)
