Delhi Confidential: Number Game

The New Delhi Assembly constituency, where former chief minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal is contesting, has the highest number of candidates for any segment in Delhi — 23. But there are fewer candidates for the seat this time as compared to the 2020 polls. Bypolls for two Assembly seats — Erode (East) in Tamil Nadu and Milkipur in Uttar Pradesh — are also happening on February 5. The Erode (East) fray has 46 contestants, more than what it saw in the 2021 polls. For the Milkipur seat, there are only 10 candidates.

Community Connect

With the BJP aiming at electoral gains in Delhi, where it has been out of power for 27 years, the party leadership has given senior leaders the responsibility of connecting with the communities they belong to. Gujjar leader and Rajya Sabha MP Surendra Singh Nagar, whom the party had earlier tasked with consolidating support within his community in Haryana and Rajasthan, is closely monitoring the BJP’s campaigning in areas such as South Delhi, Yamuna Park, Okhla and Kotla. The Gujjar community has become a solid support base for the BJP over the years. The party had given tickets to six Gujjar leaders in Haryana, four of whom had won.

Cremating The Dead

During the hearing in the Chhattisgarh pastor burial case in the Supreme Court, Justice B V Nagarathna said “cremation is one thing which has saved land in India”. She wondered what would have been the stress on land resources if everyone were to bury the dead, given the country’s burgeoning population. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state, backed her statement: “It (cremation) is the most eco-friendly way of disposal of the dead.” Justice Nagarathna said that after a few days of cremation, nothing remains and it all goes to the sea or rivers. “But with burials… imagine with the population rising,” she said.