Daily Briefing: Polling kicks off in Tripura; 30% of poll bonds sold in Jan were in Kolkata; and more

Polling kicked off in Tripura, the first pitstop on the road to 2024, at 7 am today. The BJP-IPFT and CPI(M)-Congress alliances along with the TIPRA Motha are locked in a triangular contest, which looks poised for a tight finish. The BJP hopes to retain its power, which it wrested in 2018, and the once rivals CPI(M) and Congress are looking to recover lost turf.

However, it is the TIPRA Motha, led by erstwhile royal family scion Pradyot Debbarma, that can potentially hold the levers of power after votes are counted on March 2. Though Pradyot was once adamant behind the Greater Tipraland demand, closer to elections, his stance softened, saying he was essentially seeking a complete political separation of the areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTADC) which can be achieved even without any territorial slicing. Would the ‘king’ be the kingmaker in this election?

To follow live updates on Tripura polls, click here.

Only in the Express

Data obtained by The Indian Express shows that the State Bank of India sold electoral bonds worth Rs 308.76 crore in January, with about 30 per cent of sales at the Kolkata branch, in the run-up to the Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland polls. This time, the sale amount was less than half the total value sold during the Gujarat Assembly election campaign in November 2022.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Chhattisgarh BJP Chief and MP Arun Sao talks about the recent killings of BJP leaders by suspected Maoists. He calls it a “political conspiracy”: “The Congress is scared…why only leaders of the BJP? The ones targeted were actively carrying out BJP activities ahead of the elections. The reason behind the killings is to silence BJP workers in those districts.”

From the Front Page

Villages located along the country’s northern border are set to get a major facelift, with the Centre approving the allocation of Rs 4,800 crore for its Vibrant Villages Programme. The goal is to encourage people to stay in their native locations in border areas, even as the standoff with China continues. 

Since Assam began its crackdown on child marriages on February 3, 3,041 people, including 93 women, have been arrested. In many cases, the family members of the men accused of marrying minors are being arrested in their absence. Police said the relatives are being arrested for being “facilitators” of child marriages. To escape arrest, many of these family members are now in hiding.

Must Read 

Air India broke a new record this week when it placed two mega orders, adding up to a staggering 470 aircraft — for 250 planes with Europe’s Airbus consortium, and 220 with Boeing Co. of the United States. What is the significance of this mammoth order, estimated between $70 billion and $80 billion? We explain. 

In our opinion section today, Rajeswari Sengupta writes on why inflation continues to hurt despite the RBI’s best intentions: “Given that inflation is proving to be difficult to rein in, and that the 4 per cent target is not likely to be achieved next year either, releasing the report to especially highlight the remedial actions that the RBI plans to undertake might help stabilise inflation expectations, and facilitate the central bank’s own endeavour to fight inflation.”

And Finally

Sandeep Dwivedi writes: He was mocked. He wasn’t given his due. Even the praises were back-handed. Ravindra Jadeja fobs off the critics in his inimitable style 

🤫 Delhi Confidential: BJP MLA Varun Gandhi, who has just published a book on urban India and its issues — ‘The Indian Metropolis’ — is roping in like-minded Members of Parliament from different parties and regions to convince them about the need to resolve the crisis facing urban life.

🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we look at the problem with post-retirement jobs, how a NDRF rescue dog saved a 6 years old girl in Turkey, and a new ordinance to stop paper leak scams in Uttarakhand. 

Until tomorrow,
Rahel Philipose and Sonal Gupta