With 190 constituencies having gone to polls in the first two phases, voting has concluded in about one-third of the total Lok Sabha constituencies. The Urdu dailies highlighted the dip in the turnout in the first and second phases, analysing the factors besides the rising mercury which might have dampened voters’ enthusiasm. They also tracked the shifting sands of the campaign narratives, underlining that the ruling BJP has now started fighting shy of its aggressive “400 paar” pitch. SIASAT Flagging a shift in the BJP’s campaign, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its editorial on April 24, says that the changing tone and tenor of all parties mirrors the prevailing situation - arrogant when wind is blowing in their favour, and a softened rhetoric when they sense public discontent. “The campaigns of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also seem to be undergoing a transformation. Ahead of the polls, they sounded triumphalist, fuelled by a fawning media, raising the slogan of ‘400 paar (beyond 400 seats)’. Their objective was to make an imprint on the public mind that the BJP’s spectacular victory was a foregone conclusion,” it writes. “However, they seem to have now realised that the situation may be different on the ground. That explains why the PM himself has started indulging in Hindu-Muslim politics in his campaigning. Themes like development and economic progress have been put aside. And fear is being whipped up that even women’s mangalsutras would not be spared if the Congress returns to the helm.” The daily notes that the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies have continued to claim that the intent of the BJP's “400 paar” target was “to change the Constitution”, thus threatening the reservation regime for the vulnerable and backward sections. “The Opposition’s campaign on these lines seem to have found resonance among people. The BJP’s ‘400 paar’ slogan was also unrealistic, with even party insiders calling it just a poll jumla (pitch). This has led to the BJP and even PM Modi dialling down their rhetoric on this target now,” the edit says. URDU TIMES The Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its leader on April 28, points out that the Lok Sabha polls seem to be losing their way. “In the elections, the real issues of public concern should be taken up and discussed, which include price rise, education, health, jobs, farmers’ problems, women safety, economic distress etc. It is unfortunate that these issues are not centre stage. They have been replaced by matters which are of no relevance to people’s lives,” the editorial says, charging that the BJP has played a key role in “derailing the poll discourse”. While the current polls should be centred on the last 10 years of the Modi government, the daily writes, “the BJP is not ready to talk about its government’s track record". "Instead, it is bent on spreading falsehoods about the Congress’s manifesto — such as the claim that the Congress will impose Sharia in the event of its victory, and that it will allow cow slaughter, or that it will distribute the majority community’s wealth among Muslims. This is a ploy to thwart any debate on the performance of its regime,” the editorial says. “Trapped in the BJP’s game, the Opposition is left responding to its charges to clear the air. Consequently, a huge issue like the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme is completely missing from the poll talking points.” The editorial says that one of the reasons for a dip in polling could be public exasperation over continued use of religion in seeking votes. “The Muslim community should not get distracted and exercise their franchise judiciously, which is their fundamental democratic right and duty.” SIASAT Commenting on the functioning of the Election Commission (EC), Siasat, in its April 29 editorial, notes the Opposition's allegations against it of being “partisan”. “These allegations have grown in recent days — that while the EC has allegedly turned a blind eye to violations of the Model Code of Conduct by the ruling BJP, it has been issuing notices to Opposition parties, hampering their campaigns,” it writes. The editorial points out that the EC issued a notice to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) over the use of the words “Jai Bhavani” in its theme song, which was released to promote the party’s new poll symbol of the “flaming torch”. “Refusing to delete these words, the Sena (UBT) has asked the EC to first act against the BJP for its use of religion in its campaign. The party also asked the EC whether different laws have now been made for different parties,” the edit states. Similarly, it adds, the AAP has accused the poll body of raising objections to its campaign song, “Jail ke jawab mein hum vote denge”, on the ground that it showed the BJP and Central agencies in a bad light. “Other Opposition parties have also made similar charges. They have maintained that despite multiple complaints lodged by them with the EC against the BJP, no action has been taken against the latter so far. These complaints included those lodged against PM Modi over his Rajasthan speech (where he mentioned Muslims while attacking the Congress),” the editorial says. The EC is an independent constitutional body, the daily writes. “The stability of the country’s democracy depends on the proper functioning of this key institution. In the face of such charges, the EC should, instead of maintaining silence, respond through its actions and measures,” the edit says. “The EC needs to work with full responsibility and impartiality so that no one can question the integrity of the poll process. It should act on the complaints of both the ruling side and the Opposition, if they are found to be valid.”
