From the Urdu Press: ‘A Haryana loss will hit BJP in Maharashtra, Jharkhand’, ‘In Bilkis Bano case, Gujarat remains tone-deaf’

Referring to the rift within the Congress between its senior leaders and CM aspirants such as Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja, the daily says the BJP sought to tap into this by reaching out to Selja, but she rebuffed its attempt. “Selja made it clear that she would never leave the Congress as the party is part of her blood,” the edit notes. “The Congress leadership also swung into action to resolve differences within its state unit.”

The editorial says that the BJP too has also been reeling from rebellion. “Several BJP leaders have turned rebel after being denied tickets, with some of them still contesting as Independents. Some senior leaders quit the party to join the Congress,” it states. The BJP is more worried about the political ramifications of the Haryana poll results, the edit says. “If the BJP faces a setback in Haryana, it would have a bearing on the upcoming polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. That is why the party has pulled out all the stops to win the Haryana polls.”

INQUILAB

Stating that the Election Commission is going to announce the dates for the Maharashtra Assembly elections soon, the New Delhi edition of Inquilab, in its leader on September 25, writes that while it is not clear why the Maharashtra polls were not held along with the J&K and Haryana elections, the political situation on the ground in Maharashtra remains “unchanged”. “Going by the state of play, the incumbent Mahayuti comprising the BJP, CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP continues to face headwinds. Although it is clutching at straws by launching the Ladki Bahin Yojana (Rs 1,500 monthly stipend for women), even the ruling camp does not seem to be really hopeful that the scheme would yield electoral dividends,” the editorial says. “Two parties, the Sena and the NCP, were split vertically to stitch up the Mahayuti coalition. This might not have sent out a positive signal to the people. It seems to have even caused some resentment within the BJP, as the party also drew the ‘washing machine’ accusation in the process (the charge that leaders facing allegations of various kinds find cases against them stalled once they join the BJP).”

The daily writes that various reports are doing the rounds, indicating continued uncertainty and rumblings in the Mahayuti ranks. “Firstly, there is a buzz that the BJP and the Shinde Sena are looking to get rid of Ajit Pawar, believing that it may boost their run for the polls, even though the BJP has denied it,” the editorial states. “Secondly, the BJP continues to be indecisive about the role of its Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. The party leadership is still mulling whether Fadnavis should be allowed to spearhead the party campaign in the Maharashtra polls, or he should be shifted to its central government,” it says. Despite having been the CM earlier, Fadnavis was forced to become the deputy of Shinde when the latter joined hands with the BJP along with his faction after rebelling against the Udhav Thackeray-led Sena in 2022. “The question is how could Fadnavis be rewarded now, especially after the BJP suffered a blow in the Lok Sabha polls, with its tally plunging to just nine seats in the state as compared to 23 in the 2019 polls,” the edit says. “In this backdrop, the Maharashtra polls are going to be a riveting affair.”

QAUMI TANZEEM

Highlighting the Supreme Court order dismissing the Gujarat government plea seeking a review of the court’s January judgment quashing the remission granted to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, the Patna edition of Qaumi Tanzeem, in its editorial on October 1, writes: “Despite the apex court’s tough stand in this most heinous of the 2002 Gujarat riot cases, the Gujarat government has stuck to its tone-deaf stance and callousness.”

Bilkis Bano (Express File Photo)

The daily notes that the Gujarat government had sought a review of some of the top court’s comments in its January verdict against it, including that the state government “acted in tandem and was complicit” with an accused, who had moved the court. The accused was among the 11 men convicted of raping Bilkis Bano and killing her 14 family members. The 11 men were sentenced to life in the case, but the Gujarat government granted them remission on August 15, 2022.

“Although in its petition the Gujarat government sought a review stating that some of the apex court’s adverse remarks were unwarranted and caused prejudice to the state, the court dismissed it for being devoid of any merit,” the edit adds.