From the Urdu Press: ‘Besieged Mamata rises for battle of her life’, ‘Raghav Chadha’s switch tarnishes his image’

Referring to the Bengal face-off, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its April 24 editorial, says the ring-wing groups closed their ranks against the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC to oust it from power from the day the election bugle was sounded. “The most formidable weapon used against Mamata in this election has been the Election Commission (EC)’s SIR, which led to lakhs of electors being deprived of their democratic right to vote,” it states. “The Bengal election is no longer just a political contest – instead, it has turned into a larger battle which the BJP-RSS want to win at any cost in order to fulfil their designs.”

The daily says the Bengal polls are being held amid an unprecedented situation. Over 2.4 lakh central security personnel have been deployed across the state, while hundreds of preventive arrests have been made on the eve of the polls. The I-PAC, which has handled the TMC’s campaign, has also reportedly halted its operations following the ED’s action against the political consultancy firm and its directors, the edit says. “Time will answer whether Mamata is again able to rise and prevail over her adversaries against all odds.”

Underlining the highest-ever voting in the Tamil Nadu elections, at 85.15%, and also in Bengal’s first phase, at about 92.9%, the editorial states that the Muslim-dominated districts like Murshidabad, which saw highest deletions during the SIR-adjudication, saw massive turnouts as “people responded to the plot against them through the power of ballots”. “While the TMC has been pushed to the back foot through moves aimed at upending Mamata’s poll machinery, Bengal’s politically-conscious voters have a history of countering the politics of coercion,” the edit says. “In this backdrop, the second phase of the polls is going to be a make-or-break battle for both the camps. It will test not only Mamata’s fighting spirit but also shape the BJP-RSS’ trajectory in Bengal.”

SIASAT

Commenting on the defection of seven of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, led by Raghav Chadha, to the BJP, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its April 25 editorial, says that while Chadha’s switch was not surprising he got two-thirds of the party’s strength in the Upper House — including MPs like Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal — for a “merger” with the BJP. “The AAP was anticipating Chadha’s move. It was not satisfied with the issues he was raising while refraining from attacking the BJP and PM Modi,” the editorial notes, adding that this crossover seems to be part of the BJP’s game plan for the elections in the AAP-ruled Punjab, where the BJP’s proposed alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has not made any headway.

The daily states that the AAP gave Chadha his “political identity”, harnessing his capacity and skills. While the other six defector MPs were also elevated by the AAP, Chadha owes his political innings and popularity squarely to the

Arvind Kejriwal-led party, it says. “Parties go through ups and downs, with their fortunes alternating between stints in government and Opposition. However, people have respect only for those leaders who remain true to their parties and stand by their ideologies. Chadha’s bid to build up his image of a serious politician has been undermined by his betrayal of the AAP. He is being seen as an opportunist who has preferred the BJP’s power corridors over a struggling party.”

The edit states that Chadha is aspiring to become the BJP’s face in Punjab ahead of the Assembly elections due in early 2027. “It would be an uphill task for the BJP to face the Punjab elections without a face. The party has now managed to wean away some state AAP leaders whose careers were built by taking on the BJP. These turncoats have staked their political future on the line by jumping onto the BJP’s bandwagon now,” it adds.

MUNSIF

Flagging the collapse of the 2006 Malegaon blasts case in the wake of the Bombay High Court’s verdict quashing a special court’s 2025 order to frame charges against the four remaining accused, the Hyderabad-based Munsif, in its April 25 editorial, says the ruling has led to no accused standing trial for the terror attack near Malegaon’s mosque-cemetery that killed 31 people. The development has left no one to answer for one of Maharashtra’s deadliest terror attacks even after 20 years during which the investigations were carried out by three different agencies from both the state government and the Centre.

The editorial points out that a special NIA court had earlier acquitted all seven accused (including former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit) in a separate 2008 Malegaon blast case, citing insufficient evidence. “The verdict in the 2006 Malegaon case has devastated the families of the victims. Their refrain is a question: How did their loved ones die if no one perpetrated the blasts?” it notes.

The daily writes that there could not be “biases and double standards” in the investigation and prosecution of terror cases as it would undermine the country’s criminal justice system. “If the accused in such cases acquitted by the courts belong to the minority community, the entire government machinery promptly moves higher courts to challenge it. The same yardstick must be applied to the two Malegaon cases as the affected families are hoping against hope that they would get justice some day,” it says, adding that justice must not be tainted by communal politics. It points out that the Constitution has ensured equal rights for all citizens regardless of religion, caste, gender, region or race. “These rights include the right to justice,” the edit notes. “It is no less than a tragedy that the institutions mandated to implement such constitutional provisions have failed to ensure it in various cases related to the Muslim community. This has shaken their trust in justice, triggering sentiments within the community that they have been reduced to second class citizens.”