Editorial : Five States

This round of polls has more than one thread; using them to spin a forecast for 2019 is risky
As five States go to the polls with just months left for the Lok Sabha election, the temptation(प्रलोभन/लोभ) to read the results as pointers will be great

. What makes the contest(चुनाव लड़ना/संघर्ष) in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan even more interesting is that these will witness a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress, the principal players at the national level. Whoever wins would have hurt the opponent(प्रतिद्वंद्वी/विरोधी) twice(दुगना/दो बार) over. Additionally(अधिकतर/के अतिरिक्त), the Congress is a big player in Telangana and Mizoram too, raising the stakes in this round further. Without a doubt, the results will have a bearing(असर/व्यवहार) on how the issues are framed and the campaign is run in 2019, not to speak of the effect on the morale of party functionaries(श्रमिकों) and workers. But it would be a mistake to ignore the particularities(विशेषताओं/लक्षण) of each State while reading the results as indicators(संकेतक/सूचक) of how 2019 will turn out to be. In the Lok Sabha election of 1999, for instance(उदाहरण के लिए,), Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan voted overwhelmingly(अत्यधिक रूप से) for the BJP after having elected the Congress in the Assembly elections just a year earlier. The BJP at that time cashed in on the widely held perception(अनुभूति/अनुभव) that the Vajpayee government was brought down unreasonably(अनुचित रूप से). In Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the BJP has been in power since 2003; Shivraj Singh Chouhan is completing 13 years as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, and Raman Singh 15 years in Chhattisgarh, and anti-incumbency(विरोधी लहर) will be a factor, more than in the Lok Sabha poll. But the Congress appears to have its best chance in Rajasthan, which chooses alternately(वैकल्पिक रूप से
/बारी-बारी से) . between it and the BJP.

Telangana is the new State added to this batch of elections as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao chose to recommend dissolution(विघटन/तोड़ना) of the Assembly almost nine months before its term was to end. Mr. Rao clearly wanted to uncouple the Assembly election from the Lok Sabha. There was no proximate(समीप/निकट) event that could have resulted in a surge(लहर उठना/वृद्धि /उमड़ना) of support for his government as was the case when N. Chandrababu Naidu tried to advance the Andhra Pradesh election after surviving(जीवित/अवशिष्ट) a landmine blast in 2003. Mizoram, where the contest has traditionally been between the Congress and regional formations, is unlikely to see a drastic(भीषण/कठोर) change although the Northeast is one of India’s most politically volatile areas and the BJP has encroached(अतिक्रमण/अनधिकार प्रवेश करना)upon the Congress space in parts of the region. The timing of the Election Commission’s announcement itself came under political scrutiny with the Congress alleging(आरोप लगा रही है/दलील देना) it was put off by hours to allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi to complete his speech at a rally in Ajmer. The Election Commission of India gave several reasons for the postponement(स्थगित/विलंबन), including a late request from Tamil Nadu to defer the election citing the monsoon. As one of the most important institutional(संस्थागत ) pillars(स्तंभ/आधार), the ECI will have to be above all suspicion(संदेह/संशय).

Important vocabulary

1.Temptation(प्रलोभन/लोभ)
Synonyms: allurement, appeal, attractiveness, bait, blandishment
Antonyms: dislike, hate, hatred, prevention, discouragement

2.Bearing(असर/व्यवहार)
Synonyms: demeanor, manner, address, air, aspect

3.Surge(लहर उठना/वृद्धि /उमड़ना
Synonyms: deluge, flood, flow, growth, outpouring
Antonyms: decline, decrease

4.Alternately(वैकल्पिक रूप से/बारी-बारी से
Synonyms: rather, alternately, alternative, as a substitute, in lieu

5.Perception(अनुभूति/अनुभव) 
Synonyms: approach, attention, attitude, awareness, concept
Antonyms: concrete, ignorance, stupidity, thing, unconsciousness

6.Dissolution(विघटन/तोड़ना)
Synonyms: disintegration, divorce, partition, detachment, disunion
Antonyms: connection, beginning, combination, commencement, construction

7.Drastic(भीषण/कठोर) 
Synonyms: dire, forceful, harsh, radical, desperate
Antonyms: nice, calm, collected, easy, mild

8.Encroached(अतिक्रमण/अनधिकार प्रवेश करना
Synonyms: horn in, impinge, infringe, intrude, trespass
Antonyms: give, ignore, keep off