NDA WINS BIHAR ELECTIONS: ALL RESULTS DECLARED

NDA - 125 (BJP -74, JD(U) - 43, HAM(S) - 4, VIP - 4)

Mahagathbandhan - 110 (RJD - 75, INC - 19, CPI ML - 12, CPI - 2, CPM - 2)

AIMIM 5

LJP 1

BSP 1

Independent 1

Vote percentages

RJD (23.11%)

BJP (19.46%)

JD (U) (15.39%)

INC (9.48%)

LJP (5.66%)

RLSP (1.77%)

NOTA (1.68%)

BSP (1.49%)

AIMIM (1.24%)

DEFYING EXIT POLLS, BJP-JD(U) ALLIANCE PIPS MAHAGATHBANDHAN

Defying most exit polls that predicted its rout, the BJP-JD(U) NDA alliance

has retained power in Bihar, with the BJP emerging as the dominant partner.

As the exigencies of Covid pushed counting late into the evening, the NDA

and the Opposition RJD-led Mahagathbandhan or Grand Alliance were headed for

a photo finish. Finally, NDA ended up with 125 seats against the Grand

Alliance’s 110 in the 243-member Assembly.

For the NDA, Nitish Kumar 4.0 still looks probable despite the JD(U)’s slide

to 43 seats, according to latest projections, but the big takeaway was the

BJP’s rise to become the largest party in the alliance with 74 seats — and

the role played by the LJP, which broke away from the alliance in the state

weeks before polls, in denting the JD(U).

Led by Chirag Paswan, following the death of his father Ram Vilas Paswan

days before polls, the LJP managed to win only one of the 137 seats it

contested — its worst performance since its inception in October 2000. But

its presence as a breakaway element, which put up candidates against the

JD(U) and not the BJP, heavily hit the JD(U)’s chances in about 75 seats.

Political observers in Bihar said the LJP has completed its “assignment” of

damaging the JD(U) and that Chirag Paswan’s political future “will now

depend on the BJP”.

Paswan was relentless in his attacks against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar

during the campaign, and did not let up even as votes were being counted

Tuesday. “I did not lose courage in difficult times. When it came to

contesting polls alone for the pride of Bihar, I did not get nervous. There

are some people who have to take help from three allies to remain in power

despite being in power for 15 years,” he posted on Twitter in Hindi.

The immediate question for the NDA is Nitish Kumar\s future as Chief

Minister. Sources in the JD(U) and BJP are sure that he will stay on — at

least for now.

JD (U) national spokesperson KC Tyagi said: “Our leader Nitish Kumar was

being dismissed after exit poll results but he proved yet again that good

governance is always a winning plank. Any Chief Minister can face a bit of

anti-incumbency after serving the state for three terms but Nitish Kumar

fought it successfully along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

NDA’s “social combination” outweighed a wave of anti-incumbency that the RJD

was banking on. On the ground, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav appeared to connect

well with voters through his 251 public meetings, drawing huge crowds and

sparking a buzz with his promise of 10 lakh jobs. But he faced the question

of what his party would bring to the table apart from its traditional

Muslim-Yadav pitch.

MEMBERS MUST RESPECT SOVEREIGNTY: MODI AT ONLINE SCO SUMMIT

With Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan PM Imran Khan listening,

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said all member-nations of the

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) should respect each other’s

sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Sharing a virtual platform with both Xi and Khan for the first time since

the India-China border standoff began in early May this year, Modi, while

talking about India’s participation in strengthening connectivity among

nations, said, “India believes that to enhance connectivity, it is important

that we move forward while respecting one another’s sovereignty and

territorial integrity.”

In a thinly-veiled reference to Pakistan, the Prime Minister also hit out at

those making repeated attempts to “unnecessarily” bring bilateral issues to

the SCO in violation of the grouping’s foundational principles.

“India has always been resolute in working in sync with principles laid out

in the SCO charter. But it is unfortunate that there have been repeated

efforts to unnecessarily bring bilateral issues in the SCO agenda, which is

in violation of the SCO spirit,” Modi said.

Chinese President Xi said SCO members should deepen mutual trust and resolve

disputes and differences through dialogue and consultations, while firmly

dealing with terrorist, separatist and extremist forces.

Xi, in remarks made in the backdrop of the over six-month-long border

standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh, said history has proved

and will continue to prove that good, neighbourly friendship will go beyond

a beggar-thy-neighbour approach, mutually beneficial cooperation will take

over the zero-sum game and multilateralism will prevail over unilateralism.

Countries of the SCO should “resolutely oppose external forces’ interfering

in their internal affairs under any pretext,” Xi said. This comes in the

backdrop of the Quad foreign ministers meeting that met in Tokyo last month,

with an eye on an aggressive Beijing in the Indo-Pacific region.

LAC SITUATION STABLE, HOPE FOR MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL AGREEMENT: ARMY CHIEF

Army Chief General MM Naravane Tuesday said that the situation along the LAC

in eastern Ladakh was “stable” and India and China are “ironing out

modalities” on how to move ahead.

Speaking at a conference in Delhi, the Army Chief said “the situation as of

now is quite stable”, “both sides are engaged in talks”.

Mentioning the eighth round of senior commander discussions that took place

on November 6, Naravane said that “they are ironing out the modalities of

how to proceed ahead within the overarching guidelines which had been

communicated post the interactions and the meetings between the respective

ministers”. “The process is on and we are very hopeful that we will be able

to reach an agreement which is mutually-acceptable and mutually-beneficial

in keeping with this overarching policy guideline which has been passed down

to both sides …”

Naravane Tuesday denied that there was any shortage of essential supplies

for the troops in the region. India and China have positioned around 50,000

troops each, along with additional artillery, tanks and air defence assets

in the region. In the absence of a breakthrough, both sides are ready for a

prolonged deployment of additional troops and assets through the brutal

winter.

Naravane said that “there is no shortage whatsoever of any kind” and

asserted that “all the troops are equipped with the latest equipment and

newest of clothing and weapons they require”. He said that “we cater for a

certain number of troops at any point of time,” but this year “the situation

which developed, required us to deploy additional troops and it is for these

additional troops that we had to go in for certain emergency procurements”.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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RUSSIA GETS ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO AGREE TO A PEACE DEAL

On Tuesday (November 10), Russia brokered a new peace deal between Armenia

and Azerbaijan, the two countries that have been in a military conflict for

over six weeks over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South

Caucasus.

During the course of the conflict, considered one of the most serious in

recent years, over 1200 have lost their lives as per the Nagorno-Karabakh

authorities, while thousands have been displaced.

The deal, which is meant to end the conflict between the two nations, was

signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani president Ilham

Aliyev and Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan. Since the conflict

started in September, multiple ceasefire agreements have been signed between

the two sides, but none so far have been successful.

As per the new peace deal, both sides will now maintain positions in the

areas that they currently hold, which will mean a significant gain for

Azerbaijan as it has reclaimed over 15-20 per cent of its lost territory

during the recent conflict.

Further, under this agreement, all military operations are suspended,

Russian peacekeepers will be deployed along the line of contact in

Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor that connects the region to

Armenia. These Russian peacekeepers with a force of roughly 2,000 will be

deployed in the area for a period of five years.

Refugees and internally displaced persons will return to the region and the

adjacent territories and the two sides will also exchange prisoners of wars

and bodies. Significantly, a new corridor will be opened from Nakhchivan to

Azerbaijan, which will be under Russian control.

WE WILL WIN!: TWEETS TRUMP

In what increasingly looks like a scorched earth policy, the defeated

president Donald Trump, supported by loyal Republican lawmakers and a

militant base, is piling on more lawsuits, firing dissenters, and lashing

out against the “lamestream” media, big tech, deep state and other perceived

enemies in an effort to reverse the results. “WE ARE MAKING BIG PROGRESS.

RESULTS START TO COME IN NEXT WEEK. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! WE WILL WIN!”

Trump tweeted in all caps on Tuesday, a week after Election Day, in a

surprising change from his claim that he had already won the election.

State courts have repeatedly rejected Trump’s effort to denigrate the

election process – by one count his side has lost ten cases in lower courts

and won none. But lawsuits continue to be filed to stall an orderly

succession.

The Trump team is staring down the setbacks and warnings and digging in,

raising fears that the confrontation could go out of hand. The Trump “army”

is reported to be booking hotel rooms in Washington DC in anticipation for

his inauguration for a second term.

In a public rebuke of the defeated presidency, Richard Pilger, director of

the Election Crimes Branch of the department of justice, submitted his

resignation on Monday after attorney general William Barr.

Trump has also accused his own government agency FDA and drug company Pfizer

of colluding with Democrats and delaying announcement of a Covid vaccine in

order to have him defeated.

THE REST

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IN BYPOLLS: BJP WINS BIG IN MP AS SCINDIA DELIVERS

As the vote count in Bihar progressed slowly late into Tuesday evening, the

BJP received a major boost in byelections held for Assembly seats elsewhere

across the country. It won 40 of the 59 Assembly seats that went to bypolls

In Madhya Pradesh, BJP won 19 of the 28 seats, which ensured that the

government of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is no longer under

threat.

BJP retained its dominance in Uttar Pradesh (won 6 out of 7 seats), Gujarat

(won 8 out of 8), and Karnataka (won 2 out of 2).

For the Congress, the only good news came from Chhattisgarh and Haryana,

where it won byelections to the Marwahi and Baroda seats respectively. The

Congress also won the Bermo seat in Jharkhand, while its ally Jharkhand

Mukti Morcha won in Dumka.

The results underlined the general trend of the ruling party of the state

having the upper hand in Assembly byelections. Baroda in Haryana, where the

election was necessitated by the death of the veteran Congress leader Sri

Krishan Hooda, was the exception.

The bitterly contested elections in Madhya Pradesh were brought on by the

exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Congress, who took with him 22 MLAs,

resulting in the fall of Kamal Nath’s 15-month-old government. All these

MLAs joined the BJP, and another three Congress MLAs left subsequently.

Three other seats in the House had fallen vacant after sitting MLAs died.

The BJP, which has 107 MLAs, needed to win 9 of the 28 seats that went to

polls in order to cross the halfway mark in the 230-member Assembly.

Scindia, who fought a prestige battle in the Gwalior-Chambal region,

delivered for the BJP, while the performance of the Congress – which won 9 –

was a loss of face for its senior leaders Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh.

The showing in Madhya Pradesh will enable Scindia to bargain hard ahead of

the reshuffle of the Narendra Modi ministry at the Centre.

AS ALWAYS, QUESTIONS RAISED OVER EVMs

After the ruling NDA took an initial lead from the grand alliance in poll

trends for Bihar, Congress leader Udit Raj on Tuesday raised questions on

the reliability of EVMs asking why they cannot be hacked if satellites can

be controlled from the earth, the Election Commission (EC) asserted on

Tuesday that the machines are “absolutely robust and tamper-free”.

“If the direction of satellites to Mars and Moon can be controlled from the

earth, then why can’t EVM be hacked,” Udit Raj said in a tweet in Hindi. “If

elections were held in America with EVMs, could Trump have lost,” he asked.

But another Congress leader, Karti Chidambaram, said the EVM system is

robust, accurate and dependable. “This has always been my view. I stand by

it. There have been doubters of the EVM from across political parties,

particularly when the results don’t go in their favour. Till now, no one has

demonstrated scientifically their claims. Whatever be the outcome of any

election, it’s time to stop blaming the EVM,” he tweeted.

THOSE CALLING US VOTE-CUTTER HAVE GOT ‘BEFITTING’ REPLY, SAYS OWAISI'S AIMIM

Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen, which was

given tags like ‘vote cutter’ and spoiler in the Bihar assembly polls, won

five seats on Tuesday and said its critics have got a befitting reply from

the people.

Ahead of the polling in the third phase of the polls, the Congress had

dubbed the AIMIM as the BJP’s “B-team” and had accused the party of

colluding with the BJP.

DIFFICULTIES WITH PFIZER COVID VACCINE

While Pfizer and BioNTech expect enough safety data by late November to seek

an emergency approval for their Covid-19 vaccine in the US, two obvious

limiting factors make a quick scale up and rollout difficult — the task of

ensuring each recipient gets two jabs exactly three weeks apart, and

arranging the cryogenic logistical distribution network.

Besides this, four other potential limiting factors emerge from the early

information released yesterday from their phase 3 human trials of the

vaccine: does it prevent infectiousness–analysts point to the possibility

that it could stop someone from getting Covid-19 symptoms, but not from

spreading it to others — and does it work well in high-risk groups like the

elderly?

Most importantly — how long does the immunity it provides last? While more

clarity on the vaccine would emerge as the late-stage trial progresses, this

question could potentially take months–even years–to answer.

Global stock markets reacted strongly to the interim data released by Pfizer

on Monday.

“Initially, our potential COVID-19 vaccine will need to be stored at

-75°C±15°C,” a Pfizer spokesperson told The Indian Express. This means

beefing up existing freezer capacities to hold millions of doses at

temperatures between -90°C to -60°C–something that, according to experts, no

country has really been prepared for.

ABETMENT TO SUICIDE CASE: SUPREME COURT TO TAKE UP ARNAB BAIL PLEA TODAY

The Supreme Court will today take up a plea by Republic TV editor-in-chief

Arnab Goswami challenging the Bombay High Court order denying him bail in an

abetment to suicide case.

The matter will be considered by a vacation bench of Justices D Y

Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee. The apex court is currently on Diwali

recess.

On November 9, the HC bench of Justices S S Shinde and M S Karnik had denied

bail to Goswami. The HC gave him liberty to move the sessions court for bail

under Section 439 of CrPC and directed the sessions court to dispose of the

matter in four days, if filed.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Dushyant Dave on

Tuesday protested the “urgent” listing of Goswami’s petition before the

two-judge bench on Wednesday.

In a letter to the secretary general of SC, he termed it “extraordinary”,

accused the court’s pegistry of “selective listing of cases” and claimed

that the likes of Goswami are getting “special treatment while ordinary

Indians are made to suffer, including Imprisonment, which are many times

illegal and unauthorised”.

TRYING TO RESOLVE ISSUE HOLDING UP VIJAY MALLYA’S EXTRADITION TO INDIA: UK

The UK on Tuesday said Vijay Mallya cannot be extradited to India till the

resolution of a confidential legal matter and that it is trying to resolve

the issue as quickly as possible.

In May, the fugitive businessman lost his appeals in the British Supreme

Court against his extradition to India to face money laundering and fraud

charges.

“There is a further legal issue that needs resolving before we would be in a

position to extradite Mallya. It is a legal case. So it is difficult for me

to comment substantially on it,” acting high commissioner of the UK Jan

Thompson said.

She was replying to a question on the issue at an online media briefing.

“The extradition cannot take place until that particular legal issue is

resolved. It is a confidential issue. I cannot say anymore on it. Nor can I

estimate how long it will take to be resolved. We are trying to resolve the

issue as quickly as we can,” Thompson said.

MUMBAI INDIAN BRUSH ASIDE DELHI CAPITALS TO LIFT 5TH IPL TITLE

A peerless Rohit Sharma led defending champions Mumbai Indians to an

unparalleled fifth IPL title in Dubai yesterday, dismantling Delhi Capitals

in the summit clash with his famously elegant batting and tactical

shrewdness.

If last year's one-run win over Chennai Super Kings was an absolute

cliffhanger, Rohit's aristocratic 68 off 51 balls made it an anti-climax

with Mumbai Indians chasing the target of 157 in 18.4 overs.

Five IPL titles are certain to make Rohit the undisputed 'Numero Uno'

player-cum-leader in the IPL Universe.

Delhi Capital won the toss and elected to bat first. At 22 for 3, they were

going for another capitulation before Iyer and Pant steadied the ship with a

96-run stand that had some great shots in it. But in the end, it will be a

mere footnote on a day that belonged to one and only 'Captain Marvel' Rohit

Sharma.

INDICATORS

Sensex 42.278 (+680), Nifty 12,631 (+170), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)

82625.68

Nasdaq 11,553 (-160) Dow 29,420 (+262), S&P 3,545 (-6)

US$-Rs. 74.09 GBP-Rs. 97.97, Euro-Rs. 87.55, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.16, Can$-Rs.

56.91, Aus$- Rs. 53.92

GBP 0.75 /US$, Euro 0.84 /US$, Jap.Yen 105.18 /US$, Aus$ 1.37 /US$, Sing

1.34 /US$, Bang Taka 83.29 /US$, Can$ 1.30 /US$, Mal Ring 4.11 /US$,

Pak Re 158.75 /US$, Phil Peso 48.31 /US$, Russian Rouble 76.43 /US$, NZ$

1.46 /US$, Thai Baht 30.36 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 28.12 /US$, Norway NOK 9.02

/US$

Bitcoin - USD 15,409

Dollar Index 92.64 Brent Crude 43.95 BDI 1,207

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,881 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,072 / 4,972

Silver (Rs. Per KG) 61,000

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder. –

Rumi

OFF TRACK

I think the pilot on my last flight was pretty new to his job. I base that

on his pre-flight announcement, “We're going to be taking off in a few...

Whoa, here we go!”