Delhi election 2020: 5 seats where AAP, BJP gave each other tough fight

From Bijwasan to Patparganj, these constituencies saw the smallest gaps between the vote shares of the winner and the runner-up.

Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday won the Delhi elections, reducing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress to eight and eight and zero seats in the 70-member Assembly

The largest margin of victory was in Burari where AAP's Sanjeev Jha secured 139,598 votes. Janata Dal (United) candidate Shailendra Kumar was the runners up with 51,440 votes, trailing Jha by 88,000 votes.

The smallest victory margin was also secured by an AAP candidate. Bhupinder Singh Joon retained the seat for his party with 57,271 votes, defeating a close second Sat Prakash Rana (BJP) ticket and secured 56,518 votes a difference of just 753 votes. AAP won in 5 of the constituencies in which the victory margin was the lowest.

ALSO READ: Delhi election 2020: Top 5 seats where AAP got its most comprehensive wins

In terms of vote share, while the AAP saw a marginal decline from 54.34 per cent to 53.57 per cent, the BJP’s share rose by 6 percentage points from 32.19 per cent to 38.46 per cent. The Congress’ vote share, meanwhile, plumbed further to 4.34 per cent from 9.65 per cent in 2015.

Business Standard takes a look at the five constituencies where the difference in vote share of the winning candidate and their nearest rival was the lowest:

1. Bijwasan Assembly Constituency

Winner: Bhupinder Singh Joon (AAP)

Winner’s vote share: 45.83 per cent

Runner-up: Sat Prakash Rana (BJP)

Runner-up’s vote share: 45.22 per cent

Defeat margin: 753 votes

Difference: 0.60 percentage points

Delhi: AAP kept its nerve even as BJP breathed fire in the campaign

AAP seems to be cruising to victory in Delhi, the result of not getting diverted by BJP's campaign.

Early trends suggest that the Aam Admi Party is set to get a second term in Delhi and Arvind Kejriwal a third shot as the chief minister. It began as a comfortable cruise for the AAP, turned into a closer contest with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a bounce back for the AAP.

At the time of writing AAP was projected to win 55 of the 70 seats while the BJP was placed at a distant second with leads in just 15 seats. The Congress seemed unlikely to open its account for the second consecutive time since 2015. However, the spike in the BJP's vote share to a little over 40 percent as of now suggested that a chunk of the Congress votes might have shifted to AAP.

However, the surprise element was that Manish Sisodia, Kejriwal's man for all seasons and reasons, was trailing in his constituency, Patparganj in East Delhi. Sisodia was perceived as the Delhi government's mover and shaker and the author of its far-reaching education and health reforms. The shock reversal of Sisodia's fortunes has been attributed to a statement he made in the penultimate phase of electioneering that was construed as his support to the Shaheen Bagh protests, contrary to the official line that directed that the AAP's stand must be neutral.

However, Sisodia's reversal is a side story to an election in which the AAP fought back every inch of the way against the BJP's formidable organisational machinery and a feverish campaign, that bordered on the vicious, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home minister Amit Shah, with "stars" like Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, deployed to accentuate the "faith" divide in the aftermath of the agitation against the Centre's citizenship package.

Delhi Election 2020

Kerala takes Citizenship Act to Supreme Court, first state to do so

In a suit filed in the apex court, the Kerala government has sought to declare that the CAA 2019 is violative of Article 14.

Kerala on Tuesday challenged the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Supreme Court, becoming the first state to do so as nationwide protest against the controversial law continue.

Kerala’s petition’s requests the court to declare CAA as illegal for violating of the Constitution’s Article 131, which empowers the Supreme Court to hear disputes between government of India and one or more states, Hindustan Times reported.

It says that the CAA violates right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution of India, right to life under Article 21 and freedom to practise religion under Article 25.

Kerala’s Left Democratic Front government has strongly opposed CAA, passing a resolution against it in the Assembly and criticizing the law in front-page advertisements of at least three national dailies.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, an ally of the BJP, has spoken against CAA, joining Madhya Pradesh’s Kamal Nath, West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee and Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren in opposing the law.

CAA aims to fast-track citizenship for persecuted Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who arrived in India before Dec. 31, 2014, from Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The passing of the bill on December 11 triggered widespread demonstrations in the Assam, as protesters feared it would convert thousands of illegal migrants from neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh into legal residents.

Elsewhere in India, protesters say the citizenship law will be followed by the national register, which they fear is designed by the BJP-led government to expel Muslims who do not have sufficient citizenship documentation.

The government has refuted those allegations and vowed to protect all citizens equally.

Why did you not waive off farmer loans when in power? Shiv Sena asks BJP

Without naming the BJP, it said one can provoke people by playing politics of sentiments, but he/she needs courage to take a decision in the interest of farmers.

Hailing the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government for declaring loan waiver of up to Rs two lakh for farmers, the Shiv Sena on Monday hit out at the BJP for seeking to write off debts fully and asked why it did not address the issue when it was in power.

In a veiled attack on the BJP-led central government, the Shiv Sena, in its party mouthpiece 'Saamana', noted that the Thackeray government took the decision of farm loan waiver at a time when the country is "burning" over the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Without naming the BJP, it said one can provoke people by playing politics of sentiments, but he/she needs courage to take a decision in the interest of farmers.

The Maharashtra government on Saturday announced a loan waiver of up to Rs two lakh for farmers, with a cut off date of September 30, 2019.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray made the announcement in the Legislative Assembly on the last day of the state legislature's winter session in Nagpur.

The BJP staged a walkout seeking full loan waiver.

"The chief minister announced the decision at a time when the country is burning over the issue of the citizenship law. One can provoke people playing politics of sentiments, but needs spunk to take a decision in the interest of farmers," the Shiv Sena said in sarcastic remarks.

This is the first step of the new government towards writing off farmers' debts completely, the Marathi daily said.

It said the demand for full farm loan waiver was made by Sena president Thackeray himself during the tenure of the previous Devendra Fadnavis-led government.

The Fadnavis government could have also given full loan waiver, but it did not do so then and is now seeking writing off debts completely when the BJP is in opposition, the Shiv Sena observed.

"You are not appreciating the government's decision to write off farmers' loans of upto Rs two lakh, but questioning whether full loan waiver has been extended. You were in power in Maharashtra for five years. Why did not you give it then? You should tell this first," it said.

Business Standard

Jharkhand election results: BJP faces tough challenge from JMM-Cong combine

Going by the exit polls, emulating the success it got in the 2014 elections, could be an uphill task for the BJP.

Fate of incumbent Chief Minister Raghubar Das will be decided on Monday as the results of the Jharkhand Assembly election Results are expected to be declared in the state, where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing a stiff electoral challenge from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance.

Going by the exit polls, emulating the success it got in the 2014 elections, could be an uphill task for the BJP.

The state went to polls for 81 Assembly seats in five phases from November 30 to December 20. The counting of votes will start at 8 am today in all 24 district headquarters amid tight security.

Jharkhand is the third-BJP ruled state which has gone to polls this year. This election is crucial for BJP as it has already lost power in Maharashtra, and in Haryana, it managed to secure its government after entering into a post-poll alliance with Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janata Party.

BJP, JMM, Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), All Jharkhand Students' Union (AJSU) and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha - Prajatantrik (JVM-P) are the main political parties in the fray.

Raghubar Das took oath as Chief Minister in 2014 after the BJP won 37 seats and stitched an alliance with AJSU, which had won 5 seats. However, AJSU broke ties with BJP and is contesting the current elections solo.

Under the leadership of JMM chief Hemant Soren, Congress and RJD have come together to oust BJP from power. While the JMM has fielded candidates in 43 seats, the Congress and the RJD are fighting for 31 and seven seats, respectively.

The ruling party has fielded its candidates in 79 out of the 81 seats. BJP has not fielded any candidate against All Jharkhand Students' Union's (AJSU's) Sudesh Mahto, and is supporting a candidate in the remaining one constituency.

Raghubar Das is contesting the polls from Jamshedpur East against his ex-cabinet colleague Saryu Rai (who is fighting as an independent) and Congress candidate Gourav Vallabh.

Former Chief Minister Hemant Soren is in the fray from two seats -- Dumka and Barhet. BJP has pitted Women and Child Development Minister Louis Marandi in Dumka against Soren.

Sabarimala issue set to decide political fortunes in Kerala yet again

In the recent Lok Sabha polls, post-Sabarimala agitation, the Left front had suffered a massive drubbing, losing 19 out of the total of 20 seats.

As the Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala gears up for yet another annual pilgrim season next month, major political parties in Kerala are keeping their fingers crossed to know whether the women's entry issue will have any impact on the October 21 bypolls to five assembly constituencies.

The bypolls to be held in Vattiyoorkkavu, Konni, Ernakulam, Aroor and Manjeswaram are seen as a litmus test for the CPI(M)-led ruling LDF and the opposition Congress headed UDF and BJP-NDA ahead of the 2021 assembly elections.

LDF is going all out to ensure that the Sabarimala issue is not discussed in the ongoing campaigns as they had drawn flak from several quarters over the women's entry issue for its alleged hastiness in implementing the Supreme Court order, permitting women of all age groups into the hill shrine.

In the recent Lok Sabha polls, post-Sabarimala agitation, the Left front had suffered a massive drubbing, losing 19 out of the total of 20 seats.

The defeat of the Left and the sweep of the opposition Congress-UDF was generally seen as the impact of the Sabarimala issue.

During the ongoing campaign, the ruling front is trying its best to woo voters by focussing on development issues and listing out the achievements of the Pinarayi Vijayan led government.

Unlike the Lok Sabha polls, even senior Left leaders, including Vijayan, are steering clear of any controversial statements or provocative remarks on Sabarimala in campaigns.

Senior CPI(M) leader and Industries Minister E P Jayarajan had even said the Sabarimala issue would be in LDF's favour in the bypolls and Lord Ayyappa was helping them.

The recent victory of LDF candidate Mani C Kappan in Pala assembly segment, a traditional UDF bastion, had reinfused confidence among the Left cadres and leadership.

Business Standard

Maharashtra Youth Cong promises unemployed allowance of Rs 5000 a month

It also promises government scholarships for meritorious local students pursuing higher education in foreign universities, waiver of educational loan.

Monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 for educated unemployed youths and statutory 80 per cent reservation in jobs for local youths are some of the prominent promises made by Maharashtra Youth Congress in its “first-of- its-kind” manifesto for the October 21 assembly polls, which was released on Saturday.

It also promises government scholarships for meritorious local students pursuing higher education in foreign universities, waiver of educational loan and providing free of cost higher education to differently abled youths.

The document states that if elected to power the Congress-led government will stand guarantor for loans taken by wards of farmers for pursuing higher education.

Maharashtra Youth Congress President Satyajeet Tambe told reporters that as many as 30 million youth got connected to its platform as part of “Wake Up Maharashtra, Act Today for your Tomorrow” programme.

“Thousands of suggestions, views, ideas and solutions received so far were shortlisted and consolidated to create one-of-its kind ‘Youth Manifesto’,” he said.

He said education loans availed till September 30, 2019 will be waived.

Tambe promised increase in intake in government hostels for the needy youths and free higher education for all differently abled youths.

“Educated unemployed youth will receive an allowance of Rs 5,000 per month and statutory 80 per cent reservation in jobs for local youth,” he said.

Business Standard

Removing Article 370 correct; economy needs correction: Subramanian Swamy

The Rajya Sabha MP said that the 'wrong policies' adopted during former finance minister Arun Jaitley's tenure were responsible for the economy slowing down.

BJP lawmaker Subramanian Swamy has said the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir's special status was correct but the state of economy "needs to be corrected" as this issue is also important for national security and nation-building.

The Rajya Sabha MP told reporters Sunday the "wrong policies" adopted during former finance minister Arun Jaitley's tenure were responsible for the economy slowing down. He also criticised ex-Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan for raising interest rates.

ALSO READ: Govt speaking to banks about stimulus package for economy: SBI chairman

"I think the wrong policies adopted during the tenure of Arun Jaitley, which are still in force, such as levying high taxes are some of the reasons for the slowdown... Increase in interest rates by former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan was one of the reasons (for the slowdown)," said Swamy.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Pune.

Replying to a question on the Centre's move to scrap the provisions of Article 370, which gave special powers to Jammu and Kashmir, and the economy, Swamy said, "The economy needs to be corrected. My advice was not sought on the economic front. My advice was sought on Article 370, and it was done correctly."

"Yes, the economy should be given priority. In fact, both things are important for nation-building and national security," he added.

Jaitley served as finance minister during the first term of the Narendra Modi government. Jaitley, 66, is on life support at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi.

Business Standard

Amid row, Hindi imposition clause removed in revised education policy draft

In the earlier draft, the panel had suggested mandatory teaching of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states.

Amid controversy over the recommendation of an HRD Ministry panel to teach Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states, a revised draft education policy was issued on Monday that did not have a mention of the language being compulsory.

The DMK and other parties in Tamil Nadu had strongly opposed the three-language formula in the draft National Education Policy and alleged that it was tantamount to thrusting the Hindi language.

Keep Reading : Business Standard

"Students who wish to change one or more of the three languages they are studying may do so in Grade 6 or Grade 7, so long as they are able to still demonstrate proficiency in three languages (one language at the literature level) in their modular Board Examinations some time during secondary school," the revised draft of the NEP said.

In the earlier draft, the panel had suggested mandatory teaching of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states.

"Students who wish to change one of the three languages they are studying may do so in Grade 6, so long as the study of three languages by students in the Hindi-speaking states would continue to include Hindi and English and one of the modern Indian languages from other parts of India, while the study of languages by students in the non-Hindi-speaking states would include the regional language, Hindi and English," the draft policy had earlier said.

The PMK, an ally of the BJP, had also alleged that the recommendation was imposition of Hindi and wanted the scrapping of the proposal.

"It was a draft report and not a policy yet. We have sought feedback from various stakeholders. The committee has modified the earlier draft and made some changes," a Human Resource Development Ministry official said.

According to the revised draft, the modular board examinations for language proficiency would test only basic proficiency in each language. "Such a change in language choice in Grade 6 would certainly be feasible if the student so desires and would in such cases be supported by teachers and the schooling system."

Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who had the formed the panel when he was the HRD minister in the previous term, had earlier asserted that no language should be imposed on anyone. He clarified that the committee had only prepared a draft report and no decision had been taken on implementing it.

Change of guard: #Chowkidaar prefix to make way for new campaign

After Modi dropped the prefix, about 32% people had dropped it too, including Piyush Goyal, Arun Jaitley, and Smriti Irani.

It seems chowkidaar would not be guarding BJP’s interest on the back of which it won its massive mandate. The tagline has been dropped from the Twitter handle of the PM. And other leaders, sources said, might follow suit.

“The time has come to take the chowkidaar spirit to the next level. The word chowkidaar goes from my Twitter name but it remains an integral part of me. Urging you all to do the same too!” Modi tweeted on Thursday evening.

According to sources in Bharatiya Janata Party, the party is going to coin a new term that would replace chowkidaar. This term would portray how the government would function over the next five years. “The people of India became chowkidaars and rendered great service to the nation. Chowkidaar has become a powerful symbol to safeguard India from the evils of casteism, communalism, corruption and cronyism,” the PM said in another tweet.

ALSO READ: Narendra Modi has turned conventional wisdom on its head and reshaped India

A call on a new campaign would be taken soon. The social media managers of the party, in the meantime, are working on the next big campaign slogan and tagline. “The tagline and the campaign would focus on good governance and what the government plans to do for the people. But those things are yet to be finalised. Everyone in the leadership has been told to stay put for the next big thing,” a source said. According to sources, Modi will launch the new campaign in the months to come.

On March 15, BJP launched its ‘Main bhi Chowkidaar’ campaign, with the Prime Minister, several Cabinet ministers and BJP supporters putting ‘Chowkidar’ or watchman before their name on Twitter. The campaign resonated with the voter base, with the ruling party even creating a radio song around the theme during their election campaign.

Keep Reading : Business Standard

The PM prefixed “Chowkidaar” to his profile on March 15, and also gave the hashtag #MainBhiChowkidaar. According to research by the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi and Hyderabad, within 10 days as many as 404,000 tweets had been tagged with #MainBhiChowkidaar.

After the PM dropped the prefix, about 32 per cent people had dropped it too, including Piyush Goyal, Arun Jaitley and Smriti Irani. As of 7 pm on Thursday, 174,000 people were still using chowkidaar in their Twitter names, IIIT analysis.

A snapshot of market winners and losers from Lok Sabha elections 2019

Winners include cement companies, pipes, tiles and sanitary-ware manufacturers, capital goods and infrastructure companies.

Business Standard : A decisive mandate for India’s ruling coalition and a second term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured investors of stability and policy continuity in Asia’s third-biggest economy.

Still, equity markets ended in the red after surging to an intraday record on Thursday as the result broadly matched investor expectations and was partly priced in after exit polls this week.

Political stability alone isn’t likely to drive continued outperformance by India’s equities or currency, with investors also weighing headwinds from softer domestic consumption, rising oil prices and a trade war. And valuations are already on the higher side: The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex trades at a 12-month blended forward price-to-earnings multiple of 18.3, above its five-year average.

“Markets are pricing in double-digit earnings growth over next few years. From a risk reward point of view, it is delicately balanced,” Nilesh Shah, chief executive at Kotak Asset Management Co., said in an email. “The direction will depend on steps that the government takes to accelerate growth.”

Here’s a snapshot of the winners and losers from India’s elections:

WINNERS

Agricultural Sector

In an interim budget in January, the government made clear that farmers are at the top of its agenda. The party aims to invest 25 trillion rupees ($359 billion) in rural development and offer farmers 6,000 rupees per year in income support. Also, it has planned increased spending on animal husbandry and fisheries.

Rural-focused companies including those providing seeds, pesticides, irrigation products, consumer staples and motorbike manufacturers stand to gain.

Infrastructure and Real Estate

During the campaign, Modi pledged to spend $1.44 trillion on repairing the country’s creaky infrastructure. Meanwhile, the government is already promoting affordable housing and has announced tax breaks to encourage buyers.

Winners include cement companies, pipes, tiles and sanitary-ware manufacturers, capital goods and infrastructure companies.

Elections 2019: How BJP's impending victory has surprised even the bulls

The opposition United Progressive Alliance, led by Rahul Gandhi's Congress party, was leading in 111 seats.

Lok Sabha Election Results 2019 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP was set for a historic victory as India counted hundreds of millions of votes from its general election on Thursday.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was ahead in 324 seats, broadcaster NDTV said.

ALSO READ: Election result LIVE: Modi set for 2nd term, see-saw battle in Amethi

The opposition United Progressive Alliance, led by Rahul Gandhi-led Congress party, was leading in 111 seats.

Indian stock markets surged ahead of a possible Modi win.

At 0525 GMT, the broader NSE index was up 2% for the day. The rupee was trading at 69.5 to the dollar, stronger than the 69.67 close on Wednesday.

COMMENTARY

JAGANNADHAM THUNUGUNTLA, RESEARCH HEAD, CENTRUM WEALTH, MUMBAI

“The thumping victory for BJP as per the early trends surpassing its winning tally of 2014 has pleasantly surprised even the bulls ... the continuation of policies and reforms is an added comfort ... the narrative should come back to employment, economy and earnings.”

SACHIN SHAH, FUND MANAGER, EMKAY INVESTMENT MANAGERS, MUMBAI

“At a time when there is uncertainty over economic growth, political stability and continuity allow an economy to progress and rise above hurdles over a period of time. So this outcome offers hope that policy reforms will go in the right direction.”

R. SIVAKUMAR, HEAD OF FIXED INCOME, AXIS MUTUAL FUND, MUMBAI

“Investors globally are positive when there is stability in any country. For global investors, political stability and continuity is an important factor while taking a view on investing in any country. This will keep India on the radar of global equity investors.”Buisness Standard

Election result LIVE: BJP leading in 294 seats, may get majority on its own

Lok Sabha election results 2019 LIVE updates: Counting of votes is underway and will continue throughout the day. Track LIVE updates on General Election results

LIVE Election results 2019: Counting of votes to decide the fate of 8,049 candidates is underway. Going by the early leads, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP has crossed the halfway mark on its own.

The NDA is ahead in more than 300 seats. The BJP is doing well in most states, including the three heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, wrested by the Congress in December.

It is also ahead in Karnataka and Delhi. The Congress is ahead in Punjab and Tamil Nadu, where it joined hands with the DMK.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is trailing in Amethi, a seat Congress has not lost in the last three decades, except in 1998.

It will be a huge boost for the BJP if its candidate Smriti Irani registers a win against the Congress chief. Gandhi is also contesting from Kerala's Wayanand, where he is leading.

Elections were held on 542 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats and a party or alliance needs 272 seats to form government.

The BJP is leading on all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, as per trends available so far.

Shah is leading by over 1,30,000 votes in Gandhinagar at the end of second round of counting.

His party's candidate Mansukh Vasava is ahead of Congress's Sherkhan Pathan in Bharuch by over 33,500 votes.

Business Standard

No FDI love? Apple, Amazon show 2 faces of India's quest to lure investment

India definitely needs to attract investments in manufacturing and other sectors.

As the US-China trade war triggers the biggest rethink of supply chains in a generation, the world’s fastest-growing major economy with hundreds of millions of young and cheap workers should be atop the list of potential beneficiaries. And yet India isn’t getting such love, with foreign direct investment actually declining over recent months.

That’s a riddle partly explained by pre-election caution as investors move to the sidelines while Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party squares off against the opposition Indian National Congress. But the other explanation lies in the recent past, with local opposition and politically-inspired protectionism getting in the way of investments.

In February, e-commerce firms like Amazon.com and Walmart Inc.-owned Flipkart were slapped with proposed new rules that would raise their costs as Modi sought to protect the nation’s millions of mom and pop stores. That same month, it was announced that a proposed $44 billion oil refinery backed by Saudi Arabia would be relocated after farmers opposed the project and refused to hand over land (a new location has yet to be named).

So while there are successes -- such as Foxconn Technology Group’s recent announcement of plans to mass-manufacture Apple Inc.’s latest handsets in India -- tales of frustrated plans and bureaucratic bottlenecks are holding India back from a China-1990s-style boom.

“India definitely needs to attract investments in manufacturing and other sectors," said Vivek Wadhwa, distinguished fellow and professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering at Silicon Valley. “There are huge opportunities for it, with western companies having second thoughts about their Chinese operations. If India could provide an alternative, it would have a great advantage.”

Girija Pande, the Singapore-based chairman of Apex Avalon Consulting Pte. and a former chief executive officer of Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, says India needs to boost its investment to gross domestic product ratio to 40 per cent from 30 per cent if it has to achieve double-digit growth. “We have seen China and the East Asian economies grow at such fast rates of growth with that kind of investments levels," he said.

For now though, that’s a long way off. FDI fell 7 per cent to $33.5 billion in the nine months to December from a year earlier.

Policy makers in India do realize the need to step up the pace of FDI and have pushed through reforms to try to attract it.

Business Standard

Cyclone Fani: Odisha teaches the world how to prepare for disasters

The United Nations office for Disaster Risk Deduction (UNISDR) and other organisations have hailed government and volunteer for their efforts.

Fani, a rare summer cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, hit eastern India on May 3. It is one of the strongest cyclones to have hit India in the last 20 years, according to the Indian government’s meteorological department. Storm surges and powerful winds reaching 125mph blew off roofs, damaged power lines and uprooted countless trees.

But the worst-affected state, Odisha, has been successful in keeping the loss of life and numbers of affected people to a minimum. This is the result of a very effective strategy of disaster preparation and quick responding.

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The United Nations office for Disaster Risk Deduction (UNISDR) and other organisations have hailed government and volunteer efforts that have ensured the levels of destruction have been kept to a minimum. According to official estimates, 64 people lost their lives due to the devastating cyclone Fani. But considering the power of the cyclone, it is remarkable that more lives have not been lost.

To put the death toll in perspective, the 1999 Odisha cyclone (which had 155mph winds) killed 9,658 people and caused US$2.5 billion in damages in the state. It was this super cyclone in 1999 that led the state to become better prepared for future cyclones.

The government’s “zero casualty” policy for natural disasters and the near accuracy of the India meteorological department’s early warning system have helped reduce the possibility of deaths from cyclone Fani. A record 1.2m people (equal to the population of Mauritius) were evacuated in less than 48 hours, and almost 7,000 kitchens, catering to 9,000 shelters, were made functional overnight. This mammoth exercise involved more than 45,000 volunteers.

The statistics are striking when compared to the impact of recent big weather events around the world. When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017 with wind speeds of 175mph, it caused a death toll of 2,975. The same year, Hurricane Harvey struck Texas with winds of 130mph and caused devastating flooding. There was US$125 billion in damage and at least 68 direct storm-related deaths reported in Texas. Most recently, cyclone Idai hit Mozambique on March 14 and ripped through Madagascar, Malawi and Zimbabwe, with more than 1,000 people feared dead.

So the Indian state of Odisha’s ability to put such an effective disaster management plan in place and save thousands of lives is a template that the world can learn from. This, after all, is a state where the average income is less than US$5 a day. We identify four key takeaways from Odisha.