1. Lok Sabha Election 2024: World leaders congratulate PM Modi for a ‘historic third term’
2. AP Election Results 2024: Chandrababu Naidu To Return In Andhra, BJP Sweeps Odisha
3. BJP gets majority in Odisha Assembly; Naveen Patnaik to lose power after 24 years
4. IAF’s Sukhoi fighter jet crashes in Nashik; pilot and co-pilot eject safely
5. Pakistan eyes loans, infra deals during PM’s China visit

What Else

1. Reserved seats case: SC observes public casted vote for PTI-backed nominees, not individuals
2. PoJK: Traders demand FIR against PM, release of arrested leaders
3. Washington uses Tiananmen Square commemorations to invoke current human rights issues
4. China labels US, Japan, South Korea’s joint statement on Taiwan as “erroneous”

—————-

Lok Sabha Election 2024: World leaders congratulate PM Modi for a ‘historic third term’

• Results total Lok Sabha 543 seats (All seats have been declared)–BJP-240 (Lost 63); INC 99 seats (Gained 47); SP 37 (Gained 32); AITMC 29 (Gained 7); DMK 22 seats (Lost 2);  JD(U) 12 (Lost 4); RJD 4 (Gained 4) YSRCP 4 Lost 18); AAP 3 (Gain 2); Others 93 (Lost 5)
• PM Modi, has announced victory in the Lok Sabha elections: At the BJP HQ in New Delhi, Modi spoke to party members and said, “Today is a very auspicious day and the NDA is going to form the govt for the third consecutive time.“
• Although votes are still being counted, NDA seems to be on its way to forming a govt.
• Congratulatory messages are pouring in from various international leaders: Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay; Nepal PM Prachanda; Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mahinda Rajapaksa, Executive President, LoP; Sajith Premadasa; Bangladesh’s PM Hasina; Maldives LoP, (here)  and Italy PM Giorgia Meloni, and Maldivian President Muizzu are in the list.
• ‘Big blow to Modi,’ how world media reacted to BJP’s below par performance in India general elections:
• BBC, “India’s Modi faces stunning blow as alliance heads for reduced majority.” It suggested how INDIA bloc’s stress on ‘Save Democracy’ slogan worked wonders for them.
• American news broadcaster CNN writes, “Modi declares victory in election but his party faces shock losses“.
• AlJazeera: The Qatar-based news broadcaster wrote, “Allies to shape Modi’s fate after shock election setback for BJP“.
• Guardian, The UK-based daily national wrote: “Narendra Modi claims ‘historical’ third term but projections show party unlikely to win outright majority“.
• Newsweek: The US-based news website reported, “Indian Opposition Celebrates as Modi’s BJP Faces Shock Election Setback” (here)
• Rahul Gandhi hits out at BJP, accuses PM Modi of capturing CBI and ED: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the saffron party stating that the people of India were not impressed by how PM Modi and Amit Shah ran the country and that the mandate had gone against the Indian PM. (here)
• Son of Indira Gandhi’s assassin, Sarabjeet Khalsa, wins Faridkot seat: In the latest development from Punjab, the son of one of PM Indira Gandhi’s assassins, Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, won the Faridkot Lok Sabha seat as an independent candidate.
• Sarabjeet Singh won the electoral contest by a margin of 70,053 votes, defeating his rival, the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Karamjit Singh Anmol. (here)
• Huge UPset for BJP in state, Rahul wins big in Rae Bareli: The BJP, which is currently the ruling govt in Uttar Pradesh, is facing major disappointment as the SP won 37 seats.
• The BJP won 33 seats while the Congress won six seats.
• The Congress and the SP contested the elections together as part of the INDIA bloc.
• In the Varanasi constituency, PM Modi defeated Congress by a margin of 152,513 votes.
• In the Kaiserganj constituency, BJP leader Karan Bhushan Singh defeated SP’s Bhagat Ram by a margin of 148,843 votes.
• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who won the Wayanad constituency in Kerala, also won in UP’s Rae Bareli as he defeated the BJP by a massive margin of 390,030 votes.
• SP leader Dimple Yadav emerged victorious from the Mainpuri constituency, defeating BJP’s Jayveer Singh by a margin of 221,639 votes.
• Union Minister Smriti Irani has lost to Amethi by a margin of 167,196 votes.
• Former CM Akhilesh Yadav defeated BJP’s Subrat Pathak in the Kannauj constituency by a margin of 170,922 votes (here) [In short, UP changed the entire picture of the poll]
• What if ‘kingmakers’ Naidu, Nitish abandon NDA? Nitish is infamous for switching allegiances and joined the NDA barely five months ago.
• Nitish Kumar played a major role in setting up the INDI alliance with other opposition leaders, including WB CM Mamata Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, before leaving it abruptly.
• As per reports, the INDIA bloc has already started making overtures to Kumar and has offered him the deputy PM’s post if he ditches the NDA and joins the INDIA bloc.
• The NDA needs him to run a stable govt at the center. The NDA is currently hovering around 290-295 seats, just 20 seats above the majority mark of 272.
• If Kumar ditches the NDA, he will end up ruining the prospects of Modi 3.0, the name given to the possible third term of PM Modi.
• The Chandrababu Naidu factor: Naidu, who also joined the NDA just months ago, is not new to dealing with the grand old party Congress. Naidu’s TDP is expected to win 16 seats, having emerged crucial in helping NDA cross over the 272 mark.
• The numbers game: If either of the two kingmakers ends up ditching the NDA, it will leave Modi 3.0 hanging by a thread.
• If both decide to shore up INDIA bloc, the world’s biggest democracy may see a change in leadership after a decade. (here)

AP Election Results 2024: Chandrababu Naidu To Return In Andhra, BJP Sweeps Odisha

• N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP is set for a comeback in Andhra Pradesh after a stunning victory in the state’s Assembly polls.
• The party contested the polls in alliance with BJP and Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party.
• The party has announced that Naidu will take oath as the CM on Jun 9 and PM Modi will attend the ceremony.
• YSRCP chief Jagan Reddy conceded defeat saying the results were”surprising” but his party accepted the people’s mandate. (here)

BJP gets majority in Odisha Assembly; Naveen Patnaik to lose power after 24 years

• The BJP got a majority in the Odisha Assembly by winning 78 seats in the 147-member House on Tue.
• The BJD which is in power in Odisha since 2000 won 51 Assembly seats and the Congress has won 14 Assembly seats.
• The BJD in the 2019 Assembly elections had won 113 seats while BJP got 23 seats and Congress 9 seats.
• Meanwhile, the BJP has secured 20 seats in the Odisha Lok Sabha elections out of the 21 seats and BJD has secured one. (here)

IAF’s Sukhoi fighter jet crashes in Nashik; pilot and co-pilot eject safely

• A Sukhoi fighter plane — Su-30 MKI — of the Indian Air Force crashed at around 1.20 pm in Maharashtra’s Nashik on Tue, police said.
• The pilot and co-pilot ejected safely and were taken to a Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) hospital, Special Inspector General of Nashik Range DR Karale told PTI.
• The Su-30 MKI fighter jet was being flown by Wing Commander Bokil and his second-in-command Biswas.
• The two pilots have received minor injuries and are currently being treated at the hospital.
• Post the incident, teams of the Indian Air Force as well as the security and technical wings of HAL visited the spot.
• While the exact reason behind the crash is yet to be ascertained, a police official noted that preliminary information points to technical factors. (here)

 [Neighborhood]

Pakistan eyes loans, infra deals during PM’s China visit

• On the eve of the PM’s departure to Beijing, Pakistan decided to make a bullet payment to Chinese power plants to reduce their outstanding dues in a bid to break the ice to secure financing for infrastructure projects and a $600 million commercial loan.
• (Sources)- the energy ministry was processing Rs70 billion in payments to the Chinese power plants, although the PMO desired to clear at least Rs150 billion in payments.
• They said that the Fin Ministry released Rs225 billion to the energy ministry out of the budgeted subsidies aimed at providing max room for making payments to the Chinese power plants.
• However, no additional funds were provided and the expectation was that the energy ministry would create the space while remaining within the approved envelope.
• An official of the Energy Ministry confirmed only Rs70 billion in payments.
• The sources said that in a meeting held a few days ago, PM Shehbaz Sharif had desired that at least Rs150 billion should be released to the Chinese power plants.
• As of the end of Apr, the outstanding dues of the Chinese power plants set up under the CPEC amounted to $1.8 billion.
• Out of the Rs70 bn, a major chunk is being paid to the Thar Coal project of the CPEC
• Due to huge outstanding liabilities, Chinese insurance company M/s Sinosure is also not providing any fresh lending to power sector projects in Pakistan. (here)

Reserved seats case: SC observes public casted vote for PTI-backed nominees, not individuals

• A 13-member full bench of the Supreme Court is currently hearing the SIC’s petition against the denial of reserved National Assembly seats for women and minorities.
• The apex court constituted a full court to hear the case concerning seats reserved for women and minorities, brought forward by the SIC.
• The bench included all judges except Justice Musarrat Hilali.
• The SIC’s lawyers argued that assigning reserved seats to other parties violated specific articles of the Constitution.
• Siddiqi referenced an ECP letter to support the SIC’s entitlement to reserved seats
• CJP Isa then asked Siddiqi for details on the beneficiaries and a breakdown of the additional seats allocated to ruling coalition parties.
• SC overturns PHC order: On May 6, a 3-member top court bench overturned the  Peshawar HC’s decision, which had refused to allocate reserved seats to SIC. (here)
• The Russian embassy in Islamabad made a statement on Wed regarding the court cases involving Imran Khan. It posted in X, “The Embassy of Russia in Islamabad closely following the development in Pakistan, including political situation and court decisions. However, we believe that Pakistani people to react to and comment on these developments”
• Some in Pakistan will be interpreting this statement as inappropriate, undiplomatic, and even amounting to interference in Pakistan’s domestic matters.
• It will be interesting to see if the Pakistani FO makes any statement about it.

PoJK: Traders demand FIR against PM, release of arrested leaders

• Scores of traders in PoJK recently held a protest demanding the release of their arrested leaders and the filing of a case against PM Chaudhry Anwarul Haq over the deaths of 4 people during protests against inflation in May.
• The protesters also demanded the govt provide compensation to the families of the three protesters and a police official who were killed in the violence.
• They lamented that there has been no implementation of subsidies on flour and electricity prices as assured by the Pakistan govt, which had initially led them to call off their protests. (here)
• PoGB residents demand immediate action on worsening infrastructure: The residents of PoGB have expressed deep frustration with the worsening infrastructure and substandard road conditions in the region.
• Recently, members of the Awami Action Committee expressed disappointment over the govt’s failure to provide them with basic amenities while highlighting the dire state of roadways.
• They emphasized numerous instances of administrative neglect, citing concerns including the risk of accidents due to poorly maintained roads, especially in the Khanbari area. (here)

Washington uses Tiananmen Square commemorations to invoke current human rights issues

• Washington marked the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown with a series of events and statements on Tue, urging Beijing to release political prisoners and hold itself accountable for alleged human rights abuses.
• “Today, on the 35^th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, we remember the tens of thousands of peaceful Chinese pro-democracy protesters who were brutally assaulted for standing up for freedom, human rights and an end to corruption,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
• Blinken also paid tribute to the “many voices now silenced throughout the country, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong”.
• The top US envoy, further called on the Chinese govt to accept recommendations made this year during the U twice-a-decade review of its human rights record, including “unconditionally releasing those it has arbitrarily and unjustly detained”.
• Bipartisan groups of lawmakers hosted public commemorative events of their own.
• Members of the House Select Committee on China spoke in front of the Capitol.
• Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, the panel’s senior Democrat, vowed to support anyone who “stands for freedom”.
• “Today, we say in one voice, in a bipartisan fashion: no more silence. No more silence about the Uygur genocide in Xinjiang. No more silence about Tiananmen Square. No more silence about the cultural genocide happening in Tibet,” he said.  (here)

China labels US, Japan, South Korea’s joint statement on Taiwan as “erroneous”

• The Chinese Embassy in Seoul criticized the joint statement on Taiwan issued by the US, Japan, and S Korea, describing it as a series of “consecutive erroneous statements,”.
• This denunciation followed a trilateral ministerial meeting held on Jun 2 in Singapore, attended by Defense Chiefs of the US,  Japan, and S Korea
• The three officials said there was no change in their nations’ position on Taiwan and that regional peace was “an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community.”
• They also called for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues, as per Taiwan News.
• The Chinese embassy said these comments “interfere in China’s internal affairs and maliciously smear and attack China” and lodged “solemn representations with South Korea,”. (here)