THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary-January 24, 2017- Topic 1
An alliance of its time
In the end, the Congress party got itself a better seat-sharing deal from the Samajwadi Party that it could have realistically hoped for; never
mind that its vice-president, Rahul Gandhi, had sounded a war cry with a Deoria-to-Delhitrek through Uttar Pradesh
on the claim of the party forming the government on its own. On Sunday, after
some tense moments with each party affecting that it was ready to walk away if
it did not get its maximalist demands, an alliance for the February-March U.P.
Assembly elections was announced. The SP will fight 298 seats, the Congress
105. With this, both parties have created for themselves an opportunity that
may be more than the sum of their individual chances, and for both it is
perfectly timed. The SP is battling not just anti-incumbency but also the shock of the 2014 Lok Sabha verdict, when it won just five seats. It has gone through a
nerve-wracking rite of passage as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav took on his father Mulayam Singh
Yadav’s perceived coterie, for control of the party organisation, and then, at
the Election Commission’s door, for the party symbol of the cycle. In fact,
this was a necessary transition in the SP for any tie-up with the Congress to
strike true. The Congress’s relations with Mr. Mulayam Singh have always lacked
good faith to encourage vote transfer, and the history of dashed expectations
would have made the alliance difficult to pull off on his watch.
For Mr. Akhilesh Yadav, the alliance completes his effort to rebrand himself,
from being no longer the young Chief Minister of the past years who was mocked
for being witless in allowing his “uncles” (family members and party seniors)
to run the administration. As the unity among the uncles cracked in the past
few months, the Chief Minister came into his own. It helped cast him in the
public eye as a leader capable of standing on his own terms, and he
strategically showcased the fight as being less about spoils and more about
ideals. Now, by turning the election into a three-cornered contest, he can use
the SP-Congress alliance to attract voters, especially the minorities, looking
to cast their ballot tactically to defeat the BJP candidate. For, even at its
historic nadir in the State in 2014, the Congress got almost 8% of the vote. In
turn, for the grand old party, to be even seen to be on a winning ballot in
U.P. would be a transformational leap. The two parties are not operating in a
vacuum, and both the BJP and the BSP will put up formidable campaigns. But
together they have made the contest more keen than their individual challenges
could have done.
Vocabulary
Maximalist: a person who holds extreme views and is not prepared to compromise.
Example: As the referendum approached, longstanding splits between the minimalists
and maximalists within the republican movement became significant.
Battle: fight or struggle tenaciously to achieve or resist
something.
Example: He has been battling against the illness
Synonyms: fight, combat, contend with, resist, withstand, stand
up to
Incumbency: the holding of an office or
the period during which one is held.
Example: His chief advantage is his incumbency
Perceived: become aware or conscious of something.
Example: His mouth fell open as he perceived the truth
Synonyms: discern, recognize, become aware of, see, distinguish
Coterie: a small group of people with shared interests or tastes,
especially one that is exclusive of other people.
Example: A coterie of friends and advisers
Synonyms: clique, set, circle, inner circle, crowd, in-crowd, band, community
Alliance: a union or association formed for mutual benefit,
especially between countries or organizations.
Example: A defensive alliance between Australia and New Zealand
Synonyms: association, union, league, confederation, federation, confederacy
Mock: tease or laugh at in a scornful or contemptuous manner.
Example: He mocks them as Washington insiders
Synonyms: ridicule, jeer at, sneer at, deride, scorn, make
fun of
Witless: foolish; stupid.
Example: A witless retort
Capable: able to achieve efficiently whatever one has to do;
competent.
Example: She looked enthusiastic and capable
Synonyms: competent, able, efficient, effective, proficient, accomplished
Transformational: relating to or involving
transformation or transformations.
Example: He is an amiable establishmentarian who finds himself with the opportunity
to effect transformational change
Vacuum: a space entirely devoid of matter.
Example: Since by definition it contains no matter, the vacuum of space itself has
NO temperature.
Synonyms: emptiness, void, nothingness, vacancy, absence