Table of Contents
The Hindu Editorial Analysis
We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.
West Bengal voter count drops by 12% after revisions
- More than 27 lakh voters in West Bengal were removed from the voter list after their cases were reviewed by authorities. These voters had earlier been kept under “adjudication” (legal checking process). A large number of these deletions happened in two districts where many Muslims live.
- In total, about 91 lakh names have been deleted since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) started. Because of this, the total number of voters in the State has reduced by almost 12%, coming down from 7.66 crore in October 2025 to 6.75 crore now, just a few days before the Assembly elections.
- For comparison, there were 7.34 crore voters in the 2021 Assembly elections.
- Out of these deletions, 63 lakh voters were removed till February 28, and another 06 lakh names were kept for checking. Among those checked, 27.16 lakh people (around 45%) are still not included in the voter list, according to official data.
- The highest number of deletions happened in Murshidabad, which has the largest Muslim population in the State. Here, more than 4.55 lakh names were removed out of 01 lakh cases reviewed.
- After that, North 24 Parganas, which is near the Bangladesh border and sends the highest number of MLAs, saw about 25 lakh deletions.
- Malda district, another Muslim-majority area, recorded 39 lakh deletions.
- Now, the future of these 27 lakh excluded voters depends on 19 appeal tribunals set up across the State. People have already started visiting these offices even before the final exclusion list came out.
- However, these voters will not be able to vote in the upcoming election on April 23 and 29, because there is no time left to add their names again.
- The Supreme Court has also rejected the State government’s request to delay the final voter list, which could have given these people another chance.
- Out of the total 294 Assembly seats, 152 seats will vote on April 23, and the remaining 142 seats will vote on April 29.
- The voter list for the first phase was finalised on April 6, while for the second phase it will be finalised on April 9.
- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called this situation “vote theft”, saying that a “particular community” has been unfairly targeted, especially in Muslim-majority areas.
- She also claimed that people from the Matua and Rajbangshi communities were removed and asked voters to vote against BJP as a form of protest.
- A group of Trinamool Congress MPs, led by Derek O’Brien, will visit the Election Commission in New Delhi to raise this issue.
- On the other hand, BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari said that illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators are being removed from the voter list.
- Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is contesting from Behrampore in Murshidabad, asked the Chief Minister to go again to the Supreme Court and Election Commission so that excluded voters can still be allowed to vote.
Fresh violence in Manipur claims four lives
- Fresh violence broke out in Manipur, where four people, including two small children, lost their lives.
- In Bishnupur district, a five-year-old boy and a six-month-old girl died when suspected extremists threw a bomb at their house in Moirang Tronglaobi. Their mother was also injured in the attack.
- This area is mainly inhabited by the Meitei community and is located close to the hills of Churachandpur district, where the Kuki-Zo community lives.
- The State’s Home Minister, Konthoujam Govindas, said that five people were injured in firing by security forces, and later two of them died.
- After the incident, the district administration restricted people’s movement to control the situation.
- The government also shut down mobile Internet services for three days in five districts of Imphal Valley.
- Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said that the case will be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
- He added that this attack seems to be done by people who want to disturb peace in the State for their own benefit.
Donald Trump warns of Iran’s ‘civilisation collapse’ if deal is not reached by deadline
- Donald Trump warned that “an entire civilization could be destroyed” if Iran does not accept his deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz before the given deadline (8 p.m. Eastern Time / 6:30 a.m. in India).
- In reply, Iran said that if action is taken against it, then the S. and its allies could lose access to oil and gas supplies for years.
- D. Vance, who is currently in Hungary, said that the U.S. has more options (“tools”) to use against Iran, but he did not explain what those are.
- Later, the White House clarified that his statement did not mean nuclear weapons.
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) warned that if the U.S. crosses its “red lines,” the response will go beyond the region, meaning it could affect more countries.
- These strong warnings came as Iran claimed that the U.S. and Israel had already attacked important infrastructure.
- Benjamin Netanyahu said that bridges and railway lines used by IRGC were targeted.
- Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that Kharg Island, a major oil export center, was also attacked by the U.S. and Israel.
- The United States sent a ceasefire proposal to Iran through Pakistan, but Iran rejected it, calling it unacceptable.
- Trump said that Iran did reply, but he called the response “not good enough.”
- The IRGC also said that the Strait of Hormuz will never return to normal conditions.
- In a social media post, Trump again warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight”, saying that although he does not want this to happen, it is very likely.
Important Questions
- How did the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process lead to the deletion of 91 lakh names from the electoral rolls in West Bengal State?
- Why will the 27 lakh excluded voters from electoral rolls not be able to vote in the upcoming Assembly election on April 23 and April 29 in West Bengal?
- How did the suspected extremists attack in Moirang Tronglaobi area of Bishnupur district lead to the death of two minors including a five-year-old boy and a six-month-old girl?
- Why did the State government of Manipur suspend mobile Internet services in five districts of Imphal Valley after the violence incident?
- Why did Donald Trump give warning about entire civilization collapse if Iran does not accept the deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz before the deadline time?
- How did Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) response about crossing red lines increase the tension between United States and Iran?
Important Vocabulary
- Adjudication – legal process of making a decision
- Excluded – kept out or removed
- Tribunals – special courts for specific cases
- Constituencies – areas represented by elected members
- Extremists – people with very strong, often violent beliefs
- Inhabited – lived in by people
- Restrictions – limits on movement or action
- Succumbed – died from injuries
- Retaliation – action taken in response to harm
- Infrastructure – basic systems like roads, bridges, etc.
- Ceasefire – temporary stop in fighting
- Civilisation – advanced human society
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