Reuters

PATNA: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s national alliance faces a tough regional election in the state of Bihar next month, due to youth unemployment and distrust over voter rolls, which could pose risks to his coalition that relies on regional partners. Bihar, in eastern India, is one of the country&#39;s poorest states and its third most populous, with over 130 million people. Its chief minister, Nitish Kumar, has previously sided with both Modi and the opposition, but is currently a key partner in Modi&#39;s National Democratic Alliance. Politically crucial heartland&nbsp;The state is part of a politically crucial heartland region, and any cracks within the NDA in November&#39;s assembly vote in Bihar could threaten Modi&#39;s coalition, with elections to follow within months in the states of Assam, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. Modi&#39;s national alliance, which has 293 out of 543 seats in the Parliament, has a strong voter base only in Assam. The Vote Vibe agency said its opinion poll in Bihar showed the NDA had a marginal 1.6 percentage point lead over the opposition alliance, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress party, as of October 8. &lsquo;Strong voting bloc&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;This election could swing either way,&quot; the agency said in its outlook, noting that the NDA&#39;s slight edge was due to its recent programs, such as money transfers to 12.1 million women under a self-employment subsidy that totaled more than 121 billion rupees ($1.37 billion). Nivedita Jha, an activist based in Bihar&#39;s state capital Patna, said women will form a strong voting bloc in the poll because men usually leave Bihar in search of jobs in economic hubs like Mumbai and New Delhi, and not all return to vote. &quot;Women take the decisions because the men are not here,&quot; she said. &quot;They talk about the opposition, which has promised more money if they come to power, and my understanding is that they trust the opposition more&quot;. &lsquo;They have declared me dead&rsquo;Some Bihar voters are also angry about the revision of the state voter list. In one case, 85-year-old Jitni Devi said she was removed from the list and can no longer vote or access her pension. &quot;They have declared me dead,&quot; she told Reuters. &quot;People in my village tease me as a dead woman, and bank officials shoo me away when I go there to withdraw my money.&quot; The state election commission did not respond to queries about Devi&#39;s case. The federal election body has previously said that all complaints are investigated thoroughly. Voters angry over unemploymentAnxiety among young voters in Bihar over employment is another election issue, despite a falling unemployment rate. Government data showed that 9.9% of people aged 15&ndash;29 were unemployed in Bihar in the fiscal year 2023&ndash;24, a significant drop from 30.9% in 2018&ndash;19, but concerns persist. &quot;For me, I have seen my father going out of Bihar for work, so the issue of jobs matters the most,&quot; said Babloo Kumar, 25, who plans to vote for the first time in November. A new political party, Jan Suraaj &mdash; founded by Prashant Kishor, Modi&#39;s former poll manager &mdash; said it aims to reset the political agenda in Bihar. &lsquo;Big dip in Modi&#39;s popularity&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;Joblessness, migration, increasing debts, loss in agriculture revenue are the issues in Bihar,&quot; said the party&#39;s national president, Uday Singh. &quot;There is a big dip in Modi&#39;s popularity here&quot;. The opposition has promised a law guaranteeing at least one government job per family, if desired. Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party, however, said it remains confident of victory. &quot;The NDA alliance is in a very solid position,&quot; said Guru Prakash Paswan, a BJP spokesperson. &quot;People have strong faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s vision.&quot; Voting will be held on November 6 and 11 for 243 state assembly seats, and results will be declared on November 14.

Asia

The Bihar election is crucial for Modi's coalition stability; women voters are pivotal due to the migration of men for jobs; voters are angry over unemployment and distrust the electoral rolls.

India's Modi faces tough Bihar state election

Ibrahim Zulfiqar

Muhammad Imad Abbas

ISLAMABAD: Once hailed as a national hero and innovator, Sonam Wangchuk, the celebrated climate activist and education reformer from Ladakh, now sits in a high-security Rajasthan jail, accused of inciting unrest and acting against the Indian state.&nbsp;Just six years ago, Wangchuk publicly thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for granting Ladakh union territory status after the revocation of Article 370 and 35-A, which stripped Indian occupied Kashmir of its autonomy. For many in Ladakh, it seemed a step toward recognition. Today, it feels like betrayal.&nbsp;On September 26, Indian authorities arrested Wangchuk, transferring him over 1,600 kilometers from his home to Jodhpur Central Jail under the National Security Act (NSA). A law that allows detention without trial for up to a year.&nbsp;He was accused of &ldquo;instigating violence&rdquo; during protests in Leh that left four people dead and the local BJP office in flames.&nbsp;The government has gone further, alleging that Wangchuk attempted to trigger an &ldquo;Arab Spring&ndash;style movement&rdquo; to destabilize India, and even that he acted &ldquo;under Pakistan&rsquo;s influence.&rdquo;&nbsp;But his real &ldquo;crime,&rdquo; supporters say, was staging a peaceful hunger strike demanding constitutional protections and environmental safeguards for Ladakh, one of India&rsquo;s most vulnerable and militarized regions.&nbsp;Despite condemning the violence and urging protesters to stay nonviolent, Wangchuk now faces charges typically reserved for terrorists. His arrest raises a stark question for India&rsquo;s democracy: why is an environmentalist being treated as a threat for asking for rights?&nbsp;From innovator to inmateWangchuk co-founded SECMOL in 1988, revolutionizing education in Ladakh. His Operation New Hope program raised school pass rates from 5% to over 70%. He designed solar-heated military tents for soldiers in Siachen and Galwan, reducing fuel needs in sub-zero conditions.&nbsp;His innovations inspired Aamir Khan&rsquo;s character &ldquo;Phunsukh Wangdu&rdquo; in 3 Idiots, and earned him the Ramon Magsaysay Award (2018) and the Rolex Award for Enterprise (2016) for his Ice Stupa, an artificial glacier that conserves water in the high Himalayas.&nbsp;Once a national symbol of ingenuity and patriotism, Wangchuk&rsquo;s transformation from celebrated reformer to accused subversive reflects India&rsquo;s shrinking space for dissent.&nbsp;The broader patternWangchuk is not alone. Several former admirers of Modi&rsquo;s leadership, from policy scholar Yogendra Yadav to ex-ministers Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha, have faced state pushback after criticizing the government&rsquo;s centralization of power. Even Kiran Bedi, India&rsquo;s first woman IPS officer and a one-time BJP campaigner, has publicly distanced herself from party rhetoric.&nbsp;What lies aheadAuthorities say investigations into the Ladakh protests continue. Protest groups, meanwhile, are demanding Wangchuk&rsquo;s release and an independent inquiry.&nbsp;For many in India, the case has become symbolic, not just of Ladakh&rsquo;s struggle for rights, but of a deeper question echoing across the country: when did asking for democracy become a crime?

Once celebrated for his innovation and patriotism, Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk now faces jail under India’s National Security Act, accused of inciting unrest after demanding constitutional rights and environmental protections for his region.

From hero to traitor: Why is India jailing Sonam Wangchuk?

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Kashmiri journalist Mukhtar Baba has said the violent unrest in Ladakh reflects the deep frustration of a generation that feels betrayed by unfulfilled promises from India&rsquo;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).&nbsp;Speaking on Pakistan TV&rsquo;s program Beyond the Border with host Omar Khalid Butt, Baba argued that the protests are not an isolated outburst but the culmination of years of dissatisfaction in both Leh and Kargil.&nbsp;&ldquo;It is important to understand what the BJP has promised to the people of Ladakh,&rdquo; Baba said. &ldquo;This is not the first time people are on the roads. For six years, we have seen people from Kargil and Ladakh protesting. But this is the bloodiest.&rdquo;&nbsp;Baba pointed out that despite repeated assurances, Ladakhis feel alienated. &ldquo;They were promised shikai [constitutional safeguards], but they were betrayed. That is why the young generation, tired of empty promises, came on the streets, burned vehicles, and even attacked the BJP headquarters in Leh,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;His comments came as Indian authorities imposed a curfew in Leh after at least four people were killed in clashes between protesters and police. Dozens more were injured, and a BJP office was set ablaze.&nbsp;According to Al Jazeera, activists accused the government of ignoring hunger strikes and sit-ins by Ladakh&rsquo;s Apex Body, a coalition of socio-religious and political groups.&nbsp;Protest leader Sonam Wangchuk, who has long advocated statehood and special constitutional protections for Ladakh, denied government allegations that he incited the violence. He called the unrest an &ldquo;outburst of youth&rdquo; driven by years of neglect and joblessness.&nbsp;The BBC reported that Ladakh&rsquo;s Buddhist and Muslim communities, historically divided between demands for separation and integration, have united since 2019 in calling for the restoration of statehood and inclusion under India&rsquo;s Sixth Schedule, which provides self-governing powers to tribal regions.&nbsp;Authorities, however, insist that dialogue with local leaders has produced &ldquo;phenomenal results.&rdquo; In a statement, India&rsquo;s home ministry said police opened fire &ldquo;in self-defence&rdquo; after protesters turned violent, injuring more than 30 security personnel.&nbsp;But frustration remains widespread. &ldquo;The young people feel they are getting nothing but promises,&rdquo; Baba told Pakistan TV.&nbsp;&ldquo;Across Jammu and Kashmir, in Leh, in Kargil, there is disillusionment. This is the outcome of alienation.&rdquo;&nbsp;The unrest underscores the growing volatility of Ladakh, a strategically critical Himalayan region bordering both Pakistan and China. Analysts warn that New Delhi now faces not only external threats but also rising internal discontent.

India

Mukhtar Baba told Pakistan TV that Ladakh’s violent protests stem from frustration over unkept promises by India’s ruling BJP, leaving the region’s youth alienated and angry amid demands for statehood and autonomy.

Articles tagged with "BJP"

India's Modi faces tough Bihar state election

From hero to traitor: Why is India jailing Sonam Wangchuk?

Ladakh unrest reflects broken promises, says Kashmiri journalist

India's Modi faces tough Bihar state election