3 Things Express Audio

From the BJP managing to win only 240 seats (despite a '400 paar' campaign), to the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh emerging as the party with the third-highest number of seats in the country, to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) pushing back strongly in West Bengal, and the Congress party significantly increasing its tally, today on the podcast, we decode the rather surprising results of the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls.

Guests: Indian Express’ Vandita Mishra, Neerja Chowdhury, Asad Rehman, Shubhajit Roy, Liz Mathew, Deeptiman Tiwary, and Hamza Khan.

Hosted and written by Shashank Bhargava
Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika Nanda
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Additional support from Mahiyar Rohinton Patel

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 4th of June and here are today's headlines.


With the NDA poised to form the government for a third consecutive time, bagging at least 290 seats, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a “historic feat”. As the INDIA bloc managed to halt the BJP’s march towards majority, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi came out to hit out at the BJP, saying that the mandate today was a clear indication that the people of the country do not want to PM Modi and Amit Shah to run the country. The Opposition INDIA bloc has reversed all exit poll predictions, leading in at least 228 seats, according to the latest numbers. However, despite a stiff contest, the BJP-led NDA is inching closer towards the 300-mark, standing at 297 at the moment.

In what is probably the biggest upset state-wise, the tug-of-war for Odisha between BJP and BJD ended today with the Bharatiya Janata Party set to form the next government. Though the ruling BJD party hels various rallies and election campaigns, the saffron party has crossed the majority mark of 74. Odisha CHief Minister Naveen Patnaik served for five consecutive terms, but now the lotus party will form its first cabinet in the coastal state.

In a major setback for the BJP, Union minister Smriti Irani lost to the Congress’s K L Sharma in Amethi, as Congress wrest back power. The Amethi win comes as a big boost to the Congress, with Rahul Gandhi losing the seat to Irani in 2019. In neighbouring Rae Bareli, a Congress party bastion for decades, Rahul defeated BJP candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh, who apologised to the people of Rae Bareli.

Behind the remarkable turnaround for the Opposition Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh where the INDIA bloc was leading, some fascinating factors may have given them an upper hand over the BJP. One of the factors that may have worked in favour of the SP, is its ticket-distribution strategy. Unlike previous elections, the SP ticket distribution focused on non-Yadav OBCs. Also, the SP changed candidates in several constituencies, depending on feedback from local cadre and local caste equation.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its allies, the JanaSena Party (JSP) of Pawan Kalyan and BJP, are headed for a landslide in Andhra Pradesh, in what is a complete reversal of the 2019 results. This is quite a turnaround for the TDP-led alliance, which was almost written off months before the elections after its chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest. Jagan seemed to have lost focus on governance issues in trying to implement his nine welfare schemes, which he had promised during his padyatra ahead of the 2019 polls.

This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express' Sukrita Baruah joins us to talk about Arunachal Pradesh's assembly elections. She shares the results of the assembly elections and the seat distribution that it has led to.

Next, Indian Express’ Damini Nath speaks to us about the BJP and the opposition INDIA Bloc approaching the Election Commission with concerns, days before the announcement of the Lok Sabha election results. She shares the issues that were expressed and the election authority's response. (8:26)

And in the end, we talk about BRS leader K Kavitha who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate due to her involvement in the Delhi excise policy scam. Her judicial custody has been extended till June 3. (14:53)

Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced and written by Niharika Nanda and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 3rd of June and here are today's headlines.

With less than 24 hours to go for the counting of votes to start, all eyes are on whether the exit poll predictions will hold ground — the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government coming back to power with thumping majority. While the Opposition’s INDIA bloc has rubbished the exit polls, the BJP is confident of easily crossing the majority-mark, even planning out how they want to celebrate the landmark victory. All major exit polls have projected a resounding victory for the NDA with the BJP expected to better its own 2019 tally of 303 seats.

A day before the vote counting of 18th Lok Sabha Elections 2024, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar Monday said the EC had failed to counter “mischievous” narratives – starting with allegations that the electoral roll was faulty, then questions raised on EVMs and voter turnout, and now the counting processes. Asked whether there were any learnings from the election process, he said that in hindsight, given the heatwave, the polls should have been finished within a month. Additionally, he said that the EC has to be better prepared to counter “false narratives”.

The Delhi government has approached the Supreme Court, seeking increased water allocation from neighboring states due to an acute water crisis caused by extreme heat waves. While Himachal Pradesh has agreed to share surplus water, the Haryana government is not providing necessary support. The Supreme Court has called for an urgent meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board to address the critical situation.

Bengaluru experienced a heavy downpour on Sunday, during the Southwest Monsoon, breaking a 133-year-old record for the highest daily rainfall in June. According to the India Meteorological Department, the city received 111.1 mm of rainfall on that day, surpassing previous 101.6mm in 1891. The current forecast suggests that rainfall will continue for the next two days, accompanied by overcast conditions and light to moderate thunderstorms. This recent heavy rainfall has put Bengaluru on track to potentially break its highest monthly rainfall record for June, which currently stands at 228.2 mm recorded in 1996.

Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants, including one who has long evaded security forces, were trapped in a gunfight with a joint team of security forces in Kashmir's Pulwama. The militants, identified as Riyaz Ahmad Dar (a militant since September 2015) and Rayees (who joined in 2021). A joint team comprising personnel from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army, and paramilitary forces cordoned off Pulwama’s Nehama village after specific inputs about the presence of militants in the village.

This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

Large parts of the country are currently experiencing an intensely hot summer, with temperatures soaring to record levels. The extreme heat has already claimed lives in states like Bihar, Odisha, Gujarat and Delhi. 

So today, we dedicate this episode to discussing heat waves, how they affect our bodies, and the precautions you should take to stay safe. Joining us for this discussion is Dr. Dileep Mavalankar, honorary professor and former director of the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar.

Hosted and produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Timestamps:

What counts as a heatwave (01:21)

What happens during a heat stroke (04:40)

Prickly heat, heat cramps, and heat syncope (06:36)

The difference between heat stroke and heat exhaustion (07:26)

Precautions to take when stepping out (10:46)

When your job requires you to be outside (12:53)

Is electrolyte better than water? (14:23)

Does the temperature of drinking water matter? (15:25)

When you don't have access to air conditioning (18:42)

Should you avoid showering when the water is not cool? (21:35)

A note for kids and pregnant women (22:53)

Why cities are getting hotter (23:41)

The best time to exercise/workout (26:26)

Changes that can be implemented to cities (27:06)

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 31st of May and here are the top stories of the week.

After a three-month-long hectic campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kanyakumari on Thursday, to begin a 45-hour meditation retreat. For his visit, the PM chose the historically significant Dhyana Mandapam inside the Swami Vivekananda Memorial, situated on a rocky islet. Modi started his meditation with prayers at the renowned Sri Bhagavathi Amman Temple before boarding a special boat to the mid-sea Vivekananda Memorial. 

The National Capital on Wednesday witnessed light rains and thunderstorms amidst record breaking temperatures and a severe heatwave. On the same day, Mungeshpur in Northwest Delhi had recorded the highest-ever temperature in the city at 52.3 degrees Celsius. Delhi water minister Atishi announced that a Rs 2000 fine would be imposed on anyone found to be wasting water. This included washing cars with a hose, letting their water tanks overflow or using private connections for commercial activity.

With the BJP turning up the heat on the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD over the growing influence of his aide and former bureaucrat V K Pandian, Patnaik on Thursday sought to make it clear that Pandian is not his “successor”, and speculation suggesting this is “an exaggeration”. On whether his party has a succession plan, Patnaik reiterated that the successor “will be decided by the people of the state. That is the natural result in these things”.

Days after former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif admitted that Islamabad had violated the Lahore pact, India on Thursday said an objective view is emerging on the issue in the neighbouring country. Sharif on Tuesday said Islamabad had “violated” an agreement with India signed by him and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999, in an apparent reference to the Kargil misadventure by General Pervez Musharraf. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said quote, “You are aware of our position on the issue. I need not have to reiterate that. We note that there is an objective view emerging in Pakistan as well on this matter,” Unquote.

On Sunday night, an Israeli air strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, resulted in the deaths of 45 people and injured 249 others. A social media campaign titled 'All eyes on Rafah' emerged after the loss of at least 37 lives on May 28, gaining significant attention. In response, Israel launched the campaign “Where were eyes on October 7th?” referencing the October 7 Hamas-led attacks that killed at least 1,200 people.

This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.