Today, we are discussing an important topic concerning the elections in Maharashtra. Now after the results that were announced on the 23rd of this month, we have seen that there have been several doubts which have been raised with respect to the results concerning the EVMs. Even today Maharashtra Congress president Nana P submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission speaking at an in-person hearing raising several doubts. We thought let us understand what the issues are let us understand how the voting process is conducted and what these doubts are and what the election commission has to say about it. To discuss all these issues which are pertinent to the political events and happenings in Maharashtra and to the several doubts that people have with respect to impartial elections in the state, I have with me S. Chokalingam who is the chief electoral officer of Maharashtra.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, the Maha Vikas Agadi (MVA) won 30 out of the 48 seats, while the Maha Yuti could get only 17 seats. But in the just concluded Assembly elections, the Maha Yuti won a landslide, with 235 out of the 288 seats. The Maha Yuti alliance’s main constituent, the BJP alone won 132 seats, with the other two, the (Ajit Pawar-led) NCP and the (Eknath Shinde-led) Shiv Sena garnering 41 and 57 seats respectively.

None of the MVA parties could win enough seats to even qualify for the position of leader of the Opposition – the first time this has happened in six decades. The Shiva Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) got 20 seats, the Congress won 16, and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) won 10 seats respectively.

So, what changed so dramatically in a matter of five months – from June to November 2024 -- that the Maha Yuti swept the state? How serious are the MVA’s complaints that question a post-5pm voter surge and the data mismatches between votes polled and counted?

Guest: Vinaya Deshpande, The Hindu’s Maharashtra Chief of Bureau.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

The connection between the gut and the brain has for long been established, but recent research is increasingly finding that problems in the gut are linked to problems in the brain. A paper published by researchers from Harvard Medical School along with others, for instance, has found that the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease was 76 percent higher among those with damage to the lining of their upper gastrointestinal tract than among those without such damage. In fact, the researchers found that symptoms in the gut could begin years or even decades before symptoms of Parkinson’s set in.

Research has also indicated links between gut health and other neurological conditions and even, between the gut and mental health.

So how does the gut-brain connection work? What does a healthy gut microbiome look like, and how is this linked with the overall health of the body? What is the role your diet plays in this, and how important is it? Are you, essentially, what you eat?

Guest: Dr Ennapadam S. Krishnamoorthy, neuropsychiatrist and founder of Buddhi Clinic, Chennai

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

The COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan has concluded without a proper agreement on the New Quantified Collective Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. NCQG refers to the money that would be given by the developed countries to developing countries to meet their climate mitigation and adaptation transition goals. Instead of an NCQG deal, the rich nations have agreed to pledge $300 billion annually as a base figure to lead efforts – including by developing countries -- to raise $1.3 trillion annually from 2035. But developing countries have called this deal an “insult” as it seems to shift the onus of climate finance on to developing countries.

Apart from this, there was also an agreement reached on global standards for carbon markets and trading. Further, the COP29 Presidency launched the Reducing Methane from Organic Waste Declaration, which saw over 30 countries declaring their commitment to set sectoral targets for reducing methane from organic waste.

How do we assess COP 29 in terms of progress on climate finance? And how do we understand the outcomes with regard to carbon markets, the drawdown on fossil fuel consumption, and loss and damage funds?

Guest: Nagraj Adve, a founder member of Teachers Against the Climate Crisis (TACC).

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affaies Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

The Chief Advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government Muhammad Yunus has said that his country will seek the extradition of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina. The former Bangladesh prime minister fled to India on August 5th, and has been living Delhi in a safe house ever since.

But now Yunus has said in an interview with The Hindu, that she has been continuing her political activities from India, which is a “problem”. A special tribunal set up in Bangladesh for ‘crimes against humanity’ has also asked Interpol to issue a red notice for the arrest of Hasina. But Bangladesh is yet to directly initiate the process with India for Hasina’s extraction.

What does the extradition treaty between India and Bangladesh say? Why hasn’t Bangladesh initiated extradition proceedings yet, but has already approached Interpol? Will India accede to the extradition request or will it invoke the exemption clauses for political offences?

Guest: Kallol Bhattacharjee from The Hindu’s New Delhi Bureau.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

The National People’s Power (NPP), the ruling alliance led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has secured a historic mandate in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections. By winning 159 seats in the 225-member Parliament, it has secured two-thirds majority, a feat never achieved before in Sri Lanka’s proportionate representation system.

This victory, coming two months after his election as President, leaves Dissanayake supremely well-placed to fulfil the expectations of a people exhausted by economic travails. But then, he will also be under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stick with the program of permanent austerity. Can he navigate these contradictory pulls on his government? If so, how? And will he use his two-thirds majority to establish a new political culture, say, by abolishing the executive presidency?

Guest: Dr Ahilan Kadirgamar from the University of Jaffna.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Sharmada venkatasubramanian.

Donald Trump is going to Make America Great Again again. He is all set to take oath in January 2025 as the 47th President of the United States. The media and opinion polls had predicted an exceptionally close presidential race. But Trump won by some distance, winning 301 electoral votes to Kamala Harris’s 226.

The Republicans now control the Senate, the House of Representatives and the White House. Trump has achieved this on the back of the most divisive, abusive, racist, and gynist campaign in American history, replete with profanities.

What does this electoral outcome mean for America? Where did the Democrats go wrong? And what do Trump’s staff picks reveal about the kind of administration and foreign policy he is going to offer?

Guest: Sriram Lakshman, The Hindu’s foreign correspondent.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

Exploitative work conditions faced by Indians in the Middle East is not new, but the recent reports emerging from Saudi Arabia’s ambitious $500 billion Neom project are shocking: a recent documentary alleges that 21,000 foreign workers have died and 1,00,000 have gone missing since 2017, while working on projects that are part of the country’s Vision 2030 initiative.

Earlier this week Nadhmi al-Nasr, the long-time chief executive of the Neom project departed, and while there was no reason stated, reports indicate Mr. al-Nasr had earned a chilling reputation managing workers of the project.

But despite sometimes horrific work conditions, multiple deaths and the continuing use of the kafala system, around nine million Indians continue to compete for jobs in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

India has one of the highest remittances from its citizens working abroad, in the world, with the figure estimated at $111 billion as of 2022. And yet, policies and laws to protect migrant workers are scarce.

Why do young Indians continue to go abroad for semi-skilled or unskilled work – are these last-resort options or are they still seen as lucrative employment offers? Why do there continue to remain minimal protections for those who go to these countries? Has the pattern of migration from India changed? And Does the Indian Emigration Act need an overhaul?

Guest: Saurabh Bhattacharjee – associate professor, National Law School, Bengaluru and co-director, Centre for Labour Studies

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Negotiators, government representatives, and activists from across the world will assemble in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 for COP29, this year's U.N. climate summit.  

This COP or Conference of Parties is dubbed the "climate finance COP" as it has a big goal - setting a new climate financing target. Negotiators will discuss ways to set up a fund to help developing countries fight against climate change. 

But, the issues of climate financing are not just about setting a target; it is about incentivising the private sector to invest in greener technologies, forming regulations to aid the process and finding ways to fund transition from fossil fuels.  

Guest: Dr. Monika Gupta, Assistant Professor, Finance and Economics, SPJIMR 

Host: V Nivedita 

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian. 

The much-delayed Census may finally be conducted next year, with the process being completed in 2026. Following the Census the Central government may go ahead with a delimitation exercise – re-drafting constituencies, based on updated population numbers. This seems to have sparked concern amongst some south Indian States, who believe that the number of seats they represent in Parliament could decrease, as their populations are lower than those of certain States in the north, as they have achieved population control milestones. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu recently expressed concerns about his State’s ageing population and called on residents to have more children. Two days later, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, while attending a mass wedding event, referred to a blessing about acquiring 16 different kinds of wealth, said in jest that with delimitation coming up, perhaps residents should rethink having small families.

So what’s going to happen with the delimitation exercise? Will southern States lose out on a large number of seats while those in the north get more? Will these place a wedge between two halves of the country, driving ‘north-south’ politics? Is there are a fairer system to ensure adequate representation without penalising States that have performed better?

Guest: Sonalde Desai: Professor at the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), and Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland, U.S.

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

Americans are all set to pick their 47th President on November 5. The campaigning has been one of the most fractious in US history, and the stakes have perhaps never been higher.

With the Trump campaign focussed on immigration and Harris on women’s rights, whose narrative has won? With just a couple of days of campaigning left, where do the candidates stand with regard to key constituencies such as Latinos, Blacks, especially Black men, Arab/Muslim communities, and women? And who is ahead in the battleground states?

Guest: Sanjay Ruparelia, Associate Professor, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair, in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu.

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.