✋ @Sunrise: New Congress President But Old Politics

1. 🪑 Congress gets its new president

No surprise! Mallikarjun Kharge became the Congress president after defeating Shashi Tharoor in a one-sided contest.

• Kharge received 7898 votes, while Tharoor was far behind with just 1072 votes.

• This is not unexpected as most of the senior leaders were seen supporting Kharge with rumours brewing that he is the Gandhi family's chosen one.

• Shashi Tharoor even alleged that the level-playing field was disturbed because many leaders didn't give him time to meet.

Power still with Gandhis? It should be noted that Rahul Gandhi, who is on Bharat Jodo Yatra, spilled the name of the new president hours before the official announcement.

• During a press conference in Andhra Pradesh, Gandhi said, "President will decide my role in the party, please ask Kharge ji and Sonia Gandhi ji."

• This suggests that the Gandhi family might have been well aware of the results beforehand.

• Kharge is considered to be a staunch Gandhi family loyalist.

Democratic Congress? Since the announcement of the presidential elections, Congress leaders have been boasting about how democratic their party is.

• Rahul Gandhi said, "We are the only political party in the country that holds elections."

• However, it should be noted that the elections were held after 22 years.

• Also, the Congress is getting a non-Gandhi president after 24 years.

A brief history of presidential elections: In its 137-year-old history, the Congress has witnessed six presidential elections.

• The last elections were held in 2000 when Sonia Gandhi defeated Jitendra Prasad where he got a mere 94 votes.

• The last non-Gandhi president was Sitaram Kesri who won elections in 1997 in a triangular contest against Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot.

• However, his exit is a black mark on the Congress party's history.

What will change: The Congress leaders are expressing hope for the party's revival under Kharge's leadership.

• Rahul Gandhi said, "His vast experience and ideological commitment will serve the party well."

• Kamal Nath said, "Under his able leadership the party will not only scale new heights, but it will also get strengthened further.”

• Prithviraj Chavan expressed confidence that Kharge will renew the consultative process which existed in the party earlier.

• However, if Kharge doesn't become the face of the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, these statements are merely rhetorics.

2. 🛑 China does it again

China has put a hold on a proposal by India and the US at the United Nations.

• The proposal was to list Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Shahid Mahmood as a global terrorist.

• This is the fourth instance in the past few months when Beijing was seen backing Pakistan-based terrorists at the world forum.

Other incidents: In June, China put a hold on a joint proposal by India and the US to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki under the 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UNSC.

• Then in August, China again put a hold on a proposal by the US and India to blacklist the senior leader of Pakistan-based terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) Abdul Rauf Azhar.

• In September, Beijing put a hold on a proposal moved by the US and co-supported by India to designate LeT terrorist Sajid Mir, wanted for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks, as a global terrorist.

3. 🗒️ BJP's first list for Himachal Pradesh

62 candidates were declared by the BJP for the polls to the 68-member Himachal Pradesh assembly.

• The party has introduced new names in 11 seats. One of these seats include that of a cabinet minister.

• The list features five women candidates, while opposition Congress has named three women among the 46 candidates it has announced so far.

• CM Jai Ram Thakur will be contesting from his current constituency Saraj.

The changes: Seats of two ministers, Suresh Bharadwaj and Rakesh Pathania, have been changed.

• Bharadwaj has been fielded from Kasumpti instead of his current constituency Shimla Urban.

• Nurpur MLA Pathania has been given a ticket from the neighbouring Fatehpur.

• Minister Mahendra Singh, MLA from Dharampur, has been replaced by his son Rajat Thakur.

4. 🚗 Vehicle options needed for flexi-fuel

Hardeep Puri asked the Indian automobile industry to provide flexi-fuel vehicles at various price points quickly.

• While the government has vowed comprehensive support for the sale of flexi-fuel vehicles, more options are needed to accelerate the adoption of blended fuel technology.

• Puri cited the example of the launch of Japanese car maker Toyota's first-of-its-kind pilot project on flex-fuel - a strong hybrid electric vehicle (that you can see in the image above).

E20 fuel will be available in select pumps by April 2023 as a pilot project.

• Puri assured of reaching the production goal of 1,000 crore litres five years beforehand.

• Achieving E20 blending with petrol by 2025 would help India save foreign exchange by about Rs 30,000 crore per annum.

5. 🏏 Jay Shah denies tour to Pakistan

PCB is active as Jay Shah said that India will play Asia Cup next year at a neutral venue and not tour Pakistan.

• PCB requested the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to convene an emergency meeting on the issue.

• However, it should be noted that Shah also happens to be the ACC president.

• PCB said, "Such statements can spilt the Asian and international cricket communities."

The venue: The 2023 edition of the Asia cup has been allotted to Pakistan.

• The Asia Cup being held at neutral venues is not unprecedented.

• The 2018 Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in India, was also moved to the UAE after the BCCI couldn't procure clearance from government security agencies to host Pakistan.

6. ⚙️ ⚔️ Aatmanirbhar in defence

‘Fourth Positive Indigenisation List’ of 101 defence items was announced by PM Modi at DefExpo 2022.

• Highly complex systems, sensors, weapons and ammunition have been included in this list.

• The list has been prepared by the Defence Ministry after several rounds of consultations with all stakeholders, including the industry.

What's special: The list lays special focus on equipment/systems, which are being developed and likely to translate into firm orders in the next five to ten years.

• The list recognises the growing capacity and capabilities of the Indian defence industry.

• It is expected to stimulate the potential of domestic research and development by attracting fresh investment into technology and manufacturing capabilities.

7. 🎞️ 📽️ Kantara keeps going

Kantara is set to cross Rs 150 crore mark at the box office globally.

• The Hindi version earned Rs 11.15 crore in five days, while the Telugu version earned Rs 16 crore in four days.

• The low budget movie has already crossed Rs 100 crore mark.

What makes it special: The visual celebration of all things folk.

• The worship of deities and their intimate relationship with communities is the central plot.

• The movie maps the relationship between man and faith, man and his community, his ancestors, his environment, his land and his calling, his yearning and his nightmares.

• You can read the review here.

8. 🌾 Benefits of brand 'Bharat'

'One Nation, One Fertiliser' scheme was launched on Tuesday by PM Modi.

• The fertilisers in the country will be marketed under ‘Bharat’ brand name.

• This means, there will be a uniform design of fertiliser bags across the country, labeled as BHARAT UREA, BHARAT DAP, BHARAT MOP and BHARAT NPK etc.

Benefits: Affordable quality fertiliser of Bharat brand will be assured to the farmers.

• The cost of fertilisers will be reduced and their availability will increase.

• It will clear the confusion caused to farmers by multiple brands, as all DAP fertiliser brands must have 18 per cent Nitrogen and 46 per cent Phosphorus.