23 November 2024

• Elections: Maharashtra: Mahayuti (BJP-led alliance) won 235 of 288 seats. BJP alone won 132 seats. Jharkhand: JMM-led INDIA bloc retained power with 56 of 81 seats.
• Climate: India ranked 10th in the Climate Change Performance Index 2025, with strengths in renewable energy and low per capita emissions.
• Environment: Paris Agreement's withdrawal process was highlighted as Argentina considered exiting under President Milei.
• Health: High-altitude sickness above 8,000 feet claimed a trekker's life in Uttarakhand.

GS area: Polity, Governance

The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election results on 23 November 2024 produced a sweeping victory for the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

• Total seats: 288 in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha.
• Mahayuti result: 235 seats.
  • BJP: 132 seats.
  • Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction): 57 seats.
  • NCP (Ajit Pawar faction): 41 seats.
• Maha Vikas Aghadi result: 51 seats.
  • Congress: 16 seats.
  • Shiv Sena (UBT, Uddhav Thackeray faction): 20 seats.
  • NCP (Sharad Pawar faction): 10 seats.
• Majority mark: 145 seats.
• Maharashtra's constitutional status: A bicameral legislature with Vidhan Sabha (288 seats) and Vidhan Parishad (upper house).
• Significance: The result validated the Mahayuti government's welfare schemes (Ladki Bahin Yojana for women's cash transfers) and farmer debt waiver.

Static linkage: Indian polity, state elections, political parties.

GS area: Polity, Governance

The Jharkhand Legislative Assembly election results on 23 November 2024 saw the JMM-led INDIA bloc retain power.

• Total seats: 81 in the Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha.
• JMM-led Mahagathbandhan (INDIA bloc): 56 seats.
  • JMM: 34 seats.
  • Congress: 16 seats.
  • RJD: 4 seats.
• BJP-led NDA: 25 seats.
  • BJP: 21 seats.
  • AJSU Party: 1 seat.
• Majority mark: 41 seats.
• Chief Minister: Hemant Soren retained power. He had been jailed on corruption charges earlier in 2024 and was released before the election.
• Significance: The JMM's victory was attributed to tribal welfare schemes and CM Soren's personal appeal among Scheduled Tribe voters.

Static linkage: Indian polity, state elections, federalism.

GS area: Environment, International Relations

The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2025 was released jointly by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network.

• India's rank: 10th overall. On track with climate commitments.
• India's strengths: High GHG emissions performance (per capita), rapid renewable energy expansion, low per capita carbon footprint.
• India's weaknesses: Heavy dependence on coal for power, limited coverage of transport and housing in climate policy.
• CCPI evaluates: 63 countries responsible for 90 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, on four indicators: GHG emissions, renewable energy, energy use and climate policy.
• Top performer: Denmark ranked 4th (the top 3 positions are kept empty because no country performed well enough to fill them).

Static linkage: Climate governance, India's climate commitments, international institutions.

GS area: International Relations, Environment

Argentina's reconsidering of the Paris Agreement commitment brought the withdrawal process into focus.

• Paris Agreement: Adopted 2015 at COP21. 195 parties. Goal: limit warming to 1.5°C to 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
• Withdrawal process: A party must wait three years from the date the agreement entered into force for them. Then file a notice of withdrawal. The withdrawal takes effect one year after the notification.
• Argentina under Milei: Argentina is the 24th largest GHG emitter. President Javier Milei has questioned the scientific basis of climate change and threatened Paris Agreement withdrawal.
• Precedent: The US under Trump withdrew in 2020 and rejoined in 2021 under Biden. Trump's 2024 election win raised the prospect of a second US withdrawal.

Static linkage: Climate change, international treaties, Paris Agreement.

GS area: Society, Governance, International Relations

The role of social media in political campaigns and misinformation was examined following the US elections.

• Misinformation risk: Algorithms amplify emotionally engaging (often divisive) content. False news spreads faster than accurate news on social media platforms.
• Positive role: Enhanced political participation. Marginalised voices reach larger audiences. Grassroots mobilisation is easier.
• Examples: US 2024 election social media campaigns. Palestine-Israel conflict: competing narratives on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Sri Lanka 2022 riots: social media mobilised both protesters and counter-violence.
• Regulatory response: Australia proposed legislation restricting social media for under-16 year olds. India's IT Rules 2021 require platforms to remove flagged content within 36 hours (24 hours for certain categories).

Static linkage: Technology and society, digital governance, democracy.

• High-altitude sickness (AMS): Occurs above 8,000 feet (2,400 metres). Types: HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, fluid in lungs) and HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema, fluid in brain). A trekker died in Uttarakhand from respiratory failure. Prevention: gradual ascent, maximum 500 metres per day, rest every 3-4 days above 3,000 metres.
• Uranium enrichment: Iran announced advanced centrifuge deployment following IAEA censure. Natural uranium contains 0.7 per cent fissile U-235 and 99.3 per cent U-238. Standard reactor fuel requires 3-5 per cent enrichment. Weapons-grade requires over 90 per cent.
• Ashtamudi Lake: In Kollam district, Kerala. Ramsar wetland (2002). Second-largest lake in Kerala. Faces sewage pollution and plastic contamination.