MTO - All Editorials Snapshot: 22-October-2025

The Hindu Editorials snapshot

Editorial 1

Bihar Elections 2025 – Schemes, Caste, and Cold Political Arithmetic

With Bihar’s two-phase Assembly elections scheduled for November 6 and 11, 2025, both the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Mahagathbandhan are calibrating alliances and populist promises to maximise votes. The NDA has finalised its seat-sharing formula smoothly: the BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each, while smaller allies — the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha — share the rest. By contesting an equal number of seats with the JD(U), the BJP underscores its dominant role in the alliance and hints that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership may not be guaranteed even if the alliance wins again.

The BJP’s campaign merges caste-based strategies with broader identity politics aimed at youth, women, farmers, and senior citizens, using welfare schemes and cash grants—such as ₹10,000 to women entrepreneurs—as tools of electoral influence. Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD and Congress with Left allies, struggles with internal mistrust and leadership friction. Despite their uneasy partnership, they remain each other’s electoral necessity. However, the opposition’s promises, seen by many as unrealistic, fail to project credible optimism. Bihar’s electoral contest, thus, is less about long-term governance and more about short-term populism and power calculations—a reflection of both voter fatigue and the deep-rooted politics of caste and welfare dependency.

Editorial 2

Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions – A Self-Inflicted Security Crisis

Pakistan’s resurgence of violence along the Afghan border highlights the collapse of a strategy that once sought to control rather than contain extremism. When the Taliban regained power in August 2021, Islamabad hailed their victory as a regional gain, expecting loyalty in return for decades of support. Instead, the Taliban’s rule in Kabul has emboldened the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which shares its ideology but targets the Pakistani state. Militant attacks in Pakistan — especially in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province — have spiked, with thousands killed this year alone. Pakistan’s recent air strikes on Afghan soil, in response to TTP violence, mark a dangerous escalation and mimic India’s counterterrorism doctrine of retaliatory strikes.

This approach oversimplifies a deeply structural conflict. Pakistan shelters the same ideology it now seeks to suppress. Its decades-long policy of nurturing militant groups for strategic depth against neighbours has now turned inward, destabilising its own frontier. The Afghan Taliban refuse to recognise the Durand Line and bristle at Pakistan’s mass deportation of Afghan refugees, intensifying hostility. Simultaneously, India’s measured diplomatic engagement with Kabul has unsettled Islamabad further. The truth is that Pakistan’s internal security cannot be restored through air strikes or projection of force. Only a fundamental shift — rejecting proxy politics, engaging diplomatically with Kabul, and rebuilding inclusive governance at home — can stem the spiral of insecurity engulfing the nation.

The Indian Express Editorials snapshot

Editorial 3

The Louvre Heist – When Metaphor Became Reality

The spectacular daylight robbery at the Louvre in Paris has transformed a cliché into a vivid reality. “Daylight robbery,” often used to describe high prices or taxes, regained its literal meaning when four thieves — two executing the theft and two assisting their escape — carried out one of the most audacious museum heists in modern memory. In just eight minutes, the robbers scaled a ladder, smashed through a window, and stole nine priceless jewels, including an emerald necklace, a sapphire necklace, and a diadem worn by Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. Their swift escape on scooters through the streets of Paris left authorities and the public alike stunned.

Unlike elaborate cinematic plots such as Ocean’s Eleven, the heist relied not on deception or digital trickery but on sheer speed and the element of surprise — proof that in real life, the simplest plans can often succeed where overcomplication fails. The crime also exposes vulnerabilities in even the most secure institutions and reminds us how spectacle and fear can paralyse bystanders into inaction. As investigators seek the culprits, the “Louvre Heist” stands as both a daring exploit and a commentary on human psychology — one where shock and awe replace subtlety, and fiction mirrors fact.

Editorial 4

Trump’s Volatility and Putin’s Confidence – Why Peace in Ukraine Remains Elusive

President Donald Trump’s unpredictable handling of the Ukraine war underscores how fragile the path to peace has become. Nearly four years into the conflict, his shifting positions — from threatening sanctions on Russia to endorsing Moscow’s demands for Ukraine’s territorial concessions and back again — have deepened uncertainty among allies. Most recently, Trump has urged both sides to “stop where they are,” implying that large parts of Donbas should remain under Russian control, effectively legitimising occupation. This reversal has dismayed Kyiv, which continues to seek Western support for full territorial restoration, and has alarmed European nations dependent on U.S. leadership.

Russia, meanwhile, has tested regional boundaries with drone incursions into NATO territory and airspace violations over Poland, Romania, and the Baltics — demonstrations of power that signal Moscow’s growing audacity. For Europe, the dilemma is stark: while the U.S. oscillates between aggressive support and concessionary diplomacy, Europe must assume greater responsibility to ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and security guarantees endure. The upcoming Trump-Putin summit in Hungary, hosted by pro-Russia Prime Minister Viktor Orban, reinforces fears that Ukraine’s future could be negotiated without its participation. With an erratic United States and an assertive Russia, the burden now falls on Europe to prevent a peace that rewards aggression and undermines the global order built around territorial integrity and collective defence.

Top Vocabulary Picks from Today’s Editorials

Word	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Erratic	Unpredictable or inconsistent	Irregular, volatile	Steady, consistent
Emboldened	Made more confident or strong	Encouraged, empowered	Discouraged, weakened
Pendulum	Swing between different positions or opinions	Fluctuation, alternation	Stability, balance
Ceasefire	Agreement to stop fighting temporarily	Truce, armistice	Hostilities, conflict
Concessions	Compromises made during negotiation	Adjustments, yields	Demands, refusals