Best of BS Opinion: From winning to governing, the challenge starts now

From election upsets and disaster alerts to labour reform, media economics, and trauma narratives, today's Best of BS Opinion brings together sharp insights on policy, politics, and society

Hello and welcome to Best of BS Opinion, our wrap of the day's Opinion page.

 

With Assembly elections in five states now all but decided, our first editorial notes that the bottomline from the results - bar Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry - is this: Voters are looking for change. Tamil Nadu picked a political debutant as its next leader, while Kerala went back to the UDF after giving the LDF two terms. The real upheaval, though, was in West Bengal, where an entrenched Trinamool Congress - entrenched in power for 15 years - was rudely shown the door in a stunning upset following a record turnout. The real test, however, begins now as the winning teams must find ways to deliver on their pre-poll promises. As parties have discovered in the past, bridging the gulf between winning and governing can be challenging.  

 

 

The trial last Saturday of a nationwide mobile-based disaster warning system plugs a critical gap in India's readiness to deal with an extreme event, says our second editorial. The initiative aligns with global standards and builds on India’s existing Integrated Alert System “SACHET” platform. The urgency behind such a system is evident, given that India is increasingly exposed to extreme weather events. However, connectivity is uneven and device compatibility varies widely. Also, the credibility of an early warning system is dependent on accuracy, and incorrect alerts risk eroding public trust in the system. A way must also be found to make it inclusive for, and accessible to, vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those with disabilities. Most importantly, its effectiveness depends on public preparedness as well as institutional readiness to respond. 

 

Laveesh Bhandari and Bhuvana Anand argue that India’s continued adherence to early International Labour Organization conventions, especially the Hours of Work Convention, constrains domestic labour reform. They contend that disputes such as Karnataka’s 12-hour shift amendment become internationalised, limiting policy flexibility. With many major economies avoiding such commitments, India is unusually bound by rigid rules that may hinder productivity, formalisation, and competitiveness. The authors question whether trade-offs on wages and working conditions should be settled domestically or via Geneva-based mechanisms. Exiting outdated conventions, they suggest, would restore sovereignty without undermining core labour protections or worker welfare.

 

Writing in the context of The Devil Wears Prada 2 - which she says is more about journalism than fashion - Vanita Kohli-Khandekar argues that wealthy investors alone cannot rescue the media's fragile economics. Examples such as Jeff Bezos’s stewardship of The Washington Post show that funding may stabilise outlets but not guarantee editorial independence. As digital disruption erodes revenues and fuels misinformation, sustainable journalism depends on ownership structures that insulate editors from commercial and political pressures. Models like The Guardian trust or The Economist Group, though, demonstrate how governance safeguards quality. For India, therefore, the priority should be institutional checks that protect credible reporting, rather than just capital infusion.

 

In her review, Neha Bhatt examines Trauma Nation: Fighting India’s Silent Epidemic by Nishtha Lamba, which reframes trauma as a widespread, collective condition in India. Blending personal narratives with research, the book traces how trauma shapes bodies, relationships, and communities across generations. The book situates individual suffering within broader social and historical forces, including abuse and Partition. Bhatt notes the book’s balance of empathy and clinical rigour, alongside its focus on healing through therapy, resilience, and community support, offering a much-needed framework for addressing India’s vast unmet mental health needs.