The Hindu Editorial (Cost of success) – May 07, 2026

To read this article, click “The Hindu”.

This preview is provided here with permission.

Courtesy: The Hindu

The Hindu Editorial (Cost of success) – May 07, 2026:

cost (noun) – the loss, damage, or penalty involved in achieving a goal; price, sacrifice, toll, penalty.
Cost of success (phrase) – the negative consequences, sacrifices, or compromises made in order to achieve a victory or desired outcome; price of victory, toll of achievement, burden of winning, fallout.
path (noun) – a course of action or way of achieving a specified result; method, approach, route, trajectory.
undermine (verb) – weaken, subvert, sabotage, compromise.
health (noun) – the general condition, state, or soundness of a system or organization; condition, state.
polity (noun) – a politically organized society, state, or nation, or the form of government of such a unit; political system, political organization.
take oath (phrase) – to make a formal promise to fulfill the duties of an office before officially assuming power; swear in, assume office, take power.
yet again (phrase) – once more, for another time, anew.
switch sides (phrase) – to change one’s allegiance from one political party, group, or cause to another; defect, cross over, change loyalties, flip.
central (adjective) – of the greatest importance to a situation or organization; main, chief, principal, key.
figure (noun) – personality, individual, person, leader.
ticket (noun) – candidacy, nomination, endorsement, mandate.
consecutive (adjective) – successive, in a row, continuous, back-to-back.
Assembly (noun) – a body of people elected to make laws for a state; legislative assembly, state legislature, parliament, Vidhan Sabha.
seat (noun) – constituency, electoral district.
reshape (verb) – reorganize, alter, change, transform.
exceptional (adjective) – extraordinary, uncommon, rare.
organisational ability (noun) – the capacity to plan, arrange, and manage resources or people effectively to achieve political or institutional goals; managerial skill, administrative capability, coordination skill.
rhetoric (noun) – the art of speaking or writing effectively, often characterized by persuasive but sometimes divisive or empty language; bombast, loftiness, hyperbole/extravagant language.
partisan (adjective) – biased, prejudiced, one-sided, discriminatory.
state power (noun) – the authority and capacity of the government to govern, enforce laws, and manage public affairs; government authority, sovereign power.
infrastructure (noun) – the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a society.
push (noun) – a vigorous or determined attempt or effort to achieve something; effort, drive, initiative, campaign.
welfare (noun) – social well-being, social security, public assistance, benefit.
Orunodoi scheme (noun) – an umbrella poverty alleviation programme of the Government of Assam that provides monthly direct financial assistance to vulnerable households, primarily targeting women to empower them financially.
direct cash transfer (noun) – the electronic transfer of government subsidies or financial assistance directly into the bank accounts of targeted beneficiaries.
Mission Basundhara (noun) – a flagship public service delivery initiative by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Government of Assam, mandated to streamline, update, and digitise land records to protect land rights and resolve public grievances.
flagship (adjective) – representing the best, most important, or primary initiative of an organization or government; premier, leading, principal, primary.
streamline (verb) – rationalize, simplify, organize, optimize.
digitise (verb) – computerize, electronically record, digitalize, modernize.
enable (verb) – facilitate, make possible, permit, allow.
deep (adjective) – extensive, profound, intense, thorough.
expansion (noun) – growth, enlargement, extension, spreading.
along with (phrase) – together with, in addition to, accompanying, alongside.
measure (noun) – action, step, procedure, move.
delimitation (noun) – the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body.
constituency (noun) – a body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body; electoral district, voting area, seat.
landscape (noun) – the distinctive features of a particular situation or intellectual activity; scenario, environment, condition, situation.
implication (noun) – consequence, result, ramification, repercussion.
dynamics (noun) – the forces or properties that stimulate growth, development, or change within a system or process; forces, mechanisms, changes, interplay.
perceived (verb) – seen, regarded, considered, viewed.
command (verb) – have control over, hold, possess, exercise.
ruling (adjective) – currently exercising authority or in control of the government; governing, reigning, in power, leading.
coalition (noun) – alliance, union, partnership, bloc.
decimate (verb) – destroy, wipe out, annihilate, severely weaken.
the Opposition (noun) – rival parties, political opponents, challengers.
render (verb) – to cause to be or become; make, cause to be, leave, turn into.
inconsequential (adjective) – not important or significant; insignificant, unimportant, trivial, negligible.
consolidate (verb) – strengthen, stabilize, reinforce.
spectrum (noun) – a wide range of different positions, opinions, or groups of people; range, variety, array, scope.
fragmented (adjective) – broken or separated into distinct parts; divided, splintered, fractured, disconnected.
dilute (verb) – weaken, reduce, diminish, lessen.
linguistic (adjective) – relating to language or the study of language; language-based, lingual, phonetic, dialectal.
ethnic (adjective) – relating to a population subgroup with a common national or cultural tradition.
sharply (adverb) – distinctly, intensely, strongly, abruptly.
polarise (verb) – to divide or cause to divide into two sharply contrasting groups or sets of opinions or beliefs; divide, separate, split, fracture.
religious line (phrase) – boundaries or divisions within a society based on religious affiliations; faith-based division, communal divide.
carve out (phrasal verb) – to create or establish something through careful effort; create, form, establish, make.
packing and cracking (phrase) – an electoral manipulation strategy where specific demographic groups are disproportionately concentrated into a few districts (packing) or dispersed across many districts (cracking) to dilute their political representation; gerrymander, manipulate boundaries, redistrict unfairly, skew constituencies.
in ways that (phrase) – in a manner that, such that, to the extent that.
suppress (verb) – stifle, repress, curb, restrict.
representation (noun) – participation, presence, voice, delegation.
mirror (verb) – reflect, match, parallel, correspond to.
binary (noun) – a system or situation consisting of two mutually exclusive or contrasted parts; dichotomy, duality, split.
Eviction (noun) – expulsion, removal, clearance, ousting.
drive (noun) – campaign, movement, effort, initiative.
disproportionately (adverb) – unevenly, unequally, inordinately, heavily.
displace (verb) – to force someone to leave their home, typically because of war, persecution, or official policy; uproot, dislocate, force out, move.
frame (verb) – to formulate or present an idea or action in a particular way; present, portray, define, describe.
anti-encroachment (adjective) – relating to actions or operations aimed at removing illegal occupations or unauthorized structures on public or private land.
widely (adverb) – broadly, extensively, universally, generally.
seen as (phrase) – perceived as, regarded as, considered to be, viewed as.
selective (adjective) – discriminatory, biased, specific, particular.
governance (noun) – administration, management, rule, government.
commensurately (adverb) – proportionately, correspondingly, equally, equivalently.
legitimate (adjective) – valid, lawful, authentic, justifiable.
utmost (adjective) – most extreme or greatest; maximum, highest, greatest, supreme.
attention (noun) – the action of dealing with or taking special care of someone or something; focus, consideration, observation, scrutiny.
long-term (adjective) – lasting, enduring, prolonged, sustained.
interest (noun) – the advantage or benefit of a person or group; benefit, advantage.
as a whole (phrase) – entirely, altogether, collectively, generally.
reflect (verb) – show, display, demonstrate, indicate.
secure (verb) – obtain, acquire, gain.