The Hindu Editorial (Split wide open) – May 13, 2026
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The Hindu Editorial (Split wide open) – May 13, 2026:
- split (noun) – division within a political party or group; separation, break-up, rift, schism.
- split wide open (phrase) – to experience a complete, severe, and highly public division into opposing factions; completely fractured, deeply divided, entirely broken apart, visibly severed.
- seem (verb) – appear, look, sound.
- set (adjective) – ready and positioned to do something; prepared, poised, likely, positioned.
- on the path of (phrase) – heading in a certain direction or towards a specific outcome; moving towards, proceeding towards, tending toward.
- self-destruction (noun) – the act of causing one’s own downfall or ruin; ruin, self-harm, self-sabotage, collapse.
- It is no surprise that (phrase) – as expected, predictably, unsurprisingly, naturally.
- principal (adjective) – main, primary.
- Opposition party (noun) – the political party that holds the second-largest number of seats in a legislature and opposes the ruling government; adversary, opponent.
- Assembly (noun) – a body of elected representatives who make laws for a state; legislature, legislative body, parliament, lower house.
- head towards (phrasal verb) – to move or proceed in a particular direction; move towards, go towards, proceed towards, aim for.
- face (verb) – to encounter or have to deal with a difficult situation; confront, experience, tackle, endure.
- successive (adjective) – consecutive, continuous, sequential, unbroken.
- setback (noun) – problem, difficulty, hitch, blow.
- apart from (phrase) – in addition to or as well as; besides, except for, other than, excluding.
- parliamentary (adjective) – relating to the laws, members, or proceedings of a parliament; legislative, lawmaking, governmental.
- as of now (phrase) – at the present time; currently, at present, at the moment, for the time being.
- Dravidian (adjective) – relating to the socio-political movements and regional parties of South India, specifically Tamil Nadu; regional, southern.
- major (noun) – an important or highly prominent political party; major player, powerhouse.
- divide over (phrasal verb) – to have a disagreement that splits people into opposing groups; disagree about, split over, differ on, clash over.
- until recently (phrase) – up to a short time ago; lately, previously, not long ago.
- the Leader of Opposition (noun) – the politician who leads the official opposition in the legislature.
- written submission (noun) – a formal document or written statement presented to an authority for a ruling; written plea, official statement, formal declaration.
- Pro-tem (adjective) – appointed to occupy a position temporarily; temporary, provisional, interim, acting.
- Speaker (noun) – the presiding officer of a legislative assembly; chairperson, presiding member, house leader.
- regarding (preposition) – in respect of or concerning; about, with respect to, with reference to, in relation to.
- claim (noun) – a formal request or assertion of a right to something; assertion, declaration, profession, statement.
- strength (noun) – the number of people comprising a group, typically denoting majority support; number, numerical advantage, majority.
- faction (noun) – a smaller, organized, dissenting group within a larger one; group, section, camp, splinter group.
- dissident group (noun) – a group that strongly disagrees with and opposes the established leadership; rebel group, breakaway faction, nonconformist wing.
- legislator (noun) – a person who makes laws as an elected member of a legislative body; lawmaker, representative, elected official, MLA.
- colleague (noun) – fellow worker, associate, co-worker, partner.
- sympathies (noun) – feelings of support, agreement, or loyalty to a person or cause; support, favor, alignment, backing.
- lie (verb) – to exist, reside, or be found in a particular place or situation; exist, reside, be present, sit.
- outreach (noun) – the extent or length of an organization’s involvement and engagement with people; engagement, connection, involvement, communication.
- significance (noun) – importance, consequence, relevance, magnitude.
- due to (phrase) – because of, owing to, as a result of, on account of.
- move (verb) – to formally propose a motion or application to a presiding officer; formally request, propose, submit, petition.
- trust vote (noun) – a legislative process to prove that the government or a leader enjoys the majority support in the house; vote of confidence, floor test, majority test.
- the House (noun) – the legislative assembly or chamber where lawmakers meet; legislative assembly, parliament, legislative body, chamber.
- occasion (noun) – instance, time, moment, occurrence.
- publicly (adverb) – in a manner that is visible or known to the public; openly, in public, transparently, prominently.
- legislature (noun) – the deliberative body of elected persons empowered to make or change laws; lawmaking body, assembly, parliament, house.
- functionary (noun) – a person who performs official functions or duties within a political party; official, office-bearer, administrator, representative.
- camp (noun) – faction, group, wing, coterie.
- consent (noun) – permission or agreement for something to happen; agreement, approval, permission, assent.
- to the effect that (phrase) – used to indicate the general meaning or implication of something; implying that, meaning that, suggesting that, indicating that.
- cite (verb) – quote, refer to, point to, adduce as evidence.
- the Shiv Sena case finding/verdict (May 2023) (proper noun) – It is a landmark Constitution Bench verdict by the Supreme Court of India ruling that the political party, not its legislative wing, holds the exclusive authority to appoint the Chief Whip and the Leader of the House, while also establishing that a Governor cannot use a floor test to resolve intra-party disputes.
- hold (verb) – formally rule, decide, or establish by a court of law; rule, decide, declare, judge.
- Whip (noun) – an official appointed by a political party to maintain discipline among its elected members in the legislature, ensure their attendance, and regulate their voting behaviour; party disciplinarian, floor manager, enforcer, party manager.
- take cognisance of (phrase) – to take official notice of or consider formally; notice, attend to, take into account, acknowledge.
- office-bearer (noun) – a person who holds an official position in an organization or political party; official, functionary, officer, administrator.
- given (preposition) – taking into account or considering a specific factor; considering, taking into account, bearing in mind, in view of.
- nominee (noun) – candidate, appointee, choice, delegate.
- disqualification (noun) – elimination, barring, exclusion, invalidation.
- rebel (adjective) – dissenting, insubordinate, nonconformist, mutinous.
- paragraph 2(1)(b) of the 1985 anti-defection law (noun) – a constitutional provision in the Tenth Schedule stating that an elected member can be disqualified for voting or abstaining contrary to their party’s whip without prior permission.
- anti-defection law (noun) – the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, enacted in 1985, which penalizes lawmakers who defect from their original political party; anti-party-hopping law, defection prevention act.
- in case (phrase) – in the event that, if, if it happens that, assuming.
- dissident (noun) – a person who opposes the official policy or leadership of their political party; dissenter, objector, protester, rebel.
- violate (verb) – breach, break, contravene, disobey.
- merge (verb) – join, amalgamate, unite, combine.
- secure (verb) – to succeed in obtaining or achieving something; obtain, acquire, gain, achieve.
- In the case of (phrase) – in the matter of or in relation to someone or something; regarding, with respect to, as for, concerning.
- draw on (phrasal verb) – to use information or resources to help do something; make use of, rely on, utilize, exploit.
- assess (verb) – evaluate, judge, gauge, determine.
- merits (noun) – the intrinsic rights and wrongs of a case, distinct from legal technicalities; value, worth, validity, rightness.
- churn (noun) – a state of significant political or institutional agitation and upheaval; turmoil, unrest, disruption, agitation.
- likely (adjective) – probable, expected, possible, anticipated.
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It is no surprise that the AIADMK, the principal Opposition party in the previous Tamil Nadu Assembly, is heading towards a split, having faced a second successive setback in the recent Assembly election, apart from several defeats in parliamentary elections… For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Split wide open) – May 13, 2026.