Tag: Assam elections

  • Serious re-evaluation of use of EVMs needs to be done by all parties: Priyanka

    Her remarks came over a video which surfaced on social media allegedly showing electronic voting machines (EVMs) in what was claimed to be the car of a BJP candidate in Assam.

  • Assam minister threatens to ‘vanish’ scribe; Congress seeks cancellation of his candidature

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI/MORIGAON: An Assam minister allegedly threatened to “vanish” two journalists of separate news channels for reporting a controversial poll speech of his wife, prompting the Congress to demand that his candidature for the assembly election be cancelled.

    A complaint has been filed by one of the journalists at Jagiroad police station in Morigaon district against Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Pijush Hazarika, but an FIR is yet to be registered, police said.

    In an audio clip telecast by Assamese news channel Pratidin Time, Hazarika was heard talking to journalist Nazrul Islam and, during the conversation, the minister threatened him and another scribe, Tulsi, to drag them out of their homes and “vanish” them.

    The BJP candidate said in the phone conversation, which has now gone viral, that he was “sad” because they reported the controversial statement of his wife Aimee Baruah made at a poll meeting a few days ago in Jagiroad, the constituency of her husband.

    In a viral video, Baruah was seen stating at the meeting that those not accepting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) would be thrown out of the country.

    The objective of the CAA is to grant Indian citizenship to people of minority communities Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who had come to India till December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in these countries.

    The state witnessed violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019 and five persons lost their lives.

    The protestors saw the law as a threat to their cultural identity and livelihood.

    In a memorandum to the Assam’s chief electoral officer, state Congress president Ripun Bora said, “Pijush Hazarika has found to have threatened a reporter with dire consequences for showing a video of his wife recorded during her election campaign in Jagiroad.”

    During the call, the BJP candidate stated that Islam should get ready to face the consequences for showing his wife’s news and the channel cannot save him, Bora alleged in the memorandum.

    “He also warned Nazrul Islam allegedly for doing ‘Miya Politics’ to support Congress and ‘Aajmal Party’ i. e. AIUDF and threatened him that he will spoil Nazrul Islam’s life,” it read.

    The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) led by Badruddin Ajmal is a constituent of the Congress-led Grand Alliance.

    The incident has put the democracy of the state under “serious threat” and the public are now under want of protection from such threats, the memorandum claimed.

    “That apart, the words ‘Miya Politics’, ‘Aajmal Party’ etc uttered. in the said call has directly aggravated the existing differences between the communities of the state and has created mutual hatred between them,” Bora said.

    The contents of the conversation by Hazarika clearly violated the Model Code of Conduct, and laws such as the Representation of People Act, 1951 he added.

    “Under such circumstances, I pray before your honour to take prompt and necessary action against Pijush Hazarika to disqualify his candidature from the present General Assembly Election and issue directions for filing FIR/Complaint against him,” Bora said.

    The Gauhati Press Club (GPC) also condemned the “act of intimidation in the strongest words” and said that it is very unbecoming of a public representative to threaten a journalist of dire consequences.

    The GPC also demanded that the safety and security of the journalists concerned should be ensured by the Election Commission and the state government.

  • Poll stars and dubious stats: A look at candidates’ criminal records

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Out of 6,318 candidates contesting in assembly elections in four states and a UT, 18 per cent have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to a report by poll rights group ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms).

    The National Election Watch and Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 6,318 out of 6,792 candidates who contested in the Union Territory of Puducherry and the four states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal till Phase 3 of assembly polls.

    Out of 6,318 candidates analysed, 1,157 (18 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits and 632 (10 per cent) candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    As many as 1,317 (21 per cent) are crorepatis.

    Of the 6,318 candidates, 567 were analysed from West Bengal (till phase 3) out of which 144 (25 per cent) declared criminal cases against themselves and 121 (21 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves, the report said.

    Of the 3,559 candidates analysed from Tamil Nadu, 466 (13 per cent) declared criminal cases against themselves and 207 (6 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    Of the 928 candidates analysed from Kerala, 355 (38 per cent) declared criminal cases against themselves and 167 (18 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    Of the 941 candidates analysed from Assam, 138 (15 per cent) declared criminal cases against themselves and 109 (12 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    Of the 323 candidates analysed from Puducherry, 54 (17 per cent) declared criminal cases against themselves and 28 (9 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    Among major political parties, 143 of the 191 candidates (75 per cent) from DMK have declared criminal cases against them and 55 (29 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    In AIADMK, of the 197 candidates analysed as many as 50 (25 per cent) declared criminal cases against themselves and 21 (11 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    In AITC, of the 107 candidates analysed as many as 29 (27 per cent) declared criminal cases against themselves and 23 (21 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    In the BJP, of the 319 candidates analysed as many as 163 (51 per cent) declared criminal cases against themselves and 108 (34 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    In Congress, of the 239 candidates analysed as many as 132 (55 per cent) declared criminal cases against themselves and 82 (34 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    In CPI(M), of the 126 candidates analysed as many as 77 (61 per cent) declared criminal cases against themselves and 39 (31 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    In CPI, of the 35 candidates analysed as many as 14 (40 per cent) declared criminal cases against themselves and 3 (9 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

    The report further said that there are 191 (31 per cent) out of 621 constituencies having 3 or more candidates with declared criminal cases which it called ‘Red Alert Constituencies’.

    About 74 of these Red Alert Constituencies were in Tamil Nadu, 75 in Kerala, 21 in West Bengal, 13 in Assam and eight in Puducherry.

    The Assam assembly polls will be conducted in three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6, while polling for the Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry assembly elections will take place in a single phase on April 6.

    Elections for the West Bengal assembly are being held in eight phases beginning with polling continuing till April 29, while counting of votes for the four states and one union territory will be done on May 2.

    (With PTI Inputs)

    A look at the findings of the study…

  • Bengal, Assam polls: Doom of Opposition in Modi’s crystal ball

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI/KOLKATA: The BJP has started predicting results even when elections are underway. In Assam, two of the three phases have been completed.

    In West Bengal, six more phases remain. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing election rallies in these two states on Thursday, said that BJP is going to win.

    Trying to strike a chord with the locals who love football, Modi said in Assam’s Kokrajhar that people of the state have shown the red card to the opposition alliance in the first two phases of elections. 

    “The whole of India knows football is very popular among the youth here. Given the sense I am getting after the two phases, people have shown red card to Congress-AIUDF combine,” Modi said while campaigning for the UPPL candidate.

    The UPPL and AGP are allies of BJP. Congress leads a 10-party alliance also including AIUDF.

    Following the line of his party in recent election rallies, the PM accused Congress of resorting to divisive politics and misleading people.

    “They instigated people made them fight. The NDA united them through the bridge of development. The Congress is responsible for the encroachment of land. NDA freed them,” he said.

    Stating that peace has returned to Assam, he said the NDA government was committed to help those who had abjured the path of violence. He appealed to those still wielding the gun to join the NDA’s mission for peace and progress.

    At a rally in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas, Modi lashed out at Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and said her body language showed she had accepted defeat.

    “Everyone has seen what has happened in Nandigram. She (Mamata) is the opinion poll, she is the exit poll. Mamata didi your body language is showing you have accepted defeat in Nandigram,’’ said Modi.

    The PM in his speech said Nandigram reflected Bengal’s mood.

    “What happened in Nandigram is the reflection of what Bengal wants now. Didi first changed her constituency and later realised, it was her wrong decision. Didi always stands as a barrier in the path of development. She destroyed Bengal’s industries. She ran the government for 10 years without any planning. BJP will be focussed on Bengal’s development after wresting power.”

    Reiterating BJP’s claim to whitewash the TMC-led government, Modi said: “The people of Bengal have decided to bring change. The BJP will come to power in the state with more than 200 seats. Six more phases of polling remain in West Bengal after Thursday.”

  • BJP counting on ‘positive votes’, outcome of government schemes to win Assam and Bengal

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Move over positive vibes! ‘Positive vote’ is the new buzzword in BJP. The saffron outfit is confident and saying that the people’s endorsements of the work done by the government at the Centre will translate into votes in the states where Assembly elections are held. 

    BJP boses are hoping that the party’s consolidation over ‘positive votes’ will get them an extended run in Assam and a new term in West Bengal after it helped them deliver a much better performance than senior alliance partner JD(U) in the recent Bihar elections.

    “BJP is no more looking at anti-incumbency votes in Bengal against Trinamool Congress. BJP had already bagged anti-incumbency votes there in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Now, it’s the positive vote that is coming to the aide of BJP in Bengal and Assam,” said a Union minister, who recently returned from electioneering in the two states.

    For BJP, ‘positive vote’ means people supporting the party candidate in the state elections due to the work done by the Central government, its welfare measures, and the appeal of PM Narendra Modi. 

    However, the BJP’s electioneering in Bengal has focussed more on highlighting the failure of the TMC government,  with thrust on syndicate, organised corruption, lack of development, non-implementation of Central schemes.

    “In Assam, development done by the NDA government along with the achievements of the Centre will help BJP gain a straight second mandate on the basis of positive votes. In Bengal, BJP has worked up the aspirations of the people to expect better things, due to party being in power at the Centre. That aspiration will get the positive vote for BJP,” said another Union minister, who has also been on election campaiging duty in Assam and Bengal. 

    Reflecting on Bengal, the minister claimed that TMC and BJP are pitched in a direct contest, with the Left and Congress failing to find space in people’s attention during the build-up to polling. But he says the party has to better its 2019 performance by several notches.

  • Three injured in firing by Assam Assembly Deputy Speaker’s bodyguards following clashes between BJP, AIUDF supporters

    By PTI
    SILCHAR: At least three persons were injured in firing by the bodyguards of Assam Assembly Deputy Speaker Aminul Haque Laskar on Thursday after clashes broke out between supporters of BJP and AIUDF.

    Cachar district Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli confirmed “an incident” and said the administration is waiting for a detailed report from the polling station at 463 Madhya Dhanehori LP School of Sonai constituency.

    “They are all non-critical,” she said when asked how many people were injured and their health status.

    When contacted the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam, Joint Chief Electoral Officer Rahul Chandra Das said they will be able to comment only after a detailed report is received from the Returning Officer.

    A huge contingent of police and central armed police forces have been deployed, while the district SP has rushed to the spot, officials said.

    According to the Dhanehori gaon panchayat president Lutfa Begum, public protested when Laskar entered the booth in late afternoon.

    “People alleged that he has tried to rig the voting. Many people rushed to the spot and confined Laskar in one room. Due to this the situation became tens. A clash broke out between supporters of Laskar and his opponent,” she added.

    Sitting MLA Laskar is having a direct contest with Karim Uddin Barbhuiya of the AIUDF at Sonai, where voting took place on Thursday in the second phase.

    “When a big crowd gathered and they tried to manhandle Laskar, his PSOs fired. In this, at least three persons were injured and they were admitted in hospitals,” Begum said.

    The wounded have been identified as Shamim Ahmed Choudhury, Baharul Islam and Kader Hussain, she added.

    Repeated calls made to IG (Law and Order)-cum-State Police Nodal Officer Deepak Kr Kedia and Cachar SP Bhanwar Lal Meena were disconnected.

    An estimated 72 per cent polling took place in Sonai, while Cachar saw a turnout of 72.28 per cent.

  • Second phase polls: 80.53 per cent turnout in Bengal, 73.03 per cent in Assam

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Assam recorded a voter turnout of 73.03 per cent on Thursday, while the figure stood at 80.53 per cent for West Bengal in the second phase of assembly polls in the two states.

    The Election Commission said these figures were till 5 pm.

    The second phase of polls in the two states was held peacefully across 21,212 polling stations spread over 69 assembly constituencies, it said.

    “The voter turnout reported by 5 pm from the 39 assembly constituencies of phase 2 in Assam is 73.03 per cent. The poll percentage reported from the 30 assembly constituencies of phase 2 in West Bengal is 80.43 per cent as of 5 pm,” the Commission said in a statement.

    It said the “non-functioning rate” of electronic voting machines during the poll is lesser than experienced in last few polls.

    It, however, did not explain the total number of machines replaced.

    During this phase, a total of 10620 ballot units, and an equal number of control units and VVPATs were used in West Bengal.

    In Assam, 10819 ballot units, 10592 control units and as many VVPATs were used.

    One control unit, at least one ballot unit and one VVPAT makes up for one EVM.

    During the ongoing elections till second phase, a record seizure of Rs.366.09 crore have been made from both the states.

    The seizure figure, which includes seizure of cash, liquor, narcotics and freebies, is more than six times higher than the total combined seizure of Rs 60.91 crore in assembly elections of 2016, the statement said.

    A total number of 1306 cases of Model Code of Conduct violations were reported through the cVIGIL app from Assam out of which 927 were disposed as of 4.30 pm.

    Similarly, 14499 cases were reported from West Bengal with 11630 disposed till 4.30 pm.

  • Will reach majority mark in Assam from results of first 2 phases: Congress

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The Congress on Thursday claimed that the alliance led by it will reach the majority mark of 64 in the 126-member Assam Assembly from the results of the first two phases of the election as the people of the state have responded to its “positive campaign”.

    Addressing a press conference here, AICC spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said that the Congress-led Grand Alliance is on track to achieve its target of winning 101 seats in the elections.

    The Congress, which was in power for 15 years in Assam since 2001, has formed a Grand Alliance with the AIUDF, BPF, Left parties, the RJD and others to fight the Assembly election against the BJP-led NDA.

    “With nearly 80 per cent polling in the first phase, the Congress is sweeping Upper Assam. Also, the information we are getting today, we will cross the majority mark after the second phase itself,” Vallabh said.

    An estimated 79.97 per cent of voters in 47 seats exercised their franchise in the first phase on March 27, while the second phase of voting for 39 seats took place on Thursday.

    The third phase of the election for the remaining 40 seats will be held on April 6.

    Senior Congress leader Manish Tiwari, who was also present at the press conference, said, “The Congress has contested this election with a very positive campaign. The people of the state have responded to it very enthusiastically.”

    The people of Assam should be very careful about protecting the Constitutional privileges that the state and North East have got, he said.

    Tiwari said, “If the BJP comes to power again in Assam or (states of) Northeast, it is not far that Constitutional guarantees to this region like Articles 371B, and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution will also be curtailed.

    Article 371B deals with special provisions with respect to Assam.

    The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram to safeguard the rights of the tribal population in these states.

    He said that the BJP abrogated the Article 370 which was about special provisions for Jammu and Kashmir, and brought an Act which will curtail the powers of the elected government of Delhi.

    “Their (BJP’s) idea of India is different from those who created the Constitution. They don’t understand India. And they do not understand the border states of India,” the Congress MP said.

    The former union minister said that the Assam election is very important for its future and is Constitutional position in the Indian perspective.

    “The NDA brought the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. This law is totally unconstitutional. Religion cannot be the basis to determine citizenship. When the Supreme Court will hear this, I fully hope that the law’s unconstitutionality will be out,” he said.

    The objective of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is to grant Indian citizenship to people of minority communities Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who had come to India till December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in these countries.

    The state witnessed violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019 and five persons lost their lives.

    The protestors saw the law as a threat to their cultural identity and livelihood.

    Tiwari said that the Congress-led UPA brought 27 crore people out of the Below Poverty Line category during its 10- year rule at the Centre.

    “This was stated by current Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her last budget speech. On the other hand, 27 crore people have fallen in BPL category in the last seven years of the NDA,” he said.

    India’s economy grew at 7.8 per cent during the UPA’s 10 years, while this year’s GDP growth rate is minus 7.7 per cent, he added.

    “Communal harmony is essential for the development of any state. The BJP’s electoral model is religious polarisation between Hindus and Muslims. It is not attached to any religion, but only power,” he said.

  • Bodoland Peoples Front candidate joins BJP in the midst of polls in Assam

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) candidate Rangja Khungur Basumatary Thursday joined BJP ahead of the third phase of poll in Assam when the constituency in which he is a contestant is slated to go to the poll.

    Basumatary had reportedly gone missing for two days and at around midnight on Wednesday, senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma had tweeted that he had met the BPF candidate, who would join the saffron party.

    BPF is an ally of the opposition Congress in Assam, where two out of the slated three phased poll got over on Thursday.

    “Official candidate of BPF and so called Congress-led alliance from Tamulpur LAC (legislative assembly constituency), Sri Ram Das Basumatary met me a short while ago. He has expressed his desire to Join @BJP4India and retire from the election,” Sarma tweeted.

    Rangja Khungur Basumatary is also known as Ram Das Basumatary.

    Basumatary told a local TV channel that he had decided to resign from BPF as the party did not lend any helping hand to him during the campaign.

    Efforts made to contact him failed as his phone was switched off.

    A statement by the Congress confirmed that Basumatary has joined the BJP on Thursday.

    Tamulpur constituency is in Baksa district under Bodoland Territorial Region and will go to the poll during the third phase on April 6.

    Reacting to the development, Congress MP Manish Tiwari said that Basumatary had gone missing due to threatening by BJPN and lambasted the saffron party for it.

    Never in India did such immoral activities take place during elections – you (BJP) threatened to use the National Investigation Agency against the party and the candidate.

    “You(BJP) want to win the poll by wrong means. This is a fascist mentality and it is BJP’s education. That party does not believe in democracy and democratic systems. This is absolutely the worst spectare of fascism that is on display in the Assam polls,” he told a press conference here.

    Tiwari demanded that the BJP government in the state tell the people what had happened to Basumatary for two days.

    “I demand a detailed probe into the incident by Election Commission. How come such an incident took place in front of the EC? Is the EC blindfolded?” the Congress leader said.

    AICC spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said a Congress delegation will meet the EC Thursday evening to seek deferment of voting in Tamulpur constituency and disqualification of Sarma, a senior Assam minister, from contesting and further campaigning for the state poll as he is a “repeat offender” of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

    Vallabh questioned why the EC was not checking Basumatary’s call records to find his whereabouts.

    “We demand that the call records of Basumatary be made public so that the people of Assam get to know what coercion, intimidation or what proposal forced him to join hands with the BJP,” Vallabh said.

    Commenting on the EC notice to Sarma for allegedly threatening BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary with using the NIA against him, Tiwari said “The EC issued the notice because it is convinced that such threatening language is not acceptable.

    “The EC prima facie found him guilty. It is a conspiracy against the candidate. It is an attempt to subvert the election process. They (BJP) don’t believe in democracy and that is why they are resorting to such practice of threatening a candidate who is in the poll contest.

    Sarma had said that he had got evidence of Mohilary’s alleged links with the recent recoveries of arms in Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) and the case was being given to the NIA for investigation.

    Later the state Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta had reportedly said that there was evidence of militant and his group in the arms recovery.

    “We ask the Gujarati Mama (referring to Sarma’s allegiance to BJP and that he is popularly called ‘Mama’) when did that evidence come? If it came before the MCC came into force, then why were you silent? It means you were indulging in a criminal offence. If it came after the MCC came into force, then how and who gave the evidence to you because police now reports to the Election Commission.

    “Yesterday the DGP said that he has all the information. Is it a coincidence or deliberate? DGP Sir why are you not taking any action? Who has tied your hands? By making such statements, you are not strengthening the democracy, but weakening it,” Vallabh added.

  • Assam polls: EC slaps notice on Himanta for ‘threat’ remarks on Hagrama Mohilary

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: The Election Commission has served a notice on Assam Minister and BJP stalwart Himanta Biswa Sarma for allegedly threatening Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) chief Hagrama Mohilary.

    He has been asked to explain his position on or before 5 pm of April 2 failing which “the Commission will make a decision without any further reference to you”.

    Two days ago, the Congress, which is an ally of the BPF, had lodged a complaint with the Commission alleging that Sarma had intimidated the rebel leader-turned-politician Mohilary.

    ALSO READ | People have shown red card to Congress-AIUDF alliance: PM Modi in Assam

    “…Wherein it has been alleged that Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP leader, and Cabinet Minister has openly threatened Shri Hagrama Mohilary, Chairperson of Bodoland People’s Front and INC alliance partner of sending him to jail by misusing the Central Agency NIA, and whereas, the party further alleged that by the said threats, Sh. Sarma has also attempted to influence the voters to not vote for INC alliance, including Sh. Mohilary’s party.

    “Whereas the Commission has obtained full transcript of Sh. Biswa Sarma’s statement from Chief Electoral Officer, Assam and whereas, the Commission is, prima facie, of the view that Sh. Sarma has violated the above said provisions of the Model Code of Conduct. Now, therefore, the Commission gives you an opportunity to explain your position in making the…statement on or before 5 pm of 2nd April,” the notice reads.

    Sarma allegedly threatened to send Mohilary to jail if he is found to encourage MD Batha, who purportedly returned to the jungle a year after he had laid down weapons.