Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora said when the EC assesses the law-and-order situation, it is based on several factors.
Tag: BJP
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12 MLAs joining BJP: Goa speaker reserves verdict on disqualification pleas
By PTI
PANAJI: Goa Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar on Friday reserved his verdict on disqualification petitions filed against 12 MLAs who had left their parties to join the ruling BJP.The disqualification petitions were filed in August, 2019 by Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar and MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar.
While the Congress has challenged the entry of 10 of its MLAs into the BJP, the MGP’s plea is against two of its legislators who also crossed over to the ruling side.
Advocate Abhijit Gosawi, representing Chodankar, told reporters on Friday evening that the Speaker heard the matter during the day and had reserved the verdict.
The last hearing on the petitions was held in February last year, after which, irked by the delay, Chodankar had approached the Supreme Court.
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Polls announcement: Congress welcomes decision, says people will give ‘befitting’ reply to BJP
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday welcomed the Election Commission’s announcement of the schedule of assembly elections in four states and a Union territory and said people will give a “befitting reply” to the BJP for its “anti-people” policies.The Opposition party also hoped that the Election Commission, fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities, will conduct the elections impartially without any “fear or favour”.
Reacting to the announcement of the poll schedule by the Election Commission, senior Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal said, “We are confident that the people of the four states and a Union Territory will give a befitting reply to the BJP for its mis-governance and anti-people policies.”
“The BJP will be defeated and democracy will win again. Feelings will awaken for the bright future of the people,” the AICC in-charge administration said.
Voting for the five assembly elections will begin on March 27, with West Bengal conducting the maximum eight phases continuing till April 29, and votes for the polls in the four states and one union territory will be counted on May 2, the Election Commission said on Friday.
Some Congress leaders raised questions over the the Election Commission (EC) announcing eight-phase assembly polls in West Bengal.
While senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar alleged that the poll panel in a way has tried to help the BJP, Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan wondered if there were any “nefarious plans”.
“If voting for Kerala-140, Tamil Nadu-234 and Puducherry-30 (total 404 seats) can be conducted in a single phase, why Assam-126 and West Bengal-294 (total 420 seats) require 7 & 8 phases? Are there any nefarious plans?” Chavan asked.
Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill too lashed out at the EC as well as the Centre.
“On one hand, the BJP Govt parrots idea of ‘One Nation One Election’ and on the other hand EC announces 8 phase election for Bengal which shows vast difference between fictional world of sloganeering and reality of implementation,” he said in a tweet.
Bansal slammed the BJP over its policies such as demonetisation and GST and said the government is to be squarely blamed for rising fuel prices and inflation which has hurt the common man.
Asked about its alliances and poll preparation, Bansal said, “We are presently in touch with all our allies and all our associations and electoral alliances will be worked out. We will be in a position to share something only when the final picture is clear.”
On a question about Opposition’s scepticism of EVMs, Bansal said, “Our demand at this juncture is not going to matter. The Election Commission has announced this, I would with all the respect say — today this question is conjecturer, because the dates have been announced.”
“They have worked out the schedule, they have moved on with the premise of EVMs, so whatever stands we had taken from time to time. we have to go by this,” Bansal said.
“We only expect the Election Commission to go by the rule book and conduct the elections in a fair manner without fear or favour,” he said.
As many as 18.68 crore voters will be eligible to cast their votes at 2.7 lakh polling stations for 824 assembly seats across Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
The elections for the five assemblies are expected to witness a determined attempt by the BJP to put a strong show, including in Assam where it is already in power, as well as in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry where the saffron party has been pushing hard in recent years.
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Will approach polls with agenda of development and form governments: BJP on polls
Voting for the Assembly polls in four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry will begin on March 27, with West Bengal to witness the maximum of eight phases of polling.
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Bengal gears up for neck-to-neck fight between TMC and BJP
Express News Service
KOLKATA: As West Bengal is set for an eight-phase poll schedule, the ruling TMC is gearing up for a neck-to-neck fight with the BJP which not only made deep inroads into the state but also emerged as her arch-rival since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.Political observers opined that the upcoming poll battle will be Mamata’s fight for survival as the saffron camp increased its stake in Bengal’s electoral arena significantly by bagging around 40% vote share, only 3% behind the ruling party. Though the Left Front and Congress formed an alliance, the elections are considered as an eyeball-to-eyeball contact between the TMC and the saffron camp.
“It doesn’t matter in how many phases the elections will be held. We are all set to participate in the game and win it,” said Mamata, shortly after the election schedule was announced.
But the lieutenants of the TMC supremo don’t think it will be a cakewalk for TMC. “The BJP’s vote share was 10.16% in the 2016 Assembly elections and it shot up to 40.7% in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections which triggered a massive jolt to our party. It will be a tooth and nail battle,” said a senior TMC leader. In the 2011 Assembly elections, BJP’s vote share was 4.06%.
ALSO READ | Bengal poll schedule fixed to please Modi and Shah, alleges Mamata
Political analysts said it will be a prestigious fight for Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who repeatedly claimed to bag more than 200 seats and a battle for Mamata’s survival. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP secured the lead in 121 Assembly constituencies out of 294.
“Posing a threat to TMC’s dominance and Mamata’s charisma over a period of 10 years in Bengal politics in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP surfaced as a strong contender against the ruling party. This election is a litmus test for the saffron camp and the state is likely to witness a tough electoral contest. Since there was a largescale exodus from the TMC to the BJP in the recent past, Mamata’s party might collapse with cascading effect if she fails to retain Bengal,” said Bishnupriya Dutta Gupta, a political scientist.
BJP’s state vice-president Jayprakash Majumdar, however, ruled out the possibility of the tough contest with the TMC. “The electorates of Bengal have made their mind. Mamata Banerjee’s party has already lost the battle. She is still in power because of the constitutional process. We will whitewash her party in the upcoming Assembly elections.”
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Akhilesh counters Adityanath’s jibe on red caps, says colour reflects emotions
By PTI
MIRZAPUR: After Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a dig at opposition parties over the colourful caps their MLAs wear in the Assembly, it was Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav’s turn Friday to hit back.“It seems the CM had eaten some red chillies in his childhood, that’s why he is scared of the Samajwadis’ red cap,” Yadav told reporters here.
“Red is the colour of emotions. Our grief and happiness are reflected on our faces by this colour. It shows our blood,” he said.
Indirectly, he mocked the RSS for the colour of the caps worn by its volunteers.
“We can also say that those who have black hearts wear black caps,” he said.
Referring to the chief minister’s remarks made in the state legislature earlier, Yadav further said, “Thok denge’ (will shoot you) and ‘patak ke marenge’ (will beat u) cannot be spoken in the House, which is a temple of democracy.”
Taking a dig at the Opposition in the Assembly on Wednesday, Adityanath had said the House should not be taken lightly as a “drama company” with some members sporting caps in red, some blue, some yellow or even green.
“It would have looked nice if you had used a turban or a ‘safa’,” he said smilingly, reaching out to Leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary sitting on the opposite side with his Samajwadi Party’s bright red cap on.
In an obvious reference to the SP members who wear red caps, Adityanath recalled that he had once been to village school when a child called a politician sporting a cap as “goonda” (hooligan).
“There, an “anna prashan” (a ceremony where a child takes cereals for the first time) function was also organised. At that function, some people belonging to a certain political party rushed in to lodge protest. They were donning caps.
A toddler, who was there with his mother for the ceremony, was surprised to see them and screamed, “Mummy, mummy . look goonda, goonda.” the CM said.
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Digvijaya Singh challenges BJP to discuss, debate farm laws with him
By PTI
BHOPAL: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh on Friday said the Centre must keep the three new farm laws in abeyance for one and a half years and challenged the ruling BJP to discuss and debate it with him clause by clause.He was speaking at a press conference called to announce the holding of ‘kisan mahapanchayats’ (deliberative congregations) in Delanpur in Ratlam on March 4, followed by Digthan in Dhar, in Badnagar in Ujjain and Shajapur on March 5, and in Shyampur in Sehore on March 6.
He said the ‘kisan mahapanchayats’ will be apolitical events and those attending will carry national flags and not ones associated with parties or outfits.
“If the government is serious about farmers, it must bring an ordinance to hold in abeyance the three agriculture laws for one-and-a-half years. For three months, farmers have been protesting, but no solution could be found due to the arrogance of the Central government,” Singh said.
Terming the three laws as “totally anti-farmer”, Singh challenged BJP leaders to discuss them clause by clause with him on any open forum.
“I am ready to prove these laws are against farmers,” Singh said.
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‘Are poll dates announced as per suggestions of Modi, Shah?’: Mamata questions eight-phase elections
By PTI
KOLKATA: Many Opposition parties including the Trinamool Congress Friday questioned the need for a eight-phase election in West Bengal even as BJP leaders welcomed the Election Commission’s decision and said anti-social elements need to be controlled for peaceful polls.The EC announced that voting for five assembly elections will begin on March 27 and continue till April 29, while counting of votes will be done on May 2.
Elections in West Bengal will be held on March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29 while Assam will have three-phase polls on March 27, April 1 and April 6.
Polling for Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry assembly elections will take place in a single phase on April 6.
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said while announcing the poll schedule said that this time West Bengal will have one more phase compared to seven in 2016.
Expressing her displeasure, TMC boss and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “With all due respect to the Election Commission, I want to say that questions are being raised on why elections will be held in so many phases in Bengal while other states will be voting in one phase.
If EC doesn’t provide justice to the people, where will the people go.”
She, however, said despite “all these tricks”, she will win the elections.
“I have information from my sources that the poll dates are similar to the ones BJP wanted.
Have the dates been announced as per the suggestions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah?” she asked at a press conference in Kolkata.
BJP national secretary Kailash Vijayvarghia, however, welcomed the eight- phase elections in West Bengal and said that it was imperative to conduct fair polls.
“Along with the announcement of elections, anti-social elements will also have to be controlled for peaceful elections in West Bengal.
Also, fair officers should also be appointed in every district of the state so that there is no disturbance in the election,” he said in a tweet.
CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya seemed unable to fathom the “numbers game”.
“Five-day test match in Chennai becomes a two-day affair in Ahmedabad. One-day election in Tamil Nadu gets stretched over eight phases in West Bengal. Can any of you explain this numbers game?” he asked in a tweet.
Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan wondered if there were any “nefarious plans”.
“If voting for Kerala-140, Tamil Nadu-234 and Puducherry-30 (total 404 seats) can be conducted in a single phase, why Assam-126 and West Bengal-294 (total 420 seats) require 7 & 8 phases? Are there any nefarious plans?” he asked.
BJP MP from Bengal Babul Supriyo welcomed the EC move and said that it was time for change in the state.
“8 phase election in Bengal. I want change, I want BJP in Bengal,” he said in a tweet.
Senior Assam minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed the election in his which goes to polls in three phases starting March 27.
“Assam Assembly Polls are announced and we seek your blessing to form government again. We’re grateful for your faith & cooperation in last 5 years during which Assam witnessed stupendous growth. We promise to continue the same under the leadership of Hon PM Sri @narendramodi,” Sarma tweeted.
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Assam polls: BJP set to take on two rival coalitions, braces for fierce fight
Express News Service
GUWAHATI: Unlike in the past, the Assam elections will be fought among coalitions of parties.To take on the might of BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) combine and six political parties led by the Congress, has formed a grand alliance of Opposition. The other parties in it are All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), CPI, CPM, CPI-ML, and regional Anchalik Gana Morcha.
There is also the united front of Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Raijor Dal, and Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC). The AJP was floated by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad while the Raijor Dal was formed by 70 organisations.
Ditched by ally BJP, the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) is now weighing options. BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary on Friday said his party favours a strategic alliance with the anti-BJP forces provided they agree not to contest in the 12 seats in the four districts of Bodoland Territorial Region. Currently, all the seats are held by the party.
“No party can form the next government without our support,” Mohilary asserted. The BPF was a constituent of the previous two Congress governments. It still is a part of BJP-led government but cornered.
The BJP has set a goal of winning “100 plus” of the 126 seats together with allies. But its worries over the coming together of Congress and AIUDF and the birth of AJP and Raijor Dal are palpable.
“The andolankaris (agitationists) have emerged with different names to cause a split of BJP votes. Their goal is to help Congress, which fired on the youth and killed hundreds of them during the Assam Agitation (of the 1980s), win the elections,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said in Assam on Thursday, attacking the Congress and the AJP.
The BJP’s Assam president Ranjit Dass believed the party would retain power for its “achievements and activities”.
“The AIUDF-Congress combine may have some relevance in Lower Assam (where Muslims have a sizeable population) but we have just three sitting MLAs there,” Dass said.
He claimed the mindset of Muslims is fast changing. His remark comes against the backdrop of party stalwart and the state’s Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s statement that BJP does not need the votes of “Miyas” (Bengali Muslims) who are “very communal”.
The Bengali Muslims have traditionally voted for the Congress and the AIUDF. The AIUDF is confident the grand alliance will be able to derail the BJP applecart.
“The Congress-AIUDF alliance has made the BJP nervous so much that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had to come to Assam several times in the past month,” AIUDF chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal said.
ALSO READ | EC announces poll dates: TN, Kerala, Bengal, Assam and Puducherry results on May 2
The Congress and the AIUDF never had an alliance between them before. Former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi always opposed it fearing a possible setback in the Assamese-majority Upper and Northern Assam areas where a strong sentiment of Assamese sub-nationalism works. The AIUDF, born after the repeal of Illegal Migrants’ (Determination) Tribunal) Act which was allegedly heavily tilted in favour of the immigrants is seen by many in Assam as the protector of the immigrants.
For the first time in many years, the Congress is going to polls without a leader of the stature of Gogoi who had guided the party to power for three terms on the trot since 2001.
The Congress is flagging the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA to reap dividends in the polls.
“We (Congress and AIUDF) do not support CAA as it contradicts the Assam Accord. The people of Assam had accepted the Accord brought about by the late Rajiv Gandhi in 1985. But by bringing CAA, they are pushing Assam and the future of the Assamese into a state of danger as far as preservation of local culture and identity is concerned,” Congress leader Bobeeta Sarma said.
The Accord says people, irrespective of their faith, who entered Assam after March 24 (midnight), 1971 have to detected and deported. The NRC of 1951 was updated in the state based on this cut-off date.
Sarma claimed people were fed up with the BJP’s false promises. It had in 2016 promised to drive away the “Bangladeshis” if voted to power.
The AJP too felt the BJP is nervous.
“They are nervous, for they know we will do well in their strongholds of Upper Assam. The region has a lot of tea gardens. We will target 30-40% of the around 40 seats there,” AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi said.
Political scientist Akhil Ranjan Dutta of the Gauhati University said the Congress-AIUDF alignment will have an impact on Central Assam.
“The AJP will target the votes of AGP and BJP. I feel they (AJP) will cause damage to both BJP and AGP to some extent. The AASU said it would support the AJP. If they do so, both BJP and AGP will suffer,” Dutta observed.
Given the BJP’s distribution of resources, particularly targeting the tea community, he felt the party would fare well in tea gardens.
“My reading is that Congress-AIUDF will gain in the Parliamentary constituencies of Nagaon and Mangaldoi in Central Assam and Barpeta and Dhubri in Lower Assam,” Dutta added.
Muslims have sizeable populations in all these seats besides Karimganj in the Barak Valley.
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Political violence has reached ‘new high’ under Mamata government: Rajnath Singh
By PTI
BALURGHAT: Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Friday said political violence has reached a “new high” under the TMC dispensation while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee looks the other way.Speaking at a public meeting here in Dakshin Dinajpur district, Singh said, people do not want a government which cannot ensure their security.
“If the BJP is elected to power in the state polls, political violence will come to an end.”
“The Trinamool Congress (TMC) had come to power with ‘Maa Mati Manush’ slogan. But what happened later? The slogan has been trampled for all practical purpose.”
“Political violence has gone up to a new high. Law and order has completely broken down. Shouldn’t the CM look into this?”, Singh, who was known to have cordial relations with Banerjee, said.
In English, the “Ma, Mati Manush” means “Mother, Motherland and People”.
It became very popular in the state during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and 2011 assembly polls.
Alleging that over 150 people had died and thousands injured in the state in political violence “orchestrated by the TMC”, Singh said, “We do not want such a government which cannot ensure safety of its citizens.”
Singh claimed that law and order situation has “vastly improved” in Tripura after the BJP came to power dislodging CPI(M).
Noting that the TMC has “politicised the atmosphere in such a way that it is harming people of Bengal,” Singh said, “as a result many central projects for poor, backwards, tribals are yet to be implemented in the state.
“Farmers here are not getting the benefit of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme which they will certainly get after the BJP comes to power here. They will have Rs 6,000 in their individual accounts.”
“We will see to it that people of the state get the benefits of Ayushman Bharat Yojana once we are elected. They will get medical insurance upto Rs 5 lakh.” Singh highlighted that the saffron party “Is not in politics only to grab power.
It is into politics to work to increase respect for the country.
Claiming that “a new cut money, extortion culture is now flourishing here which will be wiped out by our party”, the BJP leader alleged that bomb making units have mushroomed all over West Bengal but the TMC is indifferent to it.
Claiming that BJP believes in giving equal respect to every religion, Singh asked, “But what is Didi’s (Mamata Banerjee) government doing? At times we hear Saraswati Puja is not allowed here and at times the administration disallows Durga puja immersion.
Is it right?” Blaming the state for dithering in providing land for fencing along border with Bangladesh for years, he said, “Once we come to power, fencing work will be over in a stipulated time which will put a lid on incidents of smuggling, human trafficking and other illegal activities.”
“The soil of Bengal had given birth to luminaries like Mahaprabhu Sri Chaitanya, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda. The BJP will once again bring back the glory of Bengal,” he said.
Alluding to the campaign song “Khela Habe”, meaning ‘game on’, by the Trinamool Congress, Singh said in Bengali, “certainly there will be ‘khela’. But it will be the ‘khela’ (game) for growth, for development and progress.”
“We believe in the ‘khela’ for peace.”
Paying tribute to security forces, Singh, who is also the defence minister said, “Our jawans display valour gallantly guarding borders”.
Referring to Balakot Air Strike, he said, “It was successfully done on this day in 2019 to show that we never compromise on issues of national security. We will never compromise with the security of the nation.”