Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat has criticised political parties for not maintaining dignity during the just concluded polls. Bhagwat also said that the opposition should not be considered as an adversary in a democracy and their views should also come to light. “It is called Opposition. It should not be considered an adversary. Their opinions should also come to light,” he said while addressing the closing ceremony RSS worker’s development class in Maharashtra’s Nagpur.
Tag: Polls
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Days before it announces polls, Election Commission to meet top MHA officials
Days before it announces schedule for the Lok Sabha polls, the top brass of the Election Commission has called senior Home ministry officials to review security preparedness for the democratic exercise. Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla will meet Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and fellow Election Commissioner Arun Goel on Friday to discuss deployment of central forces in states, sources said.
The meeting also comes days before the Commission’s Jammu and Kashmir visit to review poll preparedness.
The EC has sought 3.4 lakh Central Armed Police Force personnel for Lok Sabha and four assembly polls. With nearly 97 crore voters, the EC would set up approximately 12.5 lakh polling stations across India.
The EC will also meet top railways officials.
Railways plays a major role in transporting central forces for deployment during different phases.
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Upcoming civic polls to be multi-cornered contest in Uttar Pradesh
Express News Service
LUCKNOW: All the mainstream political parties of Uttar Pradesh namely the ruling BJP, Samjwadi Party (SP), Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have got into poll mode for the urban local body polls due this year end. The UP civic polls are being witnessed as the semi-final before the big battle of 2024.
However, the BJP and SP have to go through another litmus test at the bypoll to three crucial seats—Mainpuri Lok Sabha, Rampur and Khatauli Assembly segments – in the first week of December before going into the civic polls.
All the mainstream parties are gearing up to field the candidates in civic polls on their respective party symbols. While the ruling BJP, SP and Congress have started the process of identifying the probables by appointing in-charges in different districts, smaller players like Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP)of OP Rajbhar and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party -Lohia of Shivpal Yadav are also getting ready to register their presence. Even Aam Admi Party (AAP), which had contested the UP Assembly polls-2022 on all seats and lost the deposit on all – is also preparing to fight the civic polls with might.
At present, the delimitation process of municipal wards is going on a war footing and completed in 53 districts of the state till Saturday. In rest 22 districts, the process is on with the urban development department giving final touches to the proposals received from those districts. This will lead to theissuance of notification for the civic polls.
As per the highly placed sources in BJP, the ruling party would contest the civic polls with a new strategy by fielding or supporting Muslim candidates in wards dominated by a population of minority communities. “The party is weighing both the options of extending support or fielding candidates on party symbol,” said a senior party leader.
The sources claimed that the BJP’s game plan is to reach out to Pasmanda Muslims in civic polls and win them over for Lok Sabha elections in 2024. The BJP, recently, has been quite vocal over the issues of Pasmanda Muslims who are believed to be lagging behind in terms of development in the community.
However, the main opposition Samajwadi Party is gearing up to contest the civic polls in alliance with its tried and tested partner Jayant Chaudhury-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). Both parties will field the candidates in coordination with each other. A committee has been set up on the instructions of SPchief Akhilesh Yadav. This committee comprises of senior SP and RLD leaders like Shahid Manjoor, ex-MLA Sanjay Garg, Prof Sudhir Panwar, SP MLAs Atul Pradhan and Pankaj Malik, ex-MLC Rakesh Yadav and Shokindra Tomar. The panel has the mandate to select the alliance candidates in western UP and other districts across the state.
However, Shivpal Yadav has already made an announcement to go it alone in civic polls. The rift between Shivpal and his nephew Akhilesh Yadav has been out in open since 2022 UP Assembly elections. Shivpal had parted ways with Akhilesh a couple of months back and was suggested by Akhilesh to focus on his own party- PSPL.
On the other, the Congress party, which got a new state chief in Brijlal Khabri a month ago, is also preparing for the upcoming civic polls. Although the UPCC has yet to get its new executive committee, it has cautiously kept away from the upcoming Mainpuri, Rampur and Khatauli bypolls. The sources claimed that since the party was focusing on civic polls, it decided not to contest the bypoll.
Meanwhile, BSP’s preparations for civic polls are going on in full swing. Party chief Mayawati has entrusted the district committees with the task of screening candidates. The committee will forward three names for each post of the corporator in Nagar Nigams as well as members of Nagar Palika Parishads and Nagar Panchayats to the sector in charge of final selection.
The candidate’s winnability is the main criterion for selection. The candidates aspiring to contest the election have been directed to submit their biodata to the district committee. The candidates for mayoral and chairpersons posts will be finalised by the party’s central committee, said a BSP leader.
According to senior BSP leader Akhilesh Ambedkar, meetings to review preparations for urban local bodies election are being held in each division across Uttar Pradesh.
LUCKNOW: All the mainstream political parties of Uttar Pradesh namely the ruling BJP, Samjwadi Party (SP), Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have got into poll mode for the urban local body polls due this year end. The UP civic polls are being witnessed as the semi-final before the big battle of 2024.
However, the BJP and SP have to go through another litmus test at the bypoll to three crucial seats—Mainpuri Lok Sabha, Rampur and Khatauli Assembly segments – in the first week of December before going into the civic polls.
All the mainstream parties are gearing up to field the candidates in civic polls on their respective party symbols. While the ruling BJP, SP and Congress have started the process of identifying the probables by appointing in-charges in different districts, smaller players like Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP)
of OP Rajbhar and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party -Lohia of Shivpal Yadav are also getting ready to register their presence. Even Aam Admi Party (AAP), which had contested the UP Assembly polls-2022 on all seats and lost the deposit on all – is also preparing to fight the civic polls with might.At present, the delimitation process of municipal wards is going on a war footing and completed in 53 districts of the state till Saturday. In rest 22 districts, the process is on with the urban development department giving final touches to the proposals received from those districts. This will lead to the
issuance of notification for the civic polls.As per the highly placed sources in BJP, the ruling party would contest the civic polls with a new strategy by fielding or supporting Muslim candidates in wards dominated by a population of minority communities. “The party is weighing both the options of extending support or fielding candidates on party symbol,” said a senior party leader.
The sources claimed that the BJP’s game plan is to reach out to Pasmanda Muslims in civic polls and win them over for Lok Sabha elections in 2024. The BJP, recently, has been quite vocal over the issues of Pasmanda Muslims who are believed to be lagging behind in terms of development in the community.
However, the main opposition Samajwadi Party is gearing up to contest the civic polls in alliance with its tried and tested partner Jayant Chaudhury-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). Both parties will field the candidates in coordination with each other. A committee has been set up on the instructions of SP
chief Akhilesh Yadav. This committee comprises of senior SP and RLD leaders like Shahid Manjoor, ex-MLA Sanjay Garg, Prof Sudhir Panwar, SP MLAs Atul Pradhan and Pankaj Malik, ex-MLC Rakesh Yadav and Shokindra Tomar. The panel has the mandate to select the alliance candidates in western UP and other districts across the state.However, Shivpal Yadav has already made an announcement to go it alone in civic polls. The rift between Shivpal and his nephew Akhilesh Yadav has been out in open since 2022 UP Assembly elections. Shivpal had parted ways with Akhilesh a couple of months back and was suggested by Akhilesh to focus on his own party- PSPL.
On the other, the Congress party, which got a new state chief in Brijlal Khabri a month ago, is also preparing for the upcoming civic polls. Although the UPCC has yet to get its new executive committee, it has cautiously kept away from the upcoming Mainpuri, Rampur and Khatauli bypolls. The sources claimed that since the party was focusing on civic polls, it decided not to contest the bypoll.
Meanwhile, BSP’s preparations for civic polls are going on in full swing. Party chief Mayawati has entrusted the district committees with the task of screening candidates. The committee will forward three names for each post of the corporator in Nagar Nigams as well as members of Nagar Palika Parishads and Nagar Panchayats to the sector in charge of final selection.
The candidate’s winnability is the main criterion for selection. The candidates aspiring to contest the election have been directed to submit their biodata to the district committee. The candidates for mayoral and chairpersons posts will be finalised by the party’s central committee, said a BSP leader.
According to senior BSP leader Akhilesh Ambedkar, meetings to review preparations for urban local bodies election are being held in each division across Uttar Pradesh.
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Record cash, liquor seized as Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat go for polls: Election Commission
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Friday said “record seizures” of cash, liquor and freebies have been made as Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh go for assembly polls.
While HP goes to poll on Saturday, Gujarat will have voting on December 1 and 5.
The poll panel said there has been a five-fold increase in seizures in Himachal Pradesh compared to the 2017 assembly elections.
The Commission said its comprehensive planning led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar ahead of the polls has given “encouraging” results in terms of seizures.
Gujarat witnessed seizures of Rs 71.88 crore in just few days of announcement of elections, which surpasses even the seizures made in entire duration of enforcement of Model Code of Conduct in 2017 assembly elections, which was Rs 27.21 crore.
Similarly, the seizures in Himachal Pradesh are also significant, amounting to Rs 50.28 crore as compared to Rs 9.03 crore, marking more than a five-fold increase, it said.
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Friday said “record seizures” of cash, liquor and freebies have been made as Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh go for assembly polls.
While HP goes to poll on Saturday, Gujarat will have voting on December 1 and 5.
The poll panel said there has been a five-fold increase in seizures in Himachal Pradesh compared to the 2017 assembly elections.
The Commission said its comprehensive planning led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar ahead of the polls has given “encouraging” results in terms of seizures.
Gujarat witnessed seizures of Rs 71.88 crore in just few days of announcement of elections, which surpasses even the seizures made in entire duration of enforcement of Model Code of Conduct in 2017 assembly elections, which was Rs 27.21 crore.
Similarly, the seizures in Himachal Pradesh are also significant, amounting to Rs 50.28 crore as compared to Rs 9.03 crore, marking more than a five-fold increase, it said.
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Ahead of Gujarat polls, Kejriwal questions BJP’s resolve to implement Uniform Civil Code
By PTI
BHAVNAGAR: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday questioned the intention of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in poll-bound Gujarat behind its move to constitute a committee to implement the Uniform Civil Code and said if the BJP wants to do so, it should do it across the country.
Kejriwal asked whether the BJP-led central government was waiting for the Lok Sabha elections to make a move in this direction.
The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) national convener was addressing a press conference in Bhavnagar on the third day of his visit to Gujarat where the Assembly polls are due this year-end.
The Election Commission is likely to announce schedule for the Gujarat Assembly polls this week.
The Gujarat government on Saturday said it has decided to form a committee headed by a retired High Court judge to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
Union minister Parshottam Rupala had said the committee will be formed before the model code of conduct for elections comes into force.
Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi had said the decision was taken as per the provisions of Article 44 of Part 4 of the Constitution which expects the state government to apply common law for all citizens.
To a question on the Gujarat government’s decision, Kejriwal claimed “their intention is bad”.
“In Article 44 of the Constitution, it is clearly written that it is the responsibility of the government to frame the Uniform Civil Code. So, the government should frame a Uniform Civil Code with the consent of all communities and by taking them together,” he said.
Kejriwal said the BJP had formed a similar committee before the Uttarakhand election.
“After winning the election, the committee went back home. Now, a few days before the Gujarat election, they have formed another committee. This committee (members) will also go back home after the election,” he claimed.
Kejriwal also sought to know why no such committee was formed in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
ALSO READ: Experts warn against rush for ‘complex’ Uniform Civil Code
“If their intention is to implement the Uniform Civil Code, then why don’t they frame it nationally and implement it across the country? Are they waiting for the Lok Sabha elections?” he asked.
“So first ask them that Kejriwal is saying you do not want to implement the Uniform Civil Code, your intention is bad,” he said.
On the third day of his visit to poll-bound Gujarat, Kejriwal welcomed local Koli community leader and social worker Raju Solanki into the AAP, who joined the party along with his son Brijrajsinh Solanki.
Kejriwal claimed ever since the AAP has started working in Gujarat, people see a new ray of hope in his party.
The Koli community comes under the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) category with numerically significant presence in different parts of Gujarat.
Kejriwal described Raju Solanki as a prominent social worker who had helped in the marriage of more than 1,000 orphaned women and worked in the areas of prohibition and education.
The social worker said he was glad to be a part of the new politics of Kejriwal.
BHAVNAGAR: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday questioned the intention of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in poll-bound Gujarat behind its move to constitute a committee to implement the Uniform Civil Code and said if the BJP wants to do so, it should do it across the country.
Kejriwal asked whether the BJP-led central government was waiting for the Lok Sabha elections to make a move in this direction.
The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) national convener was addressing a press conference in Bhavnagar on the third day of his visit to Gujarat where the Assembly polls are due this year-end.
The Election Commission is likely to announce schedule for the Gujarat Assembly polls this week.
The Gujarat government on Saturday said it has decided to form a committee headed by a retired High Court judge to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
Union minister Parshottam Rupala had said the committee will be formed before the model code of conduct for elections comes into force.
Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi had said the decision was taken as per the provisions of Article 44 of Part 4 of the Constitution which expects the state government to apply common law for all citizens.
To a question on the Gujarat government’s decision, Kejriwal claimed “their intention is bad”.
“In Article 44 of the Constitution, it is clearly written that it is the responsibility of the government to frame the Uniform Civil Code. So, the government should frame a Uniform Civil Code with the consent of all communities and by taking them together,” he said.
Kejriwal said the BJP had formed a similar committee before the Uttarakhand election.
“After winning the election, the committee went back home. Now, a few days before the Gujarat election, they have formed another committee. This committee (members) will also go back home after the election,” he claimed.
Kejriwal also sought to know why no such committee was formed in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
ALSO READ: Experts warn against rush for ‘complex’ Uniform Civil Code
“If their intention is to implement the Uniform Civil Code, then why don’t they frame it nationally and implement it across the country? Are they waiting for the Lok Sabha elections?” he asked.
“So first ask them that Kejriwal is saying you do not want to implement the Uniform Civil Code, your intention is bad,” he said.
On the third day of his visit to poll-bound Gujarat, Kejriwal welcomed local Koli community leader and social worker Raju Solanki into the AAP, who joined the party along with his son Brijrajsinh Solanki.
Kejriwal claimed ever since the AAP has started working in Gujarat, people see a new ray of hope in his party.
The Koli community comes under the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) category with numerically significant presence in different parts of Gujarat.
Kejriwal described Raju Solanki as a prominent social worker who had helped in the marriage of more than 1,000 orphaned women and worked in the areas of prohibition and education.
The social worker said he was glad to be a part of the new politics of Kejriwal.
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With Kharge at helm, Congress looks to consolidate its Dalit vote base in poll-bound Karnataka
By PTI
BENGALURU: The political impact of Mallikarjun Kharge’s election to the post of Congress President is being keenly watched in his poll-bound home state of Karnataka with the party hoping to reap dividends to consolidate its Dalit vote base.
The veteran leader is also expected to use his good offices in unifying the faction-ridden party in the state, ahead of Assembly elections just six months away.
Kharge is only the second leader, after Jagjivan Ram, to be the Congress President from the Dalit community, which constitutes about 24 per cent of the population across more than 100 caste groups in the state.
According to some party insiders and political observers, Congress’ strong support base among Dalits has shrunk over the years, due to various factors including a section of it shifting towards BJP in recent years, attracted by the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his push for a development agenda.
Also, the grand old party’s inability to resolve the differences between left and right sects among the Dalits, concerning internal reservation, has also led to it losing the support of the Left, who have considerable presence in the state.
Kharge belongs to the Dalit right, and his ability to win over the left, who have by and large moved towards the BJP, is crucial, and will determine whether things will turn in favour of the Congress or not, political analysts say.
There is anger among a large section of the community, over the fact that Congress, which enjoyed their support for long, did not make a Dalit as the state’s Chief Minister.
Kharge himself had lost out from the chance of becoming the Chief Minister, after having come very close to it, a couple of times.
Political analyst A Narayana from Azim Premji University said, “Overall, it (Kharge’s elevation) is an advantage for the Congress (in Karnataka), but to what extent it will turn into an electoral or political capital, we do not know and have to see.”
Noting that Dalits harbour “a little bit” of anger against the Congress which sort of affected its prospects last time (in 2018 polls), he said there is still a feeling in the community that they were not given their due.
“Ultimately, that dissatisfaction will be addressed only when a Dalit becomes the CM, but it is a distant possibility, given the political realities of the state today. In the meantime, to address this discontent to an extent, it seems to be a good argument for the Congress to say that the top post of the party has been given to a Dalit, and we respect the Dalit sentiments,” he added.
Further, pointing out that in Karnataka, Congress’ problem with Dalits is a more specific one, where the left sect of the community is angry with the party more than the right, Narayana said it remains to be seen if the elevation of Kharge, a Dalit on the right will help the party to placate the other side.
“It depends on how much they (Congress) try to leverage, whether Kharge will make any impact in that direction, and how they address the discontent that the left wing has particularly regarding the implementation of the Sadashiva Commission report among other things,” he added.
The Justice A J Sadashiva Inquiry Commission, which looked into methods of equitable distribution of reservation facilities among Scheduled Castes (SCs), had recommended internal reservation among the castes by broadly reclassifying all the 101 castes into four groups.
Senior Congress leader and former Chairman of Legislative Council V R Sudarshan said Kharge becoming the Congress President is a matter of pride for Karnataka and it will certainly strengthen the party affairs in the state, both politically and socially.
He said, “It is an opportunity to consolidate (Dalits) in favour of the party. However, Kharge personally has never played his Dalit identity card, even when there was a circumstance for him to become the CM. He has always been a committed Congressman and gone by his performance and loyalty.”
With Kharge’s elevation, there are also talks in political circles as to whether it would create one more ‘power centre’ within the Karnataka Congress which is deeply divided, and amid growing political one-upmanship between state President DK Shivakumar and Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, who are nursing chief ministerial ambitions.
Amid this situation, there are talks whether the new AICC chief will be able to rein in all the factions and unite the party for the elections.
There are also discussions in the party, whether it will be ‘disadvantage’ for Siddaramaiah (who had joined the Congress from JDS) with Kharge at the helm as his preference may be towards old-time party loyalists on matters relating to ticket distribution and leaders among others.
However, Narayana responding to this said, “Yes, there will be another power centre in Karnataka, but will it affect the possibility of Siddaramaiah becoming or not becoming CM, I don’t think so, because Kharge is appointed keeping in mind the 2024 (Lok Sabha) election.”
BENGALURU: The political impact of Mallikarjun Kharge’s election to the post of Congress President is being keenly watched in his poll-bound home state of Karnataka with the party hoping to reap dividends to consolidate its Dalit vote base.
The veteran leader is also expected to use his good offices in unifying the faction-ridden party in the state, ahead of Assembly elections just six months away.
Kharge is only the second leader, after Jagjivan Ram, to be the Congress President from the Dalit community, which constitutes about 24 per cent of the population across more than 100 caste groups in the state.
According to some party insiders and political observers, Congress’ strong support base among Dalits has shrunk over the years, due to various factors including a section of it shifting towards BJP in recent years, attracted by the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his push for a development agenda.
Also, the grand old party’s inability to resolve the differences between left and right sects among the Dalits, concerning internal reservation, has also led to it losing the support of the Left, who have considerable presence in the state.
Kharge belongs to the Dalit right, and his ability to win over the left, who have by and large moved towards the BJP, is crucial, and will determine whether things will turn in favour of the Congress or not, political analysts say.
There is anger among a large section of the community, over the fact that Congress, which enjoyed their support for long, did not make a Dalit as the state’s Chief Minister.
Kharge himself had lost out from the chance of becoming the Chief Minister, after having come very close to it, a couple of times.
Political analyst A Narayana from Azim Premji University said, “Overall, it (Kharge’s elevation) is an advantage for the Congress (in Karnataka), but to what extent it will turn into an electoral or political capital, we do not know and have to see.”
Noting that Dalits harbour “a little bit” of anger against the Congress which sort of affected its prospects last time (in 2018 polls), he said there is still a feeling in the community that they were not given their due.
“Ultimately, that dissatisfaction will be addressed only when a Dalit becomes the CM, but it is a distant possibility, given the political realities of the state today. In the meantime, to address this discontent to an extent, it seems to be a good argument for the Congress to say that the top post of the party has been given to a Dalit, and we respect the Dalit sentiments,” he added.
Further, pointing out that in Karnataka, Congress’ problem with Dalits is a more specific one, where the left sect of the community is angry with the party more than the right, Narayana said it remains to be seen if the elevation of Kharge, a Dalit on the right will help the party to placate the other side.
“It depends on how much they (Congress) try to leverage, whether Kharge will make any impact in that direction, and how they address the discontent that the left wing has particularly regarding the implementation of the Sadashiva Commission report among other things,” he added.
The Justice A J Sadashiva Inquiry Commission, which looked into methods of equitable distribution of reservation facilities among Scheduled Castes (SCs), had recommended internal reservation among the castes by broadly reclassifying all the 101 castes into four groups.
Senior Congress leader and former Chairman of Legislative Council V R Sudarshan said Kharge becoming the Congress President is a matter of pride for Karnataka and it will certainly strengthen the party affairs in the state, both politically and socially.
He said, “It is an opportunity to consolidate (Dalits) in favour of the party. However, Kharge personally has never played his Dalit identity card, even when there was a circumstance for him to become the CM. He has always been a committed Congressman and gone by his performance and loyalty.”
With Kharge’s elevation, there are also talks in political circles as to whether it would create one more ‘power centre’ within the Karnataka Congress which is deeply divided, and amid growing political one-upmanship between state President DK Shivakumar and Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, who are nursing chief ministerial ambitions.
Amid this situation, there are talks whether the new AICC chief will be able to rein in all the factions and unite the party for the elections.
There are also discussions in the party, whether it will be ‘disadvantage’ for Siddaramaiah (who had joined the Congress from JDS) with Kharge at the helm as his preference may be towards old-time party loyalists on matters relating to ticket distribution and leaders among others.
However, Narayana responding to this said, “Yes, there will be another power centre in Karnataka, but will it affect the possibility of Siddaramaiah becoming or not becoming CM, I don’t think so, because Kharge is appointed keeping in mind the 2024 (Lok Sabha) election.”
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Boost for Bihar BJP ahead of two bypolls in Bihar
Express News Service
PATNA: The opposition BJP is elated over the joining of two influential leaders of the ruling grand alliance ahead of the by-election to be held in two assembly seats Gopalganj and Mokama in Bihar on November 3. A senior JD(U) functionary Sadanand Singh, who was associated with chief minister Nitish Kumar since the formation of the Samata Party, resigned from the primary membership of JD(U) and joined BJP in the presence of state chief Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal and other senior leaders here.
Singh, who had earlier served as JD(U) district chief of Gopalganj, exuded confidence that BJP would retain the Gopalganj seat in a by-election scheduled to be held on November 3. The saffron party has fielded Kusum Devi, wife of Subhash Singh, from Gopalganj.
The Gopalganj seat fell vacant after the death of Subhash Singh. BJP leaders are elated over joining of Sadanand Singh ahead of the by-poll in Gopalganj. “Singh’s joining has given a jolt to RJD, which has fielded Mohan Gupta from the seat,” said an RJD source.
RJD has been trying to win this seat for a long time but even during the slide victory for the grand alliance in 2015 assembly polls, the seat had gone to BJP’s Subhash Singh. A major chunk of voters is likely to shift from JD(U) to BJP following Sadanand Singh’s resignation.
On Sunday, former RJD MLA Amarnath Gami joined BJP in the presence of BJPfunctionaries in Patna. Gami, a two-term MLA from Hayaghat in Darbhanga, had left JD(U) and joined RJD after being denied ticket from JD(U) in 2020 assembly election.
Jolt to RJD, JD(U)Sadanand Singh, who was associated with chief minister Nitish Kumar since the formation of Samata Party, resigned and joined BJP. Former RJD MLA Amarnath Gami joined the BJP on Sunday
PATNA: The opposition BJP is elated over the joining of two influential leaders of the ruling grand alliance ahead of the by-election to be held in two assembly seats Gopalganj and Mokama in Bihar on November 3. A senior JD(U) functionary Sadanand Singh, who was associated with chief minister Nitish Kumar since the formation of the Samata Party, resigned from the primary membership of JD(U) and joined BJP in the presence of state chief Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal and other senior leaders here.
Singh, who had earlier served as JD(U) district chief of Gopalganj, exuded confidence that BJP would retain the Gopalganj seat in a by-election scheduled to be held on November 3. The saffron party
has fielded Kusum Devi, wife of Subhash Singh, from Gopalganj.The Gopalganj seat fell vacant after the death of Subhash Singh. BJP leaders are elated over joining of Sadanand Singh ahead of the by-poll in Gopalganj. “Singh’s joining has given a jolt to RJD, which has fielded Mohan Gupta from the seat,” said an RJD source.
RJD has been trying to win this seat for a long time but even during the slide victory for the grand alliance in 2015 assembly polls, the seat had gone to BJP’s Subhash Singh. A major chunk of voters is likely to shift from JD(U) to BJP following Sadanand Singh’s resignation.
On Sunday, former RJD MLA Amarnath Gami joined BJP in the presence of BJPfunctionaries in Patna. Gami, a two-term MLA from Hayaghat in Darbhanga, had left JD(U) and joined RJD after being denied ticket from JD(U) in 2020 assembly election.
Jolt to RJD, JD(U)
Sadanand Singh, who was associated with chief minister Nitish Kumar since the formation of Samata Party, resigned and joined BJP. Former RJD MLA Amarnath Gami joined the BJP on Sunday -
Have ‘zero tolerance’ towards distribution of any kind of inducement: Chief Election Commissioner
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Friday said it has “zero tolerance” towards distribution of inducement to voters in the Himachal Pradesh polls and bodies including the GST will ensure that freebies are not given out to influence voters.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar also said the poll panel is awaiting response from political parties on its proposal to introduce a fresh proforma where they can explain how they propose the election promises made to voters.
Parties have been asked on how will they manage the required finances. The EC plans to tweak the model code by making the proforma part of it.
“Political parties, candidates have an undisputed right to announce or make a promise which they feel is feasible. Voters also have a right to know how will it be fulfilled. So this consultative process will be governed by the existing extant legislative framework . The political parties are to come back to us by October 19 and thereafter we will decide on what needs to be done,” Kumar said.
ALSO READ| Freebies: SC refuses to grant urgent listing
Responding to questions on attempts to induce voters by distributing freebies, the CEC said the poll panel has “zero tolerance” towards distribution of any kind of inducement and it has energised the entire machinery.
“GST will look at all the e-ways and goods which are going to the poll-bound states, even the nearby states. They have mapped all the godowns, warehouses, sarees, mixers, all this so that nothing is used (as an inducement),” he said.
ALSO READ: Freebies out, but let welfare schemes continue
He said airports will keep a strict watch, including the private airstrips, through the ATC so that “no illegal, unscheduled, irregular flight goes unchecked”.
Inter-state borders will be sealed in Himachal Pradesh.
“Nothing comes in. The chief secretary, district commissioners, police personnel understand this very well. And if there is any deficiency in this understanding, we’ll make sure they understand,” he asserted.
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Friday said it has “zero tolerance” towards distribution of inducement to voters in the Himachal Pradesh polls and bodies including the GST will ensure that freebies are not given out to influence voters.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar also said the poll panel is awaiting response from political parties on its proposal to introduce a fresh proforma where they can explain how they propose the election promises made to voters.
Parties have been asked on how will they manage the required finances. The EC plans to tweak the model code by making the proforma part of it.
“Political parties, candidates have an undisputed right to announce or make a promise which they feel is feasible. Voters also have a right to know how will it be fulfilled. So this consultative process will be governed by the existing extant legislative framework . The political parties are to come back to us by October 19 and thereafter we will decide on what needs to be done,” Kumar said.
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Responding to questions on attempts to induce voters by distributing freebies, the CEC said the poll panel has “zero tolerance” towards distribution of any kind of inducement and it has energised the entire machinery.
“GST will look at all the e-ways and goods which are going to the poll-bound states, even the nearby states. They have mapped all the godowns, warehouses, sarees, mixers, all this so that nothing is used (as an inducement),” he said.
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He said airports will keep a strict watch, including the private airstrips, through the ATC so that “no illegal, unscheduled, irregular flight goes unchecked”.
Inter-state borders will be sealed in Himachal Pradesh.
“Nothing comes in. The chief secretary, district commissioners, police personnel understand this very well. And if there is any deficiency in this understanding, we’ll make sure they understand,” he asserted.
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Bypolls underway for 10 seats, battle of prestige for AAP in Punjab
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Bypolls for three Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats spread across five states and one union territory were underway on Thursday, with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha among the prominent candidates in the fray.
Counting of votes for the bypolls in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand will be taken up on Sunday.
In the bypoll for Punjab’s Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, all eyes are on the AAP which is facing its first test of popularity after its impressive performance in the assembly elections.
The bypolls come at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is facing Opposition heat over the law and order issue and the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
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The main opposition Congress has fielded former Dhuri MLA Dalvir Singh Goldy in the bypoll while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made former Barnala MLA Kewal Dhillon its candidate, who joined the saffron party on June 4.
Kamaldeep Kaur, the sister of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh’s assassination case, has been fielded by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann is also in the fray.
The Sangrur Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after Bhagwant Mann resigned as MP after winning Dhuri seat in the February 20 Assembly polls.
Uttar Pradesh is witnessing bypolls in Azamgarh and Rampur, the two Lok Sabha seats considered as the bastions of the Opposition Samajwadi Party.
An average of over eight per cent votes were polled in the first two hours of polling in Uttar Pradesh.
The bypolls to the Azamgarh seat were necessitated by the resignation of Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, who was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly as an MLA in the elections earlier this year.
The Rampur seat was vacated by senior SP leader Azam Khan, who too was elected to the state Assembly. From Rampur, the BJP has fielded Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi, who recently joined the party, while the SP has fielded Asim Raja, handpicked by Khan.
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The Mayawati-led BSP is not contesting from Rampur. The Azamgarh seat is seeing a triangular contest among BJP’s Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirhua’, a famous Bhojpuri actor-singer, SP’s Dharmendra Yadav and BSP’s Shah Alam, also known as Guddu Jamali.
All four assembly constituencies–Azamgarh, Mubarakpur, Sagdi, Gopalpur and Mehnagar–falling in this Lok Sabha seat were won by the SP in the recent assembly elections.
Tripura is witnessing bypolls to four assembly seats of Agartala, Town Bardowali, Surma and Jubarajnagar seats.
The bypolls in Agartala and Town Bardowali constituencies were necessitated after Sudip Roy Barman and Asish Saha quit as BJP MLAs and joined the Congress in February.
The Surma seat in Dhalai district fell vacant after BJP legislator, Asish Das, was disqualified by Speaker Ratan Chakraborty and bypoll to Jubarajnagar was necessitated following the death to sitting CPI(M) MLA Ramendra Chandra Debnath.
Chief Minister Saha, who is not a member of the assembly, is contesting from Town Bardowali constituency against Congress nominee Asish Saha. Trinamool Congress and Left Front have fielded candidates in all the four seats.
In Andhra Pradesh, nearly 12 per cent voting was recorded in the first two hours of voting in the bypoll to the Atmakuru Assembly seat. The bypoll is being held to fill the vacancy caused due to the death of then Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy in February.
His brother Vikram Reddy is the ruling YSR Congress candidate and he is locked in a contest with BJP’s G Bharat Kumar Yadav.
In Delhi, the voting is being held for the Rajinder Nagar seat.
The two major contenders — the AAP and the BJP — have exuded confidence that their candidates will emerge victorious in the bypoll with a huge margin.
Six companies of CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) personnel have been deployed for security arrangements during the bypoll necessitated in the wake of AAP leader Raghav Chadha leaving the seat after being elected to the Rajya Sabha recently.
Chadha was the MLA from the Rajinder Nagar Assembly seat.
While the AAP has exuded confidence that it will register a “record victory” in the bypoll and hand out a crushing defeat to the BJP, the saffron party is hopeful of westing the seat from the ruling party that had bagged 62 of the 70 seats in the 2020 Delhi polls.
According to the residents of the area, the AAP government’s liquor policy and water shortage are among the main issues in the bypoll.
In Jharkhand, bypoll to Mandar assembly seat began amid tight security arrangements.
Voting is taking place in 433 polling stations, with 141 booths having been declared hyper-sensitive, 218 as sensitive, and 55 as vulnerable.
The by-election was necessitated after the disqualification of Bandhu Tirkey as an MLA in the wake of his conviction in a corruption case.
The Congress has fielded Bandhu’s daughter, Shilpa Neha Tirkey, as the common candidate of the JMM-led alliance, while BJP has nominated former legislator Gangotri Kujur from the seat.
An independent candidate Dev Kumar Dhan, with backing from Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), is also in the fray.
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‘3 wives’ of govt staff contest local polls, two as rivals in Madhya Pradesh
Authorities have initiated action against the village panchayat secretary for hiding the information.