Tag: Tamil Nadu Elections 2021

  • ‘EC trod with caution, was ahead of curve in ensuring safety of voters, personnel’: Sources on HC flak

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: After the Madras High Court observed that the Election Commission must be held “singularly” responsible for the second wave of coronavirus in the country, sources said on Monday that the poll panel has trodden with caution all along to ensure COVID-19-free polls, first in Bihar and then in four states and a union territory.

    They said while enforcing the Disaster Management Act to ensure COVID-19-appropriate behaviour is the responsibility of the State Disaster Management Authority, the Commission invoked its constitutional powers to place curbs on campaigning in West Bengal to reduce exposure of people to the virus.

    “We were ahead of the curve in ensuring safety of voters and personnel in the pandemic,” a functionary said.

    They said that after the successful conduct of the Bihar assembly elections in November 2020 involving 73 million voters at 1,06,000 polling booths, there was widespread appreciation of strength and capability of the constitutional authority.

    The biggest stakeholder in democracy — the electorate — in Bihar reposed their faith and participated in numbers even more than the last assembly polls in the state.

    The Madras High Court on Monday castigated the Election Commission over the COVID-19 second wave in the country, holding it “singularly” responsible for the spread.

    The court called the poll panel “the most irresponsible institution” and even said its officials may be booked under murder charges.

    When counsel for the EC told the judges that all necessary steps were implemented, the bench shot back saying that by allowing political parties to take out rallies and meetings, it (the Commission) had paved the way for the resurgence of the second wave of the deadly virus.

    A functionary said, “From the pedestal of strength, we announced elections to five states in February 2021. By the way, the pandemic then was at its lowest stage. The number of new cases in the country in February were hovering around 11,000 new cases a day and all states and UTs had reported a decline in active cases in January-February. The vaccination was in full swing, signs of economic revival were visible.”

    Despite overall improvement in the COVID-19 situation, general mood of overall revival and no input available on the likelihood of a second wave, the Commission decided to tread with caution and not lower the guards, the sources observed.

    There was a persuasive suggestion to go back to 1,500 voters per polling station as opposed to 1,000 voters, which was resulting in 23,000 more booths (32 per cent increase) just in West Bengal and of course consequential tremendous increase in police and civil manpower and other logistics.

    All protocols of COVID-19, including 1,000 voters per polling station, were enforced in all poll-going states on the same template as was very successfully developed during Bihar elections last year.

    Elections to Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry were over on April 6 before the unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases, they underlined.

    The spread of the pandemic has been dynamic and so has been the response of the EC, the sources stressed.

    In April itself, four directions were issued by the EC to check the spread of the virus amid electioneering.

    The severity of the pandemic and its response strategy, including complete or conditional shutdown, is governed by the Disaster Management Act and is outside the remit of EC, they said.

    “No national or state level lockdown was declared till April 17 (phase 5 polling in West Bengal) by the authorities administering the Act. EC still invoked its power under Article 324 of the Constitution and curtailed the campaign duration, silence period, restricted the campaigning time from 10am to 7 pm. All kinds of road shows and ‘padayatras’ and rallies were later banned and restricted the limit for public meeting to 500,” another functionary said.

    The sources cited electoral laws to say that clubbing of the last three phases of polling in West Bengal as demanded by the Trinamool Congress was not feasible.

    In any case, it was ensured that there is no campaigning between 7th and 8th phase by further extending silence period to 72 hours, they said.

    “In any case, the Commission kept on tightening Covid protocols, finally banning all rallies, road shows. There are large number of cases, including criminal cases, being registered for violation of EC guidelines.”

    “If even temporary disfranchising of voters was to be considered as an option, the hue and cry at an unimaginable level of high decibel would have been the outcome and perhaps rightly so.

    Implications of not completing elections timely, possibly leading to situation of conducting at a later stage under extended term or President’s Rule might be much more damaging and attract sharper objections of favouring one and acting against another,” the functionary said.

    The coronavirus situation remained grim with India’s daily COVID-19 infection tally and death toll touching new peaks in the past few days.

    The country recorded 3,52,991 cases, the highest so far, taking the tally of cases to 1,73,13,163 while active cases have crossed the 28-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

    The death toll increased to 1,95,123 with a record 2,812 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

  • TN polls 2021: Smriti Irani challenges Kamal Hassan for an open debate with BJP candidate

    By PTI
    COIMBATORE: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday challenged actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan to have an open debate with Vanathi Srinivasan, BJP’s candidate for Coimbatore South constituency, after he took on the Centre on issues of development in his campaigns.

    Haasan is also contesting from this Constituency.

    Addressing the ‘North India Community Outreach Programme’, organised at Gujarati Samaj here, the BJP leader recalled that she had participated in a debate with him a few years back.

    “I challenge Kamal Haasan to come for a debate with Vanathi Srinivasan, to prove to the people who is it that really knows the issues well, gives solutions and implements policies.”

    Reeling out statistics on infrastructure development, she said the Centre has built 10 crore toilets nationwide, of which 90 lakh was in Tamil Nadu.

    Similarly, the PM initiated the Jandhan scheme through which government was able to directly transfer money to people’s accounts, benefiting 40 crore people all over the country, of which 90 lakh were in Tamil Nadu The state received 1.25 crore drinking water taps of the five crore installed in India in the last two years, she said, speaking in Gujarati and Hindi.

    A central government scheme through which farmers get Rs 6,000 annually had benefited 10 crore of them and 50 lakh of them were in Tamil Nadu, the minister said.

    The Centre has also sanctioned 11 medical colleges and an AIIMS for Tamil Nadu, she said.

    “All this was possible because the people of India blessed and elected Narendra Modi as Prime Minister…who chose to be the first public servant of the nation,” she said Appealing the people to cast their votes for the BJP on April 6, she said “Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) is coming not with torch, but on Kamal (Lotus).”

    Later, replying to a question from reporters on why she targetted only Kamal Hassan when other parties, including Congress, were in the fray, she quipped “Congress is not at all in the picture.” 

  • Star campaigners must adhere to security protocols during election campaign: Election Commission

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced that star campaigners, who have been provided with security cover by the security agencies, must adhere to the security protocols laid down to avoid any security breach which may expose them to risk.

    In an official letter, EC further stated that all candidates including star campaigners must follow safety instructions during the use of any vehicle including helicopter as prescribed under relevant laws to avoid any mishap or accident, which may endanger the life and property of individual(s) and/or public at large.

    Election Commission, time and again, emphasised on safety and security of all candidates during the campaign. Attention is drawn to the Commission’s letter which specifies the use of the bulletproof car by the persons provided with Z+ security cover as prescribed by Central Government, it mentioned.

    Voting for five assembly elections to these four states and one Union Territory will be held between 27 March and 29 April.

  • TN polls: Kamal Haasan forms third front, keeps 154, gives IJK, AISMK 40 seats each

    By Express News Service
    CHENNAI: Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam finalised its poll pact for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections with the India Jananayaka Katchi (IJK) and actor R Sarathkumar’s All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) on Monday night, allocating 40 seats each to its allies and announcing that it would contest in the remaining 154 seats.   

    MNM general secretary CK Kumaravel, AISMK founder Sarathkumar and IJK leader Ravi Pachamuthu signed the agreement. Speaking to reporters, Kumaravel said efforts are on to bring a few more parties to the alliance led by the MNM.  

    The seat-sharing agreement was released to reporters at around 11.45 pm. “The parties have committed to the common goal of transforming Tamil Nadu by fulfilling the long-pending aspirations of the people. With the common agenda of restoring the pride and glory of Tamil Nadu, they have decided to embark on a long-lasting journey together,” reads the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the leaders.

    “The primary goal of this platform is to contest the upcoming Assembly elections with a promise for change and emerge victorious to form the government,” the agreement said.

  • Sasikala to be released from prison on Jan 27, says nephew Dhinakaran

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Expelled AIADMK leader V K Sasikala, serving a jail term in Bengaluru in a corruption case and presently under treatment for coronavirus, will be released from prison on Wednesday “according to all our expectations,” her nephew T T V Dhinakaran said on Monday.

    With the former aide of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa recuperating in a Bengaluru hospital, her discharge from the medical facility will be made known later, he said in a tweet.

    “According all our expectations. Chinnamma (Sasikala) will be released (from prison) day after tomorrow, 27-01-2021,” Dhinakaran said.

    Independent legislator Dhinakaran, Sasikala’s nephew and founder of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) said his aunt was recuperating from coronavirus and that her discharge from the hospital will be made known later after consulting doctors.

    Sasikala, under treatment at Victoria Hospital, had been earlier moved out of the ICU there after her virus symptoms reduced.

    She had contracted coronavirus on January 20 and was later admitted to the Bowring Hospital.

    In view of her critical condition, she was shifted to the ICU ward of Victoria Hospital.

    She was sentenced to four years imprisonment in February 2017 in the Rs 66 crore disproportionate assets case.

  • Modi the person through which Balakot information went to Arnab: Rahul lashes out at Republic TV chief

    By PTI
    KARUR: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the “person through which” prior information on India’s air strikes in Balakot in Pakistan in 2019 was made available to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami.

    The Congress MP, however, did not provide evidence to back up his claim.

    The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) also did not immediately respond to the unfounded claim.

    Addressing a roadshow here during his final day of election campaign in poll-bound Tamil Nadu, he said only five people including the PM and the Defence Minister would have prior information of the planned strikes.

    “Some days back it came out that a journalist knew about the air strikes in Balakot. Three days before the (Indian) air force bombed Pakistan, an Indian journalist was told it was going to happen,” he said.

    This meant the lives of our IAF pilots were put at ‘risk,’ he said.

    “Now, five people in this world knew about Balakot (air strikes). Prime Minister of India, the Defence minister of India, the National Security Adviser and the Chief of the Air Force and the Home minister.”

    “Nobody else in the world knew about Balakot before it happened. Now I want to understand why an enquiry has not started on who told this journalist about Balakot before it happened. The reason is that one of these five people told this man. One of these five people betrayed our Air Force,” he charged.

    He alleged that “one of these people put the lives of our pilots in danger.”

    “If the Prime Minister did not do it then why is he not ordering an enquiry. Think about it. The only reason that the Prime Minister has not ordered an enquiry is because he is the person through which that message has gone to this journalist,” Gandhi claimed.

    Else, the PM should investigate and tell which one of these five people did it, Gandhi demanded.

    Purported chats between Goswami and former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) head Partho Dasgupta, which mentioned that the former was privy to the 2019 air strike, by the IAF on the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot had surfaced recently.

    The IAF had carried out the strike deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019 in the wake of killing of 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir’s Pulwama district then by Pakistan- based Jaish-e-Mohammed.

    Gandhi also hit out at Modi once again over the Sino-India face-off, saying “today the Chinese army is sitting inside Indian territory.”

    “The Prime Minister has said he has a 56 inch chest, big chest. Today the Chinese army is sitting inside Indian territory. Thousand km of Indian land has been taken by the Chinese,” he said.

    He alleged that Modi cannot say the word China as he “does not have the courage to say” so.

    “You look at his speeches for the last 3-4 months, he does not say the word China. When the Chinese entered our territory he lied that nobody has come. After some days the Army and Defence minister said the Chinese army had come into Indian territory,” Gandhi added.

    “And the only reason the Chinese have the guts and the courage to come into this country is because Narendra Modi has destroyed the economy and weakened (the country) by dividing it,” he charged.