Archives for April 2019

Mandya, Apr 11 : Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), taking strong objection to party leaders indulging in anti-party activities and not campaigning for Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the Lok Sabha election has suspended its seven Block Presidents.
The suspension was based on complaints received from JDS-Congress leaders against them.
A section of Congress workers are supporting Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh and even some of them participated in the campaign by holding Congress flags.
The suspended Block Presidents included H Appaji, Mandya Rural, A S Rajeev, Bharati Nagar, Putraramu, Malavalli Rural, K J Devaraju, Malavalli City, M Prasanna, Nagamangala, K R Ravindra Babu, K R Pet and S B Prakash, Melkote. .
The suspension came after repeated warnings from the Congress leadership. The party is particularly irked with the dissidence because Sumalatha has found support from the BJP, Congress is worried that if its party workers do not cooperate with the JD(S) in Mandya, the regional party’s cadre could return the favour in the Mysore Lok Sabha constituency, which the Congress is desperate to wrest from the BJP.
The suspension comes ahead of AICC President Rahul Gandhi’s campaign scheduled to be held at Krishnarajanagara of the Mandya Lok Sabha segment on April 13. JD(S) supremo H D Devegowda and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah are slated to hold a joint campaign there on April 12.

Hyderabad, Apr 11 : About 38 percent of more than 2.96 crore voters have exercised their franchise till 1300 hours to elect 17 lok Sabha members from Telangana on Thursday.

People queued up at polling booths in all the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha, former Union Minister Renuka Chowdary, Former Minister DK Aruna and AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi are among the prominent candidates who are in the fray.

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states Joint Governer ESL Narasimhan, Mr Chandrashekar Rao, Ms Kavitha and State Chief Electoral officer Dr Rajat Kumar are among the prominent people who casted their votes.

According to police sources, voting is going on peacefully and no untoward incidents were reported from anywhere in the state.

In Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency, where 185 candidates including more then 170 farmers are in the fray, it registered 38.10 per cent voting till 1300 hours while 54 per cent polling was recordede in Medak Lok Sabha constituency, the highest in the State.

The lowest voting of 20.59 per cent was registered in Hyderabad LS constituency where Mr Owaisi is recontesting.

As many as 145 companies of Central paramilitary force and over 55,000 state police have been deployed for security arrangements.

Polling in 16 Lok Sabha Constituencies began at 0700 hours while in sensitive Nizamabad constituency it started at 0800 hours.

Mysuru, Apr 11 : Karnataka Minister for Public Works Department (PWD) H D Revanna said that he will retire from politics if Narendra Modi was re-elected as Prime Minister.
Speaking to newsmen here on Thursday, he said that BJP will not come to power and JDS-Congress aim is to keep communal party away from power and to protect the interest of the farmers.
He also predicated that UPA will form the government at the Centre after the General Election.
Questioning the contributions of Modi to farmers, he said that the State government has sent the list of 15 lakh farming families to Union government to include under PM Kisan scheme but BJP leaders are alleging that the State has not sent the list.
Revanna claimed that Congress-JDS in the State will win 22 LS seats.

Jammu, Apr 11 : The Samba district has topped the polling percentage with 52.1 per cent of voting till 1300 hours while overall poll percentage has been recorded in this period was 35.52 per cent in two Parliamentary Constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir.

The polling process is going on peacefully while no untoward like incident has been reported so far from any part of the polling areas.

In four districts of Jammu-Poonch Parliamentary Constituency, Samba recorded highest 52.1 per cent followed by Jammu with 45.9 per cent, Rajouri with 44.8 per cent and Poonch with 35.8 per cent.

Earlier till 1100 hours, polling percentage in Samba was the highest 35.91 per cent followed by Rajouri with 30.80 percent, Jammu with 30.57 per cent and Poonch with 32.83 per cent.

National Conference leader and former MLA Devendra Singh Rana also tweeted alleging that the Congress symbol button is not working in Shahpur area and other parts of Poonch.

In the first two hours of polling, overall polling percentage in the state was 11.43 percent.
Over 20 lakh voters will be exercising their right to franchise in Jammu-Poonch Constituency in which total 24 candidates are in fray.

Meanwhile, security personnel are deployed in all the polling stations and special deployment is made in the sensitive, hypersensitive and vulnerable polling stations across the region.

Polling stations for women have also been set up at many centres having women polling staff and the security personnel.

The Government has declared the polling day as public holiday to boost the percentage of polling.

Lucknow, Apr 11 : As the first phase of voting kicked off in the 17th Lok Sabha (LS) election, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav urged the people to vote in maximum numbers for the construction of a new India.
Mr Adityanath took to twitter to appeal the voters.
“Today is the auspicious start to the ‘Mahakumbh’ of democracy. Just as you took part in the cultural Mahakumbh with great vigour, you must also take a plunge in this Maha Kumbh and ensure your participation in the creation of a new India. It is my appeal to vote in maximum numbers,” he tweeted.
BSP chief Mayawati said in a tweet, “I appeal all the voters to go to their respective polling booths from time to time to cast their votes for making a government of ‘Sarvjan hitay, sarvjan sukhay’ in the interest of the nation and the people.”
Former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav urged the voters to come and exercise their franchise.
“Today is the first phase of the process of ‘mahaparivartan,’ (major transformation). To make this day historic, all those should come out of their homes and exercise their right who want to protect-make a healthy democracy, strong Constitution and brotherhood for their country and the future of their family. Today the country is calling you,” he tweeted

Udaipur, Apr 11 : A long queue has observed in case of maximum polling stations and voters are awaiting to exercise their franchises as a citizen of largest democratic country in the world.
In the first phase of election, there is casting vote for Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency and the voters are exercising their national duty to elect the MP who will work for next five years in favor of the development of the masses.
Biplab Kumar Deb, CM of Tripura has already given his vote at Udaipur English Medium H.S School under 31 Radhakishorepur assembly constituencies in Gomati District of Tripura and requested to all to exercise their own franchises.
The security arrangement is tight here and there are a good numbers of polling stations which are being managed by women. In the Gomati District of Tripura, a total of six polling stations those are completely women managed polling stations.
The name of women managed polling stations under Gomati districts of Tripura are 30/25 Office of the Dy. Director of Agriculture, Udaipur (E/W) under 30 Bagma (ST) assembly segment, 31/21 Udaipur Girls H.S School(W/W), 31/20 Udaipur Girls H.S School(E/W) and 31/24 Office of the executive engineer (RD) and under 31 Radhakishorepur assembly segment, 32/30 Office of the BDO, Matabari R.D Block under 32 Matabari assembly segment and 33/38 District Institute of Education & Training under 33 Kakraban ? Shalgara (SC) assembly segment.

The oppositions are being accused it that the voters are not able to give their vote properly but the security officers are fully escaping this accused of oppositions.

A mandal parishad member of YSRC was seriously injured when TDP workers allegedly attacked him at a polling station in Eluru city.

Clashes broke out on Thursday between workers of Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress at various places in Andhra Pradesh even as technical glitches in Electronic Voting Machines hampered the poll process at numerous polling booths as voting got underway for 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats.

Amaravati: TDP leader S Bhaskar Reddy was killed in a clash that took place in Tadipatri town of Anantapur. However, the TDP has alleged that YSRCP workers are behind the incident.

Clashes broke out on Thursday between workers of Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress at various places in Andhra Pradesh even as technical glitches in Electronic Voting Machines hampered the poll process at numerous polling booths as voting got underway for 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats.

In Guntakal, former MLA and contesting candidate of Jana Sena Party, Madhusudan Gupta, smashed an EVM in a fit of rage alleging that party symbols were not properly printed on the ballot unit.

He also shouted at the polling personnel on duty. Gupta was immediately taken into police custody. A mandal parishad member of YSRC was seriously injured when TDP workers allegedly attacked him at a polling station in Eluru city.

In Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district, tension prevailed in Ponnathota village as YSRC and TDP workers indulged in stone-throwing.

In Narsaraopet constituency in Guntur district, YSRC leaders alleged TDP men ransacked a polling station in Yelamanda village and damaged the furniture.

Police personnel were also preventing YSRC sympathisers from entering into the polling booth, they alleged.

Minor trouble was also reported at a few other constituencies in Guntur, Prakasam and Anantapuramu districts as well but neither the election authorities nor the police confirmed the reports.

State Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi, however, said polling was going on peacefully across the state.

In a statement, the CEO asked people not to believe in rumours as the poll process was going on peacefully.

He said the technical defects in EVMs, reported from various places, have been rectified.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his family members exercised their franchise at a polling station in Undavalli village in state capital region Amaravati.

His son Nara Lokesh, incidentally, is the TDP candidate from Mangalagiri Assembly segment that covers Undavalli.

Talking to reporters, the Chief Minister referred to technical glitches in EVMs and said he was demanding that ballot papers be re-introduced. “No developed country is using EVMs as they are prone to manipulation. We have hence been demanding that we revert to the ballot paper system,” Naidu said.

YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy cast his vote in his native Pulivendula in Kadapa district, from where he is seeking re-election. “I am very confident that people are looking for a change,” Jagan, who is aspiring for the chief minister’s post, remarked.

Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan exercised his franchise in Vijayawada. State Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam also cast his vote in Vijayawada.

State Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi cast his vote in Tadepalli. Interestingly, the VVPAT machine did not function when Dwivedi voted.

This is the first general election in the state after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and creation of Telangana in June 2014.

There are a total of 3,93,45,717 registered voters, including 1,94,62,339 men, 1,98,79,421 women and 3,957 transgenders.

Of the total, 10.15 lakh are first-time voters in the 18-19 age group. As many as 2,118 and 319 candidates are in the fray for 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats respectively.

Polling would end at 5 pm in the Left-wing Extremism-affected areas, mostly those bordering Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

Agencies

Electorate of 142 million voters in 20 states will choose their representatives in the first phase of mammoth elections.

Indians are voting in the first phase of mammoth general elections, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a second term.

The first phase covers an electorate of 142 million voters across 20 states and federal territories, who will decide the fate of 91 candidates. Almost 900 million of India’s 1.3 billion people are eligible to vote.

Raziul Nasir, 53, an accountant at a construction company, said he was worried about his children’s future. “All I want is that people who are spreading hatred should be defeated,” Nasir told media.

Naresh Kumar, a 43-year-old voter in Bishada village of Dadri in Gautam Buddha Nagar constituency, said he wanted the BJP to return. Bishada witnessed India’s first cow-related lynching in 2015 that caused an outcry.

“Modi has done a lot of work,” Kumar, who works for National Thermal Power Corporation in Dadri, told media.

Al Jazeera’s Nadim Asrar, reporting from Noida, a suburb of New Delhi, said voters were turning out slowly.

“There’s a slow but steady trickle of voters at a polling booth in a middle-class neighbourhood of Noida. Security personnel guard the gates of a community centre where the polling is being conducted.”

Eight constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh saw over 11 percent voting until 9am.

India elections: All you need to know

Shailendra Pratap Singh, Additional District Magistrate of Ghaziabad adjoining Noida, told Al Jazeera that the voting is going on smoothly in the constituency. “Generally there is brisk voting either in the morning or between 4 and 6 pm,” he said.

Polls are also being held in the disputed Kashmir region and Chhattisgarh, which have faced armed rebellion.

Modi, 68, is the front-runner but he faces a tough challenge from Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition Congress party, who has attempted to capitalise on the Modi government’s poor record on jobs and rural poverty.

Because of the vastness of India, the election will be held in seven phases from the tea plantations of Darjeeling to the slums of Mumbai to the tropical Andaman Islands, and everywhere in between. The elections will conclude on May 19. Results will be announced on May 23.

Security forces are on high alert due to the perennial threat of violence, with five people, including a local politician, killed in an ambush by suspected Maoist rebels this week.

More than 11 million election officials, including security forces, will be deployed across one million polling stations to conduct “the biggest management event of any kind”.

Modi and his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in 2014 with their famous promise of “achhe din” (good days), becoming the first party to win an absolute majority in 30 years.

“Nationalism is our inspiration and inclusion and good governance is our mantra,” Modi, whose stern bearded face stares out from ubiquitous posters, said at the launch of his manifesto.

Rahul Gandhi, 48, hoping to become the latest prime minister from Nehru-Gandhi dynasty – and aided by sister Priyanka – has accused Modi of causing a “national disaster”. 

Gandhi’s Congress party has profited from voter dissatisfaction, winning three key state elections in December, chipping into Modi’s core support base in the Hindi-speaking heartland of northern India.

Aljazeera