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Archives for March 2021

West Bengal elections: Fewer minorities, 40 per cent new faces in Mamata’s list

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The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha will be given three seats. Of the 291 TMC candiates, 114 are new faces, which works out to over 39%.

KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress on Friday announced candidates for 291 of the 294-Assembly seats, fielding young and new faces including actors and sportspersons. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will fight from Nandigram in East Midnapore district. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha will be given three seats. Of the 291 TMC candiates, 114 are new faces, which works out to over 39%.

The decision to give women more tickets is a calculated strategy to tap the rise in women vote share. “According to the final list released by the Election Commission, women voters in Bengal form 49% of the total. The gender-ratio improved from 956 in 2019 to 961,” said a TMC leader Notably, the number of minority candidates has been reduced to 40 from 57 in 2016.

But at the same time, the party has given 79 tickets to those hailing from the scheduled caste (SC) community even though only 68 seats are reserved for the category. It means, SC candidates will contest on TMC tickets in 11 Assembly constituencies, which are not reserved for any category. Fielding SC candidates in unreserved seats will send a message to Dalit voters and those belonging to the Matua community, whom the BJP is desperately trying to woo, said a leader.

The BJP had enjoyed Matuas support in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “Since the saffron camp failed to fulfil the promise of giving Matuas citizenship by implementing the CAA, Mamata took this move to bring back Dalit support,” said a leader of the ruling party. Seventeen candidates from scheduled tribe (ST) community have also been given tickets against 16 seats reserved for STs. Tribal film actor Birbaha Hansda will contest from Junglemahal’s Jhargram constituency, which is not a reserved seat.

BJP drops flops in Assam, opts for turncoats

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Non-performers in 2019 Lok Sabha polls ignored, ruling party rewards Congress defectors with Assembly tickets. The BJP on Friday unveiled its first list 70 candidates for the Assam ssembly elections, denying tickets to 11 incumbent legislators, largely on the grounds of not cooperating in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,  non-performance and to make space for the turncoats.The BJP’s North-east “Sherpa” and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is learnt to have bagged tickets for a good number of his followers in the first list.

The BJP also unveiled seat adjustments with allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), which will contest 26 and eight seats, respectively. The BJP will contest in 92 of the 126 seats in Assam. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Sarma, and BJP state chief Ranjeet Kumar Dass will contest from Majuli, Jalukbari and Patacharkuchi,  respectively. BJP national general secretary Arun Singh explained that the party has a tradition of changing faces in elections.

However, sources said “a few of the sitting MLAs were punished for not working for BJP’s Lok Sabha candidates in the 2019 elections, which included the likes of Silchar Parliamentary constituency”. The BJP dropped Hills Area Development Minister Sum Ronghang, Rituparna Barua from Lahowal, Amar Chand Jain from Katigorah, Ashok Sarma from Nalbari, Joyram Engleng from Howraghat, Mansing Rongpi from Baithalangsu, BB Hagzer from Haflong, Dilip Paul from Silchar, Kishore Nath from Borkhola, Debananda Hazarika from Bihpuria and Nabanita Handique from Sonari constituency. 

Turncoats from the ranks of the Congress, who bagged the BJP symbol included former legislators Bidya Sing Engleng (former chief of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council), Jayanta Malla Barua, Ajanta Neog and Gautam Roy, known as “King of Barak Valley”. Dorsingh Ronghang, of Left pedigree, was also fielded in the elections. Dilip Paul, former Assembly deputy Speaker, and businessman Dwipayan Chakraborty also got the BJP nod to contest the polls. 

Sonowal exuded confidence of victory. “We’ve ensured peace and development, and people will bless us with another mandate”. To his earlier claims of not contesting elections, Sarma said it was the decision of the BJP leadership that he should be in the electoral ring. Along with Dass, this troika in the elections is giving rise to speculations of a post-poll re-think in the party for the post of chief minister.

  • BJP will field candidates in 70 of the 126 Assembly seats in Assam. Its allies Asom Gana Parishad and United People’s Party Liberal will contest in 26 and 8 seats, respectively
  • Trinamool Congress has named eight personalities from the world of movies and TV serials as candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal. Popular film director Raj Chakraborty heads the list

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MLA Samir Chakraborty has said he would not contest the West Bengal Assembly elections. “I have informed Mamata Banerjee that I don’t want to contest elections. I will  campaign for the party,” Chakraborty said in a Facebook post. He is an MLA  from Taldangra constituency in Bankura district and a familiar face in vernacular television news channel talk shows.

Guwahati: Four prominent personalities, including cricketer and first-time voter Riyan Parag, were on Friday chosen as ‘icons’ to encourage people to exercise their franchise during the Assam assembly polls. Besides Parag, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, actor Kopil Bora, singer Anindita Paul and para-cyclist Rakesh Banik were selected as ‘icons’ to motivate voters, officials said.

COVID-19 Update India records 18,327 new infections, active cases rise again

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India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 1,11,92,088 with over 18,000 fresh cases being reported in a span of 24 hours in the country after 36 days, while active cases registered an increase for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday and were recorded at 1,80,304, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The death toll reached 1,57,656 with 108 more fatalities, while a total of 18,327 new cases were registered in a day, the ministry’s data showed.

On January 29, 18,855 new infections were recorded in a span of 24 hours after which the daily rise in fresh cases remained below 18,000.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,08,54,128 which translates to a national COVID-19 recovery rate of 96.98 per cent, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.41 per cent.

The COVID-19 active caseload has increased to 1,80,304 which now comprises 1.61 per cent of the total infections.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20 lakh-mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one crore-mark on December 19.

According to the ICMR, 22,06,92,677 samples have been tested up to March 5 with 7,51,935 samples being tested on Friday.

The 108 new fatalities include 53 from Maharashtra, 16 from Kerala and 11 from Punjab.

A total of 1,57,656 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 52,393 from Maharashtra followed by 12,513  from Tamil Nadu, 12,354 from Karnataka, 10,918 from Delhi, 10,275 from West Bengal, 8,729 from Uttar Pradesh and 7,172 from Andhra Pradesh.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

Maharashtra reports 8,998 new COVID-19 case, tally at 21,88,183

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The state’s COVID-19 recovery rate is 93.66 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.39 per cent, the officials said.

A health worker collects a swab sample from a man to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus. (Photo| M K Ashok Kumar, EPS)

MUMBAI: Maharashtra reported 8,998new coronavirus cases on Thursday, taking the infection tally to 21,88,183, while the death toll reached 52,340 as 60 patients succumbed to the infection, a health official said.

The number of single-day cases went down as compared to Wednesday, although the per day fatality count increased. The state had reported 9,855 new COVID-19 cases and 42 fatalities on Wednesday.

A total of 6,135 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, which took the overall recovery count to 20,49,484. The number of active cases is 85,144 at present.

The state’s COVID-19 recovery rate is 93.66 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.39 per cent, the officials said.

With 86,794 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the state’s total test count has risen to 1,65,96,300.

Currently, 3,91,288 people are in home quarantine and 4,109 others in institutional quarantine.

In Mumbai, 1,104 new cases were reported during the day, which took its tally to 3,29,846, while the death toll went up to 11,492 with five fresh fatalities, the officials said.

A total of 933 people tested positive in Pune city, which took its total count to 2,12,189. With four new deaths, its toll went up to 4,583.

According to the officials, the new infection cases reported in Nagpur, Pimpri Chinchwad, Nashik, Aurangabad and Amravati municipal corporation limits were 904, 492, 224, 276 and 389 respectively.

The coronavirus figures in Maharashtra are as follows:Total cases 21,88,183, new cases 8,998, death toll 52,340, recoveries 20,49,484, active cases 85,144, tests conducted 86,794.

WHO decides against publishing findings on Wuhan COVID origin probe: Report

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The WHO team returned recently from its visit there saying it had no clear finding on the genesis of the virus, amid tensions between the US and China on what caused the pandemic.

Security personnel gather near the entrance of the Wuhan Institute of Virology during a visit by the World Health Organization team. (Photo | AP)

WASHINGTON: The World Health Organization has scrapped plans for a team that visited Wuhan, China to probe the origins of the coronavirus pandemic to issue an interim report, The Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday.

Wuhan is the city where the pandemic is believed to have originated in late 2019.

The WHO team returned recently from its visit there saying it had no clear finding on the genesis of the virus, amid tensions between the US and China on what caused the once-in-a-century global health crisis.

The United States responded by saying it had “deep concerns” about what the team learned and it pressed China for more information.

WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said February 12 that a preliminary report with a summary of the team’s findings would be issued soon thereafter, and a full report in a matter of weeks.

But now the plan is to scrap the interim report, the Journal said, quoting Peter Ben Embarek, the scientist who led the team.

Instead, the team will publish the full and final report, with a summary of its findings, the newspaper said, quoting a WHO spokesman.

This broader report “will be published in coming weeks and will include key findings,” it quoted this spokesman as saying.

“By definition a summary report does not have all the details,” Ben Embarek was quoted as saying.

“So since there (is) so much interest in this report, a summary only would not satisfy the curiosity of the readers,” he added.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price called on China Thursday to share what it knows from the earliest days of the pandemic.

“It is about learning and doing, being positioned to do everything we can to protect ourselves, the American people, and the international community against pandemic threats going forward,” Price told a briefing.

“That’s why we need this understanding. That’s why we need this transparency from the Chinese government,” he said.

Jaishankar in Dhaka ahead of PM Modi’s upcoming Bangladesh visit

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NEW DELHI:  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India viewed Bangladesh as a valued partner not only in South Asia, but also in the broader Indo-Pacific region. Stressing on India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East’ policies, Jaishankar said,

“We see Bangladesh as a key neighbour and a valued partner not only in South Asia but also in the broader Indo-Pacific region. Every achievement in our relationship resonates through this region. It is no secret that we cite it to others as an example,” Jaishankar said during his joint press conference with Bangladeshi foreign minister AK Abdul Momen.

The external affairs minister arrived in Dhaka for a day-long visit during which he met Momen and held wide-ranging discussions. He is also expected to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Jaishankar’s visit is being seen as a precursor to PM Modi’s visit to Dhaka later this month, when he is likely to flag-off a direct passenger train between Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri.

“Our comfort levels are now so high that we have shown that there is no issue that we cannot discuss and resolve through amicable dialogue,” he added.

Jaishankar said it was a matter of satisfaction that the pandemic did not prove to be a hurdle between Indo-Bangladesh interactions.

“Even the pandemic provided an opportunity to re-affirm our friendship. Bangladesh is the largest recipient of Indian-made vaccines. It is really appropriate that Bangladesh received our largest gift of 2 million vaccines,” he said.

BSY says ‘One Nation, One Election’ will help improve administration

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During the debate on ‘One Nation, One Election’ in the Assembly, Yediyurappa said that though elections are inevitable in a democracy, they are expensive and time-consuming.

Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa. (Photo | Meghana Sastry, EPS)

BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday stressed the need for a debate on ‘One Nation, One Election’, as repeated elections meant the model code of conduct coming into force, which would hamper the functioning of the government and delay developmental works.

During the debate on ‘One Nation, One Election’ in the Assembly, Yediyurappa said that though elections are inevitable in a democracy, they are expensive and time-consuming. He said there is a need to make amendments to The Representation of the People Act, 1951, to hold polls simultaneously across the country. The CM said it will help improve administration, save time and resources required to hold elections. “There will be initial hiccups, but if it is discussed at all levels, it can be debated and implemented. This will be a major challenging task,’’ he added.

Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri quoted former Election Commission S Y Qureshi who had said —  “From the Eelection Commission’s point of view, this is the easiest thing to happen, the voter is the same, polling stations are the same and the security needed is the same”.Kageri said India has moved forward from ballot paper to VV PAT. Counting, which used to take three days, has now reduced to half a day. “In this process, if we focus on utilising man power and money spent, we will develop further,’’ Kageri said.

He said the discussion on ‘One Nation, One Election’ was being held following the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting of the Speakers of legislative assemblies held in Gujarat recently. He said that in many western countries, elections take place at one time. In 2019, the LS polls and the assembly elections in three states were held simultaneously, and as per the estimation, `60,000 crore was spent.

EC seeks report on Trinamool’s complaint about PM’s photo on COVID-19 vaccination certificate

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NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has sought a report from the West Bengal chief electoral officer on the Trinamool Congress’ complaint that the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the COVID-19 vaccination certificate violates the model code.

A functionary said on Thursday that the state CEO has been directed to file a report to verify the veracity of the TMC’s complaint.

Based on the CEO’s report, the poll panel would decide the future course of action, the functionary explained.

The ruling TMC in West Bengal had on Tuesday approached the poll panel about the PM’s image on vaccination certificates generated through the Co-Win platform being a violation of the model code of conduct in Bengal and other poll-bound states.

It had termed the picture a misuse of official machinery by the prime minister.

The model code came into force on February 26, the day the Election Commission had announced assembly polls in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

Covid-19 Update India 16,838 new coronavirus infections in India, 113 deaths in last 24 hours

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The country’s coronavirus tally has reached 1,11,73,761 including 1,76,319 active infections while the death toll has mounted to 1,57,548.

NEW DELHI: As many as 16,838 new COVID-19 cases and 113 deaths were reported in India in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Friday.

With 13,819 new discharges, the cumulative recoveries reached 1,08,39,894.

The country’s coronavirus tally has reached 1,11,73,761 including 1,76,319 active infections while the death toll has mounted to 1,57,548.

According to the health ministry, a total of 1,80,05,503 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 so far.

Maharashtra continues to remain the most affected COVID-19 state in India with 86,359 active cases, followed by Kerala with 44,734 active infections.

A total of 21,99,40,742 samples tested for COVID-19 up to March 4, 2021, of these, 7,61,834 samples were tested yesterday, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Over 50 per cent Hyderabadis had COVID-19; city inching towards herd immunity

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HYDERABAD: More than half of Hyderabad’s one crore population may have been infected with Covid-19 and developed antibodies against the dreaded disease.

 A seroprevalence study conducted in the city, for which blood samples were collected from 9,000 people, has detected the presence of antibodies against the novel Coronavirus among 54 per cent of the participants, indicating prior exposure to the virus.

The 9,000 people were selected from 30 out of the 150 divisions of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), representative of all zones of the civic body. From each of the 30 wards, 300 people aged above 10 years were selected. 

According to a press release on the findings of the study by the CCMB, while most of the wards showed a similarly uniform range of seroprevalence of antibodies, between 50 per cent and 60 per cent, a couple of wards showed as high as 70 per cent. A couple of others had a prevalence of 30 per cent. The prevalence of antibodies was marginally higher among women (56 per cent) than men (53 per cent). 

A seroprevalence study found that the prevalence of Covid-19 antibodies was the same, around 54%, among individuals who had suffered prominent symptoms and those who were asymptomatic. 90%, who had tested positive, were found to have the antibodies when the study was conducted in Jan

According to the CCMB’s findings, while most of the wards showed a similarly uniform range of seroprevalence of antibodies, between 50% and 60%, a couple of wards showed as high as 70 per cent. A couple of others had a prevalence of 30%. The prevalence of antibodies was marginally higher among women (56%)

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