Archives for 2018

The Election Commission (EC) late on Tuesday cleared the result for Hubballi-Dharwad (central) Assembly segment, which was held up over the issue of mock slips not being cleared from the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)’s control unit.

“As few mock slips weren’t cleared from the control unit of the EVM after a mock poll, we (state poll panel) had sought the permission of the Commission to count the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips instead,” state’s Joint Chief Electoral Officer A.V. Surya Sen told IANS here.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee Jagadish Shettar was declared winner from the seat.

Shettar, who was Karnataka Chief Minister from 2012-13, won over Congress candidate Mahesh Nalwad by a margin of 20,944 votes.

Of the results declared for all the 222 assembly segments, BJP won 104, Congress 78 and JD-S 37, while others got three seats.

The Supreme Court on Monday gave 15 days to the Centre for inviting objections to the proposed amendments in the Master Plan of Delhi-2021 and asked it to finalize it after considering all the aspects.

A bench headed by Justice Madan B. Lokur, which had earlier stayed any amendments in the Master Plan, modified its order partially asking the Centre to invite objections and thereafter finalize it after taking into consideration the objections of the public.

The apex court had on March 6 put a stay on proposed amendments to the Delhi Master Plan 2021 that sought to protect traders from a sealing drive in the national capital by increasing the floor area ratio (FAR).

During the hearing, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) sought modification of the March 6 order and said the statutory authorities cannot be prohibited from framing laws.

Venugopal also submitted an action plan for monitoring of all construction activities in Delhi and fixing responsibility in cases of violation of the Master Plan and the building byelaws.

He said strong action would be taken if it was found that unauthorised constructions have come up in an area due to the connivance of public servants.

The bench then asked the DDA to apprise it whether the government officials would be placed under suspension if they failed to perform their duty and unauthorised constructions come up in areas under their jurisdiction.

“Will you suspend such officials immediately? This does not take us anywhere. One can understand if you say that the official would be suspended immediately but you are not saying that. If you are presuming that the official is in connivance, the least you can do is to suspend the official,” the bench said.

As the Attorney General sought time to respond to the court’s query, the matter has now been posted for May 17 for further hearing.

The bench asked the DDA to advertise in the leading dailies on three consecutive days the action plan placed before it.

The DDA said the action plan aimed at curbing corruption and the persons responsible in the department would be held accountable for any unauthorised construction in their respective areas.

Hearing the arguments of the Attorney General, the bench said: “There is a garbage dump of around 68 metres high and you are not able to do anything about it. Wherever you want to take the garbage, people are objecting. The situation is irreversible. There is no water, so people cannot drink water. There is pollution, so people cannot breathe and there is garbage. Where is the city going?”

The bench also asked the Centre to publish in the newspapers the notification issued on the constitution of a Special Task Force (STF) so that the people and the stakeholders are aware of their responsibility.

The STF was formed by the Central government to monitor issues relating to unauthorised constructions in Delhi and will take steps to demolish them.

It would also identify areas of congestion of traffic in Delhi and suggest measures to remedy the same to local bodies and other agencies.

The court was hearing pleas relating to the validity of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 and subsequent legislation protecting unauthorised construction from being sealed in Delhi.

 Even as the Congress bagged 26 seats less than the BJP in the Karnataka election, the party polled about two per cent more votes, reflecting that its vote conversion rate was less than its rival.

In the Karnataka polls, the Congress polled 38 per cent votes, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) polled 36.2 per cent votes. The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) finished third with a vote share of 18.3 per cent.

Of the 222 assembly constituencies which went to polls on May 12, the Congress party has won in 78 seats, while the JD-S has won 37 seats. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 104 seats.

Interestingly, the Congress polled more votes this time (38 per cent) than in the 2013 assembly election, when got 36.76 per cent votes.

In 2013, the BJP had polled 20.07 per cent votes and JD(S) 20.45 per cent.

Women representation continued to remain in single digit in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, though results on Tuesday showed a marginal increase in their number to seven in the new house from six who entered the house after the 2013 elections.

Congress’ Lakshmi R. Hebbalkar from Belgaum Rural, defeated in the 2013 elections, won the seat this time.

Other Congress winners included M. Roopakala, daughter of seven-time Kolar MP K.H. Muniyappa; Kaneez Fatima, who represented Gulbarga Uttar; and Anjali Hemant Nimbalkar from Khanapur.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s Shashikala Annasaheb Jolle retained her Nippani seat. BJP candidates K. Poornima (Hiriyur) and Roopali Santosh Naik (Karwar) were other winners.

Of the total 2,655 candidates in the fray for 222 seats, elections to which were held on May 12, only 216 were women.

Major parties, like in previous state elections, did not prefer to give tickets to women candidates. While the Congress fielded 15 women candidates, the BJP fielded six, and the Janata Dal-Secular only four.

“This is the reason why we need Women’s Reservation Bill. This is the problem with every party. There is no point saying that I gave 15 tickets, and BJP gave six. The fact is that both numbers are less,” All India Mahila Congress President Sushmita Dev told IANS.

She said that affirmative action is required when social or political factors don’t allow empowerment of a section of society.

“When you are not doing something naturally, you are compelled to do by law,” she said, adding that election after election, every party was falling short of women candidates.

“… men don’t want to share space. They are just not willing to share the political space with women.”

Dev said she feels that the political empowerment of women cannot be judged by one important post a member of the fairer sex is holding.

“You cannot looking at political empowerment of women by just looking at one Chief Minister and one Defence Minister. That’s a fallacy.

In 2013, only 29 women were given tickets by the three major parties. The JD-S and Congress allotted just 11 tickets each to women candidates, while the BJP gave to seven.

Sixty-seven women contested as independents. And of the total 175 women who contested, only six had won.

According to the Election Commission, the number of women voters has increased to 2.44 crore from 2.13 crore in 2013.

In 2013, Umashree was one of the three women MLAs of Congress and was made a Minister in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet and expectedly given charge of Women and Child Development Department.

Dev agreed that though WCD was an important department, it was unfair to assign it to women only.

“A lot of things depend on that department… but it should open its doors to men also. It shouldn’t be typecast. It shouldn’t be a norm that it only goes to a woman,” she said.

Karnataka was a hotbed of political negotiations, secret huddles and brave faces on Wednesday, the day after the fractured Assembly result made it clear it would be a long and debatable way to government formation.

It is now Governor Vajubhai Vala’s call on who he will invite to form the state government in Karnataka. The BJP — as the single-largest party — and new friends Congress-JD(S) have both staked claim on the throne.

Missing MLAs are nothing new in Indian politics and true to form, five reportedly have gone missing since Wednesday morning – three from the Congress and two from the JD(S). There are other allegations of clandestine offers of ministership to shore up the magic number of 112 required to form government in Karnataka

The Congress bagged 26 seats less than the BJP in the Karnataka election, the party polled about two per cent more votes, reflecting that its vote conversion rate was less than its rival.

In the Karnataka polls, the Congress polled 38 per cent votes, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) polled 36.2 per cent votes. The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) finished third with a vote share of 18.3 per cent.

Of the 222 assembly constituencies which went to polls on May 12, the Congress party has won in 78 seats, while the JD-S has won 37 seats. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 104 seats.

Interestingly, the Congress polled more votes this time (38 per cent) than in the 2013 assembly election, when got 36.76 per cent votes.

In 2013, the BJP had polled 20.07 per cent votes and JD(S) 20.45 per cent.

Prime Minister and BJP leader Narendra Modi addresses during a party meeting after party’s performance in recently concluded Karnataka Assembly Polls at party headquarters in New Delhi, on May 15, 2018.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked the Mamata Banerjee government over violence in the panchayat polls in West Bengal, the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress called it “outbursts of frustration”.

“People weren’t allowed to file nominations. People from all parties except one ruling the state have suffered. Workers of these parties were killed. This is serious. A land as great as West Bengal had to see such things. It is unfortunate,” Modi said.

He was addressing workers at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s central office in the national capital after the party emerged as the single-largest party in the Karnataka Assembly polls.

“Where is the spirit of democracy?” Modi asked.

“It is not just about winning elections. All political parties, including civil society and judiciary, must play an active role to strengthen the democratic spirit,” he added.

“I don’t want to blame anyone. I am only worried about democracy,” the Prime Minister said.

Responding to Modi’s remarks, Trinamool Congress on Tuesday said the Prime Minister’s comments were “outbursts of frustration”.

“He should know that BJP goons killed 10 Trinamool workers in the panchayat polls. No BJP worker was killed. On Wednesday, repolling in 568 booths (will take place). So, why is this fake news being spread? Very unfortunate,” said party’s website attributing the remarks to Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee.

“They were dismayed because of not being able to win in Karnataka. Without knowing the details, it does not reflect well for the PM to make such comments.

“Most of the murders and violence have been carried out by PM’s own party. Let BJP control their own party first!” he said.

At least 10 people were killed and more than 50 injured on Monday in violence during the West Bengal panchayat polls.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday submitted his resignation to state Governor Vajubhai R. Vala following the defeat of the ruling Congress in the May 12 assembly elections, said an official.

“Though the governor accepted Siddaramaiah’s resignation, he asked him to continue in the post till the formation of the new government,” an official of the Chief Minister’s Office told IANS.

Siddaramaiah submitted the resignation letter to Vala when he visited Raj Bhavan in the evening after the poll mandate, and offered party’s support to the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) for forming the new government.

Of the 222 assembly constituencies, the BJP won 104, the Congress 78 and the JD-S 38.

Election to two assembly segments in Bengaluru were postponed due to electoral malpractice in one (Rajarajeshwari Nagar) and countermanded in Jayanagar following the death of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contestant B.N. Vijaya Kumar on May 4.

Although Siddaramaiah lost in Chamundeshwari in Mysuru by a huge margin of 36,042 votes to JD-S sitting legislator H.T. Deve Gowda, he won from Badami in Bagalkot district, defeating BJP’s B. Sriramulu by a slender margin of 1,696 votes.

At least 16 persons have been killed and another four are trapped under rubble after a spam of an under-construction flyover collapsed in Varanasi — the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official said on Tuesday.

The mishap took place in front of the local Cantt railway station. Two dozen persons have been injured in the incident, a police official said.

Many cars have been buried under the heap of rubble, district officials said, adding that the death toll could go up once the operation to clear the debris is completed.

The flyover was being constructed by the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation.

Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar informed that seven NDRF teams comprising 325 men have been deployed at the mishap site. “16 dead bodies have been recovered so far and three persons have been pulled out alive from under the debris,” he told IANS, adding adding that three-four people could still be trapped.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a three-member committee comprising Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) Raj Pratap Singh, Irrigation Chief Engineer Bhupendra Sharma and Rajesh Mittal, the Managing Director of UP Jal Nigam, to probe the incident and submit a report within the next 48-hours.

The team has been asked to immediately leave for Varanasi and hold investigations.

Varanasi District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra said for now their prime focus is on rescue and relief work.

Work on the flyover between Chauka Ghat bus stand and Lahartara had been initiated during the regime of the Samajwadi Party (SP).

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has mourned the loss of lives in the mishap and directed officials to ensure prompt rescue and relief, a state government spokesman informed.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has already left for the site of mishap, he said.

A compensation of Rs 5 lakh each has been announced for the families of dead and Rs 2 lakh for those critically injured in the mishap.