CHANDIGARH: In a major rout for the opposition amid the farmers’ protest and just a year ahead of the Assembly polls in Punjab, the Congress won seven municipal corporations and was leading in other civic body polls, while the BJP, facing anger over the contentious Central farm laws, had a dismal show in its urban dominated segments.

The Congress won municipal corporations in Abohar, Bathinda, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Moga, Batala and Hoshiarpur.

The counting of votes for the Municipal Corporation in Mohali would take place on Thursday after repolling in two booths owing to reports of irregularities.

Besides the municipal corporations, polling for 109 municipal councils and municipal Panchayats was held on February 14. The counting of ballots are being held simultaneously.

Amid allegations of booth capturing and clashes, there was 71.39 per cent of the 39,15,280 electorate.

The main contest in the urban local bodies was among the Congress, the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is contesting the municipal polls for the first time, and the SAD.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contested the polls for the first time in two decades without the Akalis, the oldest NDA ally that parted ways from it over the farm laws. Both faced the challenge of contesting independently after a long break.

Ahead of the Assembly elections slated early next year, state’s main opposition AAP was trying to strengthen its ground in these polls by projecting itself as an alternative to the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP amid the farmers’ agitation.

Political observers of AAP in these elections clearly indicated that urban voters have lost faith in the faction-ridden party in the state.

For the BJP, its rout was in its dominated Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur and Abohar segments.

Local issues of towns and cities and the respective wards dominated the campaigning.

A total of 9,222 candidates were in fray for 2,302 wards. Interestingly, 2,847 of them were Independents.

The Congress fielded 2,037 candidates, while there were 1,569 from SAD. The BJP, AAP and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had fielded 1,003, 1,606 and 160 candidates, respectively.

In an embarrassment for the Congress and the BJP, the wife of Congress MLA from Moga, Harjot Kamal, and the wife of BJP leader Tiksan Sood from Hoshiarpur lost the election from their respective seats.

Political observers say these polls just a year ahead of the Assembly elections are a ‘semi-final’ for the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government that is eyeing to repeat its victory against the backdrop of the farm laws that have generated a wave of anger against the BJP.

On the eve of ballot count, a confident Chief Minister Amarinder Singh termed the allegations of the BJP and AAP on rigging of civic polls as a typical case of crying foul in the face of their imminent defeat in the election.

“It’s a panic reaction to their inevitable wipeout in these polls,” said the Chief Minister, adding that the BJP and AAP, as well as SAD, are all set to be completely trounced in these municipal polls, whose results will be the precursor of worse to come for these parties that have totally lost the confidence and trust of the people.

“All these parties have worked together to ruin Punjab, with the black farm laws the latest in the long line of their anti-people and anti-Punjab actions,” Amarinder Singh added.

MUMBAI: After Mumbai, Covid-19 positive cases have significantly increased in the last few days across Maharashtra. According to Maharashtra’s health department data, 652 people were infected on February 11. “On February 14, it reached 4,092.  On Monday, 3365 cases were reported across the state with 23 deaths. Most of these are from 10 districts, including Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Gadchiroli, Aamarawati etc,” said Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope.

Dr Shashank Joshi, member of the state government’s Covid-19 task force, said reopening of schools, colleges, markets, religious places have resulted in the sudden spike. He cited general reluctance to follow guidelines as another reason. “Wearing masks is not taken seriously. Besides,  social distancing is not followed. If people do not take this seriously, then we have no option but to shut down everything, like in the earlier phase,” he said.

Health Minister Tope also sounded worried. “Covid cases are mainly rising in Vidarbha and Mumbai. The second dose of vaccine has been given. Last Sunday, 11,431 new patients were found in India. Of them, 4092 are from Maharashtra,” he said on Monday.

So far, 1.09 crore people in India have contracted coronavirus,. Of them, 1.06 crore have recovered, while 1.55 lakh people have dieda. At present 1.36 lakh people in the country are undergoing treatment for coronavirus. 

Sources said that at least 50 passengers were travelling in the bus at the time of the incident which occurred around 8:30 AM.

SIDHI (MP): Many passengers are feared drowned after a bus fell off a bridge into a canal near Patna village in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district on Tuesday morning, police and eye witnesses said.

District superintendent of police Pankaj Kumawat said rescue operation was underway.

Sources said that at least 50 passengers were travelling in the bus at the time of the incident which occurred around 8:30 AM.

According to eye witnesses, the bus has sank in the canal and not visible now.

It is feared that the bus was swept away in the water current.

At least seven persons swam to the banks of the canal while others are missing, they said.

PORT BLAIR: The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not report any fresh COVID-19 case in the last two days, a health department official said on Tuesday.

The coronavirus tally in the union territory remained at 5,009, while 4,938 patients have recovered from the disease so far, he said.

Sixty-two people have died so far due to the contagion, the official said.

The union territory now has nine active COVID-19 cases and all the patients are in South Andaman district.

The other two districts North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar are now COVID-19 free as both have no active coronavirus case at present.

The Andaman and Nicobar administration has conducted 2,48,562 sample tests for COVID-19 so far, and the positivity rate stands at 2.02 per cent, he added.

Strict COVID-19 protocols are being followed in the islands with wearing of masks made mandatory by the administration as a large number of tourists are flocking to the archipelago.

Official sources said any person arriving by flight or reaching by ship from Kolkata or Chennai is mandatorily required to show a negative coronavirus report.

A total of 4,047 health care and frontline workers have received COVID-19 vaccine in the union territory till Monday, the official said.

At least 182 health care workers have received the second dose of the vaccine, the official added.

PUDUCHERRY: Plunging the V Narayanasamy government into a deep crisis, another Congress MLA A John Kumar has tendered his resignation to Puducherry Speaker VP Sivakolunthu on Tuesday morning. 

With this, both Congress-led government and the Opposition have equal strength of 14 in the legislative assembly that has 28 members at present including the three nominated MLAs. 

The Congress numbers have reduced to 10, while its ally DMK has three MLAs and one Independent. 

Meanwhile, Opposition NR Congress has seven, AIADMK four and BJP has three nominated MLAs.

Kamraj Nagar MLA John Kumar had already met with BJP in-charge Nirmal Kumar Surana recently and had also held discussions with senior BJP leaders in Delhi.

It may be noted that John Kumar who won the 2016 Assembly elections from Nellithope Assembly constituency vacated the seat for Chief minister V Narayanasamy to contest and win the seat.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday called the arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi in the toolkit document case an unprecedented attack on democracy.

The 21-year-old activist was arrested on Saturday from Bengaluru for being allegedly involved in sharing the “toolkit” related to the farmer’s protest on social media.

Arrest of 21 yr old Disha Ravi is an unprecedented attack on Democracy. Supporting our farmers is not a crime, Kejriwal tweeted.

Ravi, a graduate in Bachelor of Business Administration from a private college in Bengaluru, is also one of the founding members of a group named ‘Fridays For Future India’.

The toolkit has been cited by some critics as a “proof” of her conspiracy to fuel protests in India

Farmer unions grouping Samyukta Kisan Morcha, former environment minister Jairam Ramesh and activists from across the country on

Sunday criticised the arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi.

‘I WILL WIN HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE WHO HATE ME’

Indore: Days after his release from jail in a case against him for allegedly insulting Hindu deities, stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui has said that it is never his intention to hurt anyone’s feelings through his jokes.

Stating that the “herd mentality of fighting on the internet” as well as “someone’s politics” can ruin a person’s life, Faruqui said he had to suffer for something which he had not done.

Faruqui, 32, who was arrested on January 1 in connection with the case and was in Indore Central Jail since January 2, was released from the prison late night on February 6, a day after he was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court.

In a YouTube video of over 10 minutes posted late night on Saturday, the comedian said, “How can I hurt someone’s feelings? How can I cause heart pain? I apologise four times even if I bump into someone by mistake.”

“It can never be my intention to hurt someone’s feelings through my jokes,” he said.

He said that the internet debates over worthless topics, abuses and hatred being spread there should stop.

“Why have we forgotten that the internet is for entertainment and information?” he asked.

“Shall we only keep on fighting on the internet? Anyone can fall prey to this herd mentality, politics. I did not fall prey to it. But I was bruised for something which I had not done,” he said.

Someone’s politics and herd mentality can ruin a person’s life, he added.

An artist works hard to entertain people, the comedian said, adding that art and entertainment have always united the people.

“Some people are spreading hatred online. But why are we making them celebrities? You have to decide whether you want to spread love or hatred on the internet?

“I can’t give up comedy, I am alive because of it. I will win the hearts of the people who hate me. For this, I have to work harder. Every artist does not get this challenge.

I have got it and will win their hearts,” he added.

Faruqui and four others were arrested on January 1 following a complaint by a BJP MLA’s son that objectionable remarks about Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were passed during a comedy show at a cafe in Indore on New Year’s Day.