[Nasheman news] Kolkata Former Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla has given a thumbs up to the EVMs to be used in the upcoming general elections, arguing that the equipment cannot be hacked or manipulated as they are not accessible through external machines and are kept under the surveillance of senior government officials.

“I firmly believe that EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) are very good machines and cannot be manipulated. The moment we let our NRIs to vote, it has to be a computerised machine without firewalls and then EVMs can be breached. 

“But at the moment EVM is like a desktop calculator which is conditioned to perform just two or three functions. So it cannot be hacked,” Chawla said at the Kolkata launch of his book “Every Vote Counts: The Story of India’s Elections” here.

“I do not think anyone can in anyway change the EVM chips after the votes are cast and change them with other ones. No one can reach those chips using any other external machines. 

“Also in the coming elections every single machine will be connected to the VVPAT, which makes the whole system more accountable,” he said.

Chawla said the Supreme Court should give its verdict regarding the opposition parties’ demand to ensure that 50 per cent EVM results are matched and cross-checked with voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs) before the declaration of the result.

Referring to the electoral system in the US, he said unlike them India has a system of accountability where everybody working in elections are responsible government servants.

“Unlike the American electoral system, where there are different counties who have volunteers coming to conduct the election from the outside, we do not have such a system. 

“We have a Chief Electoral Officer in every state, who ensures that every single EVM machine is kept in the custody of the District Magistrates, all of whom are IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officers. The machines go to the polling stations directly from there,” he said.

The former CEC, however, refused to comment on the Election Commission’s decision to hold polling in seven phases in certain states like Bengal and Bihar, pointing out that the challenges faced by the EC in a particular election cannot be assessed from the outside due to the ever changing scenarios and increase in the number of electorate every year.

[Nasheman news] Gwalior The RSS on Sunday welcomed appointment of a mediation panel by the Supreme Court but asserted that the Ram temple should be constructed at the place where it has been decided to be built.

“RSS’ stand on Ram Temple is clear. It should be built at the place where it has been decided to be built,” RSS Sarkaryavah Bhaiyyaji Joshi told media here on the concluding day of the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS).

He added the movement on this issue will continue till the temple is constructed.

On the issue of appointment of a mediation panel by the apex court, he said the RSS welcomes any initiative that can help resolve this issue to construct the Ram Temple.

“The RSS expects that the government and the Court would remove the barriers in the path of constructing the temple at the earliest. It is also expected from the mediation panel that they would understand the Hindu sentiment,” he said.

Joshi said those in power are not opposed to the Ram Temple and there is no doubt over their commitment regarding this.

Appreciating the government’s response in terms of carrying out air strikes at terror camps in Pakistan in wake of Pulwama terror attack, he said that the fearless nations reply to the terrorists in similar language.

To a question on Article 370, he said the case related to Section 35A is in Court and it is expected that the government of the day will keep the viewpoint firmly.

“After a decision on this case is delivered, the issue of Article 370 will be discussed in light of this decision,” he said.

Asked about RSS’ role in upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Joshi said, the RSS will work for creating awareness to ensure 100 per cent voting.

“Our society has started thinking more clearly over the period time and the common people know who works for the betterment of the nation,” he said.

He said that the three day meet of ABPS reviewed various activities of the organisation and discussed contemporary issues.

“The RSS has decided to take up a new initiative in the field on environment protection and conservation,” he said adding that the RSS’ work has reached at a certain level and now it was time to take a big leap in terms of expansion of the work.

[Nasheman news] New Delhi  Over 1.5 crore electors in 18-19 year age group will be eligible to vote for the first time in the seven-phased Lok Sabha election beginning April 11 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling upon them to vote in record numbers.

These voters in the age group of 18-19 years constitute 1.66 per cent of the of the total electorate. All citizens who turned 18 on January 1 this year and registered as electors will get opportunity to cast their vote in upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

“The total electorate in the country as per finally published e-rolls in January 2019 is approximately 900 million compared to 814.5 million in 2014. This marks an increase of more than 84 million electors. Over 15 million electors are in 18-19 years age group. Electors in the age group of 18 to 19 years constitute 1.66 per cent of total electors,” the Election Commission said on Sunday. 

The Election Commission has allowed enrollment of transgender persons with gender written as “Others” in the electoral rolls since 2012. The number of electors enrolled as “others” gender is 38,325.

The poll panel said that parliament has amended the Representation of the People Act, 1950, allowing enrollment of Indian citizens living overseas as electors. 

The number of overseas electors enrolled in the current electoral rolls is 71,735. “There are 1,677,386 service electors in the electoral rolls,” it said. 

The Lok Sabha elections will be held in 1,035,918 polling stations across the country compared to 928,000 set up during the last Lok Sabha election in 2014. 

Modi, in a tweet after the declaration of poll schedule, hoped for a record turnout. 

“The festival of democracy, Elections are here. I urge my fellow Indians to enrich the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with their active participation. I hope this election witnesses a historic turnout. I particularly call upon first time voters to vote in record numbers,” he said. 

[Nasheman news] Guwahati Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the BJP and its allies will win between 19 and 21 seats out of the Northeast’s 25 Lok Sabha seats.

He also said the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will win the Lok Sabha polls with a better margin than in 2014.

Assam’s 14 constituencies will see polling in three phases on April 11, 18 and 23. Manipur and Tripura, which have two seats, will vote in two phases on April 11 and 18. Meghalaya (two seats), Nagaland (one), Arunachal Pradesh (two), Mizoram (one) and Sikkim (one) will go to the polls on April 11.

“There are 25 Lok Sabha seats in the Northeast. I think the BJP and its partners, who are members of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), will win 19-21 seats. In Assam, the BJP and its allies are going to win between 9 and 11 seats,” Sarma told media persons on the sidelines of an event in Bokakhat.

The BJP’s agenda for the Lok Sabha polls will be identity and development, he said.

The senior BJP leader, who was instrumental in ensuring the saffron victory in Assam and other noertheastern states, also hinted that he might contest the Lok Sabha polls. 

“It is up to the party. If the party gives ticket, I’ll contest the polls,” Sarma said. 

He refused to comment on the BJP forming alliance with other parties in Assam, saying that only state unit President Ranjit Dass could comment on the matter.

In the Northeast, the BJP is in power in Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, and a coalition partner in the National Peoples’ Party-led government in Meghalaya and the National Democratic Progressive Party-led government in Nagaland.

In recent times, the BJP has faced some setback in the Northeast as different political parties and organisations have opposed its move to pass the contentious Citizenship Bill in the Lok Sabha.

While its alliance partner in Assam, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), has snapped its ties with the BJP due to the controversial bill, several other allies of the NEDA, including NPP, have threatened to quit the alliance if the bill is turned into an act.

The bill finally elapsed after the BJP failed to pass it in the Rajya Sabha during the previous Parliament session.

[Nasheman news] Panaji With the Model Code of Conduct in place for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and assembly bypolls, the Goa Police on Sunday said that they will be strictly monitoring gambling operations in the coastal state, including in casinos.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Rajesh Kumar said that there would be strict vigil of cash transactions at Goa’s casinos, which have been accused of money laundering by the Opposition and civil society.

“… we have laid more emphasis on cracking down on crimes like matka, gambling, narcotics…” he told reporters here.

He also said that casino operators will have to ensure their patrons have a PAN card, especially while making cash transactions. 

“There are laid-down guidelines for casinos… If someone is going with cash, he should have a PAN card and whether the PAN card is being recorded there (at the casino’s end). Whatever norms there are will be enforced,” he added.

There are six offshore casinos and about nine onshore casinos operating from the state’s numerous coastal resorts.

Elections to Goa’s two Lok Sabha constituencies and bypolls to three assembly seats will be held on April 23, the Election Commission announced on Sunday.

[Nasheman news] New Delhi Opposition parties, including the Congress, on Sunday welcomed announcement of Lok Sabha election schedule and said the poll outcome will see the Narendra Modi government out of power.

However, the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal expressed its dissatisfaction over the Election Commission announcing a seven-phase poll for the state, saying the staggered elections would put pressure on the people.

Congress leader K.C. Venugopal said the Congress and the Opposition were united and confident and would defeat the Narendra Modi-led NDA. 

“This government hasn’t delivered on any of its poll promises, including Rs 15 lakh in each bank account, jobs to two crore youths every year, security to women, increasing income of farmers,” he said. 

The government is desperately trying to cover up its failures “through fake propaganda, event management and diversionary tactics”, the Congress leader said.

“Time for change is here. This government has divided the people of the country through the divisive policies and communal strategies. The Congress will expose its failures and put forward ideas for a new India,” he said. 

“We are confident that this democratic process will dethrone this anti-democratic and dictatorial Modi government from the power”.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said people of Delhi will vote for giving full statehood to Delhi and not for choosing a Prime Minister and will elect the Aam Aadmi Party candidates on all the seven seats. 

He also said time had come to throw out “the most dictatorial government.” 
“Ultimately back to we the people — the real power of our democracy. Time to throw out the most dictatorial and anti-federal govt in the history of India. Time to seek answers on demonetisation, jobs, destruction of traders and brotherhood among different communities,” he said in a tweet. 

BSP leader Mayawati welcomed the poll schedule and said people will vote to throw the Modi governent out. 

“Crores of poor, labourers, farmers, women, youth, etc, participate in great strength in polling. Respecting them, free, fair and peaceful polling is utmost necessary. 

“The anti-poor and pro-capitalist Modi government’s functioning disturbed peace and tranquillity, causing unrest and anger among the masses. India’s 130 crore peace-loving people certainly deserve a better government. The new government must honour the Constitution, respect democratic values and care for sarvasamaj,” she said in tweets. 

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said it was not merely a poll announcement but a declaration of the big change that is going to come about in the country soon. 

CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the model code of conduct had come into force with announcement of general elections and it would end the “unfair use of government resources by the Modi government”. 

Yechury said secular, democratic India is confident that the Election Commission (EC) will conduct free, fair and safe elections to ensure a smooth transition to the next government. 

In a series of tweets, he also said there were serious concerns over funding enabled by “opaque electoral bonds” brought in by this government and excessive spending by the ruling party and it is important that this is closely monitored and the integrity of the electoral process is maintained. 

“In Bengal, large-scale violence and intimidation in past few elections has been disturbing. The EC must pay special attention to ensure that the destruction of democracy, as it happened in local elections, is not repeated. Sanctity of each voter’s franchise is what preserves our Republic,” he said. 

On Jammu and Kashmir, Yechury said it is perplexing how the security situation in the state was good enough to conduct Lok Sabha elections, but not for assembly elections, which are also due. “Is there a diabolical motive?” he wondered.

In Kolkata, senior Trinamool leader and state minister Firhad Hakim also questioned the holding of polls during Ramadan, when Muslims fast during the day. Ramadan will fall in May-June this year. 

“Whether the elections are held for five phases, or seven, or 14, that doesn’t matter, because our leader Mamata Banerjee has a place in the people’s hearts,”: he said.

[Nasheman news] Lucknow  Elections for the high-profile Amethi and Rae Bareli parliamentary constituencies in UP, represented by Congress President Rahul Gandhi and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, respectively, will be held in the fifth phase of polling on May 6, the Election Commission said on Sunday.

Varanasi, represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in The Lok Sabha, will vote last on May 19.

Voting in UP will be held in the seven phases on April 11, 18, 23, 29 and May 6, 12 and 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

Along with Amethi and Rae Bareli, voting in Dhaurahra, Sitapur, Mohanlalganj, Lucknow, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Barabanki, Faizabad, Bahraich, Kaiserganj and Gonda will take place on May 6. In the 16th Lok Sabha, Lucknow was represented by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. 

In the first phase on April 11, voting will be held in Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar – all located in western Uttar Pradesh.

In the second phase on April 18, polling will take place in Nageena, Amroha, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Mathura, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. 

It is rumoured that Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati may contest from Nageena. Mathura at present is represented by veteran Bollywood actress-turned-politician Hema Malini.

In the third phase on April 23, voting will take place in Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Budaun, Aonla, Bareilly and Pilibhit. In this belt the Samajwadi Party (SP) has been traditionally strong, but was routed in the last general elections in 2014. 

Mulayam Singh Yadav is set to contest from Mainpuri this time. Union minister Maneka Gandhi won from Pilibhit in 2014.

In the fourth phase on April 29, polling will be held at Shahjahanpur, Kheri, Hardoi, Mishrikh, Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah, Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur, Jalaun, Jhansi and Hamirpur. 

Union minister Uma Bharati, who has announced that she will not contest this time, represented Jhansi in the 16th Lok Sabha.

Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Phoolpur, Allahabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Shrawasti, Dumariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabeernagar, Lalganj, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Bhadohi and Machlishahr will go to the polls in the sixth phase on May 12. 

The seventh and final phase of polling on May 19 will see voting in Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Baangaon, Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Robertsganj and Varanasi.

[Nasheman news]New Delhi A Sunday joyride became fatal for a family when three of its members, including two minor girls, were charred to death after their car caught fire in east Delhi.

The tragedy occurred at 6.30 p.m. when Upender, who works as a driver, wife Anjana and three minor daughters — one-and-half-year-old Nikki, Riddhi, 5, and Siddhi, 3, — were returning home in Ghaziabad’s Loni after a visit to the Kalkaji temple.

“Their Datsun Go car, which was fitted with a CNG kit, burst into flames near the Akshardham flyover. Upender, who was driving the car, saved Siddhi by jumping out, but could not pull out Anjana, Nikki and Riddhi,” DCP Jasmeet Singh told IANS.

A fire tender reached the spot and doused the fire, but by then all three had been burnt to death, he added.

“Upender and Siddhi did not suffer any burns. Prima facie CNG leakage appears to have caused the fire,” he said.

[Nasheman news] New Delhi  The Election Commission (EC) has formed a committee comprising three “eminent” members to assess the situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir before it takes a decision about holding the Assembly elections in the troubled state, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora said on Sunday.

The three members of the committee who will function as the Special Observers are retired IAS officers Noor Mohammed (1977 batch) and Vinod Zutshi (1982 batch) besides A.S. Gill, a retired IPS officer of 1972 batch.

Noor Mohammad has been working in the area of election management for more than a decade and has been international expert and consultant to Afghanistan for many years. He is currently working as senior consultant in the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM). 

Zutshi, who has served as Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Rajasthan and Deputy Election Commissioner for many years, has long experience in the field of election management and has been contributing to the Commission as national and international trainer.

Gill, a decorated officer, has served as the Inspector General and later as Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Jammu and Kashmir. He is working in the field of security management. 

There were speculations that Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which is under the President’s Rule, could be held along with the Lok Sabha polls. But the EC has decided against it as of now.

The state Assembly was suddenly dissolved in November last year by Governor Satya Pal Malik after keeping it in suspended animation for over five months.

About holding simultaneous elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Arora said: “The Commission has been continuously assessing the prevailing situation in the state, requirement of central forces and other logistics for elections, requirement of the security for the candidates and preparedness of the state for the election on key factors.” 

He said the poll panel had conducted several rounds of review meetings with Union Home Ministry and the state administration. The Union Home Secretary had sent detailed and specific inputs to the Commission regarding holding elections in the state. 

“Based on the specific inputs and recommendation from the state government and Union Home Secretary, inputs from the political parties and other stakeholders, constraints of availability of central forces and other logistics, requirement of security forces for security of candidates in wake of incidents of violence in recent past and keeping other challenges in mind, the Commission has decided to announce only schedule of the parliament elections in the Jammu and Kashmir,” Arora said.

He said the Commission will be “regularly and on real time basis” monitoring the situation in the state and the decision of holding Assembly elections “will be taken soon”.

[Nasheman news] Amaravati With the Election Commission announcing the Lok Sabha poll schedule on Sunday, election authorities in Andhra Pradesh said they were ready to conduct simultaneous elections to the state Assembly and the Lok Sabha on April 11.

All 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state will witness single-phase polling.

With enmasse applications for deletion of voters triggering a huge row, the poll officials have asked people to check their names in the voter list.

Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi told a news conference that new voters and those whose names were missing can apply for enrollment by March 15 and that the final electoral rolls will be published on March 25.

As on February 26, the state had 3.71 crore voters including 87 lakh women. Over 2.64 lakh applications for enrollment were pending.

Dwivedi said 9,27,542 applications in Form-7 (for deletion of voters) were received and out of them 5,25,957 applications were rejected. Another 1,58,124 applications were under consideration.

He said 446 cases were registered against those who submitted false applications for deletion of voters.

The CEO said 20 lakh voter cards were currently being printed while there were plans to print another 13 lakh cards.

As per the poll schedule, the notification will be issued on March 18. The last date for filing nominatiosn is March 25 while nominations can be withdrawn till March 28.