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Maharashtra, Jharkhand Break 2019 Record; EC Seizes Rs 1,000 Crore in Poll Raids

November 20, 2024, 4:28 pm

The Election Commission has reported that enforcement agencies have seized over Rs 1,000 crore worth of cash, liquor, and other inducements during the ongoing elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and across 14 states where bypolls are being held. Of this amount, Rs 858 crore has been confiscated from Maharashtra and Jharkhand, marking a sevenfold increase compared to the 2019 assembly elections. In 2019, Maharashtra recorded seizures worth Rs 103.61 crore, while Jharkhand’s total was Rs 18.76 crore.

The second round of voting in Jharkhand is scheduled for November 20, coinciding with Maharashtra’s polling date. Votes for both states will be counted on November 23.

In Maharashtra, significant seizures have been made across all districts, surpassing figures from previous assembly elections. Notable operations include the confiscation of Rs 3.70 crore in cash from a suspicious Jeep in the Wada police station area of Palghar District. Additionally, in the Jamod Assembly Constituency of Buldhana district, authorities seized 4,500 kg of ganja plants valued at Rs 4.51 crore. In Raigad, silver bars worth Rs 5.20 crore were confiscated.

The Election Commission’s intensified focus on curbing the influence of money in elections has led to this substantial increase in seizures. Chief Election Officer Rajiv Kumar has instructed all officials and observers to maintain strict vigilance over the next two days and to prevent the distribution of any inducements until polling concludes.

Jharkhand has also witnessed record seizures, with a particular emphasis on curbing illicit mining activities. In Rajmahal Assembly Constituency of Sahibganj district, illegal mining materials worth ₹2.26 crore were seized, along with the machinery involved. In Daltonganj, authorities confiscated 687 kg of poppy straw, while in Hazaribagh, 48.18 kg of marijuana was seized.

In Rajasthan, enforcement agencies intercepted 449 cartons of liquor concealed behind layers of potato boxes in Nagaur, during transit from one neighboring state to another.

The surge in seizures is attributed to an extensive monitoring process initiated months before the election announcements. This process includes sensitizing and reviewing enforcement agencies for coordinated monitoring, identifying expenditure-sensitive constituencies, ensuring adequate field teams, providing training on expenditure monitoring systems, and appointing experienced officers as Expenditure Observers.

Also read: India’s Insurance Market to Reach $11 Trillion by 2047

The Election Commission has also invested in information technology to enhance monitoring efforts. The in-house Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) facilitates real-time monitoring and information sharing among multiple agencies, serving as a broader deterrent against electoral malpractices.

Bypolls: Voting starts in six states for 7 assembly seats

September 5, 2023, 10:13 am

At seven in the morning on Tuesday, voting began for the seven assembly constituencies in six states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tripura, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. Notably, this is the first election between the newly formed Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of the opposition bloc and the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Bye-elections are being held for the Puthupally seat in Kerala, the Dhupguri seat in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri, the Dumri seat in Jharkhand and the Bageshwar seat in Uttarkhand, as well as the Boxanagar and Dhanpur seats in Tripura. On Friday, September 8, the Election Commission will announce the results of the bye-elections.

Bypolls in five states were necessitated due to the deaths of the sitting MLAs, while the two other MLAs resigned from their posts. In Uttar Pradesh’s Ghosi, Dara Singh Chauhan’s reelection as Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA necessitated bypolls. Chauhan joined the BJP after leaving the SP. The BJP has filed Chauhan against SP’s Sudhakar Singh for the Ghose byelections.
Bye-election in Tripura’s Dhanpur was necessitated after the BJP’s Pratima Bhoumik resigned to retain her Lok Sabha seat, leaving the assembly vacant. Bhoumik’s brother Bindu Debnath will be fighting for the BJP against Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate Kaushik Chanda in Dhanpur for the bypolls.

As a result of the passing of CPI (MK) MLA Samsul Haque, the seat in Tripura’s Boxanagar district became open to competition between the BJP and CPI (M). There will be a fight between the SP, Congress, and BJP for the Bageshwar seat in Uttarakhand. The passing of BJP MLA Chandan Ram Dass prompted a bye-election in Bageshwar.

Karnataka elections witness diverse range of emotions.

May 12, 2023, 1:09 am

The polling booths on Wednesday in Karnataka witnessed inclusive, vibrant, and peaceful voting, with a range of individuals turning out in large numbers to cast their votes. The diverse group included newlyweds and a heartwarming moment of childbirth, as well as tribals and trans people, highlighting the inclusivity of the state’s electoral process.
According to the Election Commission of India, which put the overall voter turnout at the close of polling on Wednesday at 72.68 percent, over 94,000 senior citizens and PwDs cast their votes from home in Karnataka, in what the poll panel said was a first in India’s electoral history.

Polling was largely peaceful in all 224 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, with not a single incident at 58,545 polling stations that warranted repolling.
Advance planning, the use of technology, exhaustive reviews, and strict monitoring ensured the smooth conduct of elections, the EC said at the close of polling on Wednesday.
While the overall polling was recorded at 65.69 percent until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, the turnout rose to 66.02 percent as the day wore on.
Many voters who arrived at their designated polling stations at the closing hour were allowed to exercise their franchise. Many were seen queueing up outside polling stations at 6 p.m., the stipulated closing time, the EC informed.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, with fellow election commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, ensured advance planning and extensive monitoring for a smooth conduct of the Karnataka polls.
Bypolls were also held on Wednesday for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency of Punjab, the Jharsuguda Assembly seat of Odisha, the Chhanbey Assembly constituency of Uttar Pradesh, to fill up seats vacated post the death of sitting members, the Suar Assembly seat of Uttar Pradesh (due to the disqualification of a sitting candidate), and the Sohiong Assembly constituency of Meghalaya, where polling had been adjourned previously due to the death of a candidate.
Voting percentages of 50.27 percent for Jalandhar, 68.12 percent for Jharsuguda, 39.51 percent for Chhanbey (SC), 41.78 percent for Suar, and 91.39 percent for Sohiong (ST) were recorded by the poll panel at 5 p.m.
Meticulous planning and regular and exhaustive reviews with chief secretaries and directors general of police of neighbouring states and other law enforcement agencies went into ensuring a smooth, free, fair, inclusive, and accessible polling in Karnataka on Wednesday.
Webcasting was arranged at over 30,000 polling stations, while adequate CAPF and microobservers were deployed at critical booths. CEC Kumar, while thanking the voters of Karnataka, said, “In the past 6 elections held in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura, and now in Karnataka, out of over 1.26 lakh polling stations, repolls were held only in 4 polling stations in Nagaland.”
As part of the commission’s initiative to provide a comfortable polling experience to women voters, 996 all-women polling stations were set up. These booths were unique as they had all-women polling staff and security personnel.
Newlyweds with cheerful faces were seen queuing up outside booths as polling kicked off at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
Such was the enthusiasm among voters on the day that a 23-year-old pregnant woman, out to get her finger inked at Kurlagindi village in Ballari, went into labour outside the booth and delivered a newborn, the EC informed.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik’s message to BJP, ‘will never support those who disrespect women’

December 9, 2022, 3:23 pm

Biju Janata Dal president and Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik warned the Bhartiya Janta party that people in his state would never allow disrespect for women after BJD candidate Barsha Singh Bariha defeated the saffron party handily in the Padampur bypolls.

Thanking people for Bariha’s victory in a video message, Patnaik told the saffron party: “Let’s work together for the good of the people, for the betterment of Odisha,” Bariha defeated BJP’s Pradip Purohit from Padampur with a margin of over 42,000 votes on Thursday.
“Thank you all for your support and this extraordinary victory. This is the victory of the people of Padampur. I would also like to thank the lakhs of Biju Janta Dal workers for their hard work and determination,” Patnaik said in his video message in Odia.

Patnaik expressed his sadness over the manner the Bharatiya Janata Party behaved, attacking Bariha personally and treating her with complete disregard while she was grieving. After the passing of her father and incumbent BJD MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha on October 3, the Padampur byelections became necessary.

Some people are asking why I didn’t go canvassing for panchayat elections and other bypolls, why I didn’t go in Padampur election for campaigning,
“I want to state here, the way a woman, an educated young woman, a woman who was in grief due to the loss of her father, was disrespected by some leaders of the state Bharatiya Janata Party — it saddened to me.
“I think it was not just a very sad thing for me alone, but for all the women of Odisha,” he said.
“Losing and winning in politics, contesting the elections are different things. But to disrespect, a woman like that is reprehensible. That’s why I decided to stand by Barsha Singh Bariha – like a father, like a brother, like a friend,” he added.

In his video message in Odia, Patnaik praised the people and the thousands of Biju Janta Dal members for their dedication and hard work while also warning the opposition BJP that Odisha will never tolerate anyone who mistreats women for political gain.

Odisha’s Padampur sees highest voter turnout, 65.28 pc till 3 pm

December 5, 2022, 6:18 pm

Padampur in Odisha had the highest voter turnout at 65.28 percent up till 3 o’clock among the six assembly byelections held in five states on Monday,

In Gujarat, voting for the second round of the assembly elections took place concurrently with the byelections. Data from the Election Commission of India (ECI) show that 64.86% of eligible voters turned out in Bhanurpratappur, Chhattisgarh.

A voter turnout of 48% was observed at the Kurhani assembly seat in Bihar, while by 3 p.m., 54.95% of voters in Sardarshahar, Rajasthan, and 40.20% in Khatauli, Uttar Pradesh, had cast ballots.

The lowest voter participation was registered in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, at 26.32 percent.

Elections were also held for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Following the passing of the incumbent MP and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, in October, voting was mandated in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency. Dimple Yadav, the spouse of Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, has been nominated by the party for the position. She is up against Raghuraj Singh Shakya, a former member of the BJP.

J&K: Polling held in two DDC constituencies

December 5, 2022, 4:36 pm

Voting began for two District Development Council (DDC) constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday at 7 a.m.: Hajin-A in Bandipora and Drugmulla in Kupwara.

Election authorities ordered a re-poll in these two constituencies owing to contested candidate qualifications, according to officials. There were 42 polling booths in Drugmulla and 57 in Hajin where voters could cast their ballots.

According to a representative of the Directorate of Information and Public Relations Jammu and Kashmir, Hajin-A DDC seat reported a percentage of 34.43 up until 11 a.m., and Drugmulla recorded 15.74 percent.

Candidates from the National Conference and the People’s Conference are in a tight race for the Hajin seat. These candidates in the segment are also supported by other political parties such as the Apni Party, the BJP, and the Democratic Azad.

A total of 32,000 voters from 30 panchayats will decide the fate of the 10 candidates running for the Drugmulla seat.

The Election Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir appealed to voters to come out and vote in large numbers. “I appeal to voters to cast their votes without any fear and strengthen the democratic process by participating in large numbers,” Kewal Kumar Sharma said.

In order to ensure fair and transparent voting, a practise poll was held at each polling location prior to the real election.

Following complaints regarding the nationalities of Somia Sadaf and Shazia Begum—both residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)—the State Election Commission (SEC) declared the elections for both District Development Council (DDC) seats in 2020 as “disputed.”

Mainpuri election scene accelerates as CM Yogi set to enter campaign

November 28, 2022, 12:25 pm

Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, will launch his campaign on November 28 with his first public gathering in Mainpuri, increasing the heat quotient of the crucial election.

The Samajwadi Party’s traditional stronghold is being attacked by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has already unleashed its army of MLAs and ministers. CM Yogi will address the gathering at Karhal’s Narsingh Yadav Inter College. Yogi Adityanath is anticipated to make constant efforts to sway Mainpuri residents’ opinions until 3 December.

In actuality, Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister, will begin his maiden public speech from Akhilesh Yadav’s district. The SP President will need to put more emphasis on Karhal in this situation because it is an SP stronghold.

Keshav Prasad Maurya, the deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, had two meetings in Mainpuri earlier. In order to sway voters in the direction of the BJP, deputy chief minister Brijesh Pathak has been holding meetings in Mainpuri for the past two days. In addition, Party President Chaudhary Bhupendra Singh and General Secretary Organization Dharampal Singh are doing everything in their power to sway the employees.

A prominent by-election for the Lok Sabha is taking place in Mainpuri. The Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav’s wife, Dimple Yadav, and former MP and BJP candidate Raghuraj Singh Shakya are engaged in a heated race for the seat. This by-election was previously thought to be simple for Dimple Yadav.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has altered all pre-election forecasts by fielding Vetran politician Raghuraj Singh Shakya.

Former MP late Mulayam Singh Yadav represented this constituency. Mulayam’s margin of victory in the most recent Lok Sabha elections was, however, very slim. Since then, it has been thought that the SP would have it difficult in Mainpuri after Mulayam.

Dimple Yadav likely to file nomination for Manipuri LS bypolls

November 13, 2022, 4:42 pm

Dimple Yadav, the Samajwadi Party candidate for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypolls, is anticipated to submit her nomination papers on Monday, according to a senior party official.

Alok Shakya, district president of the Samajwadi Party’s Mainpuri district unit, informed PTI that the 44-year-old wife of SP leader Akhilesh Yadav will file her candidacy at the Mainpuri collectorate on Monday afternoon.

With Dimple Yadav running, the SP is attempting to continue Mulayam Singh Yadav’s legacy on the seat, which has been viewed as a stronghold for the party since 1996. Her selection is also viewed as an effort to bring party cadres together before the byelection.

The Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat’s by-election is scheduled for December 5, and the results will be announced on December 8.

The deadline for submitting nominations for the byelection is November 17, and nominations are already being accepted.

After Mulayam Singh Yadav passed away on October 10, the Mainpuri parliamentary seat became vacant.

It is currently unclear whether the Congress, BSP, and Shivpal Yadav’s Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSPL) will run in the elections, while the BJP has not yet declared its candidate for the seat.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP candidate Subrat Pathak from Kannauj defeated Dimple Yadav.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, the patriarch of the SP, defeated Prem Singh Shakya, the BJP candidate, by a margin of more than 94,000 votes in 2019.

The Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency includes Akhilesh’s Karhal Assembly seat as well as Shivpal Yadav’s representation of Jaswant Nagar.

In 2012, Dimple Yadav was elected to the Lok Sabha without opposition from the Kannauj constituency after Akhilesh was appointed chief minister and left his position to join the Uttar Pradesh legislative council.

In the 12.13 lakh voters in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, 35% are Yadavs, with the remaining electors being Shakyas, Thakurs, Brahmins, Scheduled Castes, and Muslims.

Five assembly districts make up the Mainpuri parliamentary district, including Mainpuri, Bhogaon, Kishni, Karhal, and Jaswant Nagar. In the 2022 assembly elections, the BJP won two seats (Mainpuri and Bhogaon), while the SP won three (Karhal, Kishni, and Jaswantnagar).

By-elections 2022: RJD wins Mokama seat, BJP triumphs in Gopalganj, UP’s Gola Gokarannath

November 6, 2022, 7:03 pm

Neelam Devi, a candidate for the Rashtriya Janata Dal, has won the Mokama assembly by-election in Bihar with a margin of 16,741 votes.

The first election after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar broke with the BJP and joined forces with the RJD and Congress to establish a Grand Alliance administration in Mokama, which has long been a bastion of Neelam Devi’s husband Anant Singh, saw a significant struggle between the BJP and RJD. The by-elections in this area were required by Anant Singh’s disqualification in the Arms Act case, and the BJP fielded Sonam Devi as its candidate. Sonam Devi received a total of 62,939 votes.

Notably, Neelam Devi received 79,646 votes to win the seat.

Neelam Devi had earlier in the day said that she would win and that the election was only a “formality.”

“My victory was certain. I had already said there was nobody else in my contest. It was just a formality. Mokama is the land of Parshuram, people won’t get lured in. Vidhayak ji (Anant Singh) had served the people. They are giving the result now,” RJD’s Neelam Devi said.

While this was going on, the RJD’s Mohan Prasad Gupta, who had been in a neck-and-neck race here, lost to the BJP’s Kusum Devi in the Gopalganj constituency of the state by a margin of 1,794 votes.

Kusum Devi stated that she would continue the incomplete development work at this location.

“The entire Gopalganj district is with me. Victory for everyone is my victory. I will carry forward the development work that did not get completed. I was blessed by everyone,” BJP’s Kusum Devi said after winning the Gopalganj byelection.

Notably, Nitish Kumar took his eighth oath here by allying with the JDU, Congress, and other political parties in the state. This was the first battle between the BJP and the Mahagathbandhan since it was established in Bihar.

BJP won in Gopalganj, Bihar, and Gola Gokarannath, Uttar Pradesh, according to National General Secretary (Org) BL Santosh.

“Huge wins for @BJP4India candidates Sri Aman Giri in Gol Gorakhnath , UP & Smt Kusum Devi in Gopalganj , Bihar . Congratulations Team @BJP4UP & Team @BJP4Bihar. Victory is specially sweet in Bihar where BJP was up against united ruling coalition,” his tweet read.

In the Gola Gokarannath seat in Uttar Pradesh, BJP candidate Aman Giri defeated Samajwadi Party opponent Vinay Tiwari to claim victory.

After BJP MLA Arvind Giri passed away in September, the Gola Gokarannath seat in Uttar Pradesh became vacant. The BJP was running to reclaim the seat.

With the BSP and the Congress abstaining from the by-elections, the contest was between the SP candidate and former Gola Gokarannath MLA Vinay Tiwari and Aman Giri of the BJP.

The Uttar Pradesh BJP wished Aman Giri a prosperous future and extended their wishes.

“Many congratulations and best wishes to Shri Aman Giri on his victory in Gola Gokarnath by-election. We wish you a successful tenure,” the UP BJP said in a Hindi tweet.

Bypolls 2022: TRS leads on Munugode seat with 714 votes in fourth round

November 6, 2022, 1:13 pm

Koosukuntla Prabhakar Reddy, a candidate for the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), is in the lead with 26,443 votes after four rounds of counting in the Munugode bypoll.

In Telangana’s Munugode assembly district, Bhartiya Janata Party candidate Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy is in last place with 25,729 votes.