Month: April 2021

The Election Commission (EC) on Friday suspended an armed escort officer after a video surfaced on social media purportedly showing an EVM being found in a BJP candidate’s car in Patharkandi constituency following the second round of polling in Assam.

The EC has suspended the officer for leaving behind the stranded polling party and not ensuring their safe arrival at the destination.
“With the receipt of the Special general Observer in Assam, Armed Escort Officer Luhit Gohain, Sub-inspector of Police (Armed Officer) of 3rd Assam Police Battalion has been suspended,” the Special General Observer appointed by the EC said in an official statement.

“There does not seem to be any grounds for the change of RO as this appears to be an isolated incident, due to negligence and foolishness of Presiding Officer. To ensure credibility, it is appropriate to order a repoll in PS No 149 Indira MV School of LAC 1, Ratabari,” it said.

The EC had earlier suspended Presiding Officer and three other officials in the matter.

The poll body has decided to do a re-poll at number 149-Indira MV School of LAC 1 Ratabari (SC) as an added precaution.

According to sources, an FIR has been lodged against unknown persons after they attacked a car, allegedly belonging to a BJP candidate, carrying a polled electronic voting machine.

The second phase of Assembly polls was held in 39 constituencies across 13 districts of Assam on Thursday. A voter turnout of 74.76 per cent was recorded during the second phase.

Polling for the third and last phase will be held on April 6 and the counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)

Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone, who is always a sight to behold, stunned her fans on Friday by dropping a new picture clad in an all-blue ensemble, wondering if it’s ‘summer already’.

Clad in an all-blue ensemble, Bollywood’s ‘queen of hearts’ is looking no less than the ice beauty in this latest picture.
Looking breathtaking as ever, she is seen sporting an English royal beauty look. Donning a body fit light blue dress; she has tied her hair in her signature sleek bun. While, her high stilettos team up perfectly in contrast with her long overcoat, her elegant necklace sums up her whole look.

“Summer Already…?,” the ‘Padmaavat’ star wrote in the caption.

With the post hitting 1 million likes within 2 hours of being posted, scores of the 35-year-old fans chimed into the comments section and left fire and lovestruck emotions in an awe of the stunning post.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Deepika has an impressive line-up of projects in the pipeline including ’83’, ‘Baiju Bawra’, ‘Fighter’, ‘Sanki’, ‘Pathan’, and Indian adaptation of Nancy Meyers’s 2015 hit Hollywood film ‘The Intern’. (ANI)

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday convened a high-level meeting with country’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and senior officials of the Foreign Office to review Pakistan’s ties with India, local media reported.

Khan will take a holistic review of the current status of the relationship between the two countries after recent developments, Geo News reported citing unnamed sources.
The meeting comes a day after Pakistan’s federal cabinet back-tracked on the Pakistan Economic Coordination Committee’s (ECC) decision to allow the import of sugar, cotton and cotton yarn from India through land and sea routes.

If the ECC decision was implemented, it would have led to the resumption of trade between the two countries after two years.

Pakistan had unilaterally snapped ties with India in August 2019 to protest against the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.

In recent weeks, Pakistan’s leadership has toned down the rhetoric against India. The Pakistan government and the military have issued statements signalling the country’s desire to normalise the ties between the two countries.

Last month, Pakistan Army Chief Jawed Qamar Bajwa said ‘it is a time to bury the past and move forward’. He called for a stable relationship between India and Pakistan as it is key to unlocking the potential of South and Central Asia by ensuring connectivity between East and West Asia.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan said that India would have to take the first step for improving bilateral relations by addressing the Kashmir issue.

Last month, India and Pakistan also held the annual meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) after a gap of more than two-and-a-half years. A delegation from Pakistan arrived in New Delhi to hold talks with India under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty (IWT).

In February, India and Pakistan had announced that they have agreed to a ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC). (ANI)

By Archana Prasad

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra went into self-isolation after her husband Robert Vadra tested positive for COVID-19. She, however, has tested negative.

The Congress leader released a video in which she said: “My yesterday’s report has come negative but on the advice of doctors, I will be in isolation for the next few days. I apologise to all of you for this inconvenience. I pray for Congress’ victory.” she said.

“Recently, due to exposure to coronavirus, I have to cancel my Assam tour,” she further said.

Gandhi was scheduled to visit Assam for one day and address public meetings in Goalpara East, Golakganj (Dekguri near Agomani) and at Sarukhetri (Kayakuchi).

Polling for the third and last phase of the assembly elections will be held on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)

Sri Lanka’s senior medical experts have stated that the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm, which were given by Beijing should not be used on Sri Lankan nationals, according to a report published in Daily Mirror.

Kamanthi Wickramasinghe in an op-ed for Daily Mirror said senior medical practitioners both in the government and private sectors have expressed concerns over the use of the Chinese vaccine.
This comes after a consignment of Sinopharm coronavirus vaccines given by Beijing reached Colombo on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka’s Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) in a statement said that an independent panel of experts was appointed by the country’s National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) to review all submissions related to candidate vaccines.

“We are also aware that in their report dated March 17, 2021, that the panel concluded that there is insufficient data provided to make a determination on the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of the Sinopharm vaccine. This observation was made after reviewing all data made available by the manufacturer of the vaccine. It was accordingly concluded that the Sinopharm vaccine should not be used in Sri Lanka under the present circumstances,” the statement read.

Earlier, Dr Pathirana said the World Health Organization (WHO) and NMRA have not yet approved the use of the vaccine.

The vaccine has been evaluated by the regulatory authority based on the information it has received so far, the Minister said while adding that there is a delay in evaluating the Phase 4 clinical trial results, Colombo Page reported.

“Phase 4 clinical trial results are not available in the English language and that is why the WHO has not given its recommendation to use the vaccine universally. The moment we get the approval we can use it on Sri Lankans as well,” Pathirana had said. (ANI)

Bollywood diva Malaika Arora became the latest Indian celebrity to take the first jab of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The 47-year-old star took to Instagram and shared a picture of her receiving the vaccination shot at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. The photo sees Malaika clad in a white tank top, blue denim and a red face mask while getting the shot on her arm.

“I took the first dose of the COVID vaccine. Because #wereinthistogether !Lets go warriors, lets win this #WarAgainstVirus,” she wrote alongside the picture.

Motivating people to take the vaccine, the mother-of-one added, “Don’t forget to take yours soon!”

The fitness enthusiast also penned a note of thanks to the health care workers and shared that she is eligible to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

“(n a special mention to our amazing frontline workers, who were so caring n vigilant n went about doin everything with a smile) THANK YOU (and yes I am eligible to take the vaccine),” added Malaika.

Scores of fans chimed into the comments section and appreciated Malaika’s post by leaving red heart and clapping emoticons.

In September last year, Malaika had tested positive for COVID-19. She successfully recovered from the deadly virus and had thanked all her loved ones and family for the support during her recovery phase.

Malaika is the latest Indian film celebrity to be vaccinated after Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Hema Malini, Mohanlal, Jeetendra, Kamal Haasan, Nagarjuna, Rohit Shetty, Neena Gupta, Rakesh Roshan, and Johnny Lever.

The Centre had announced that all people above 45 years of age would be eligible to get COVID-19 vaccines from April 1. (ANI)

As India reported 72,330 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24-hours, the total cases of COVID-19 infection crossed the 1.2 crore mark on Thursday.

The Union Health Ministry on Thursday said that there are 5,84,055 active cases in the nation as of now. The country reported 459 new deaths taking the death toll to 1,62,927.
Maharashtra on Thursday continued to report the highest number of daily cases in the country.

Maharashtra reports 43,183 new COVID-19 cases, 32,641 recoveries, 249 deaths in the last 24 hours, informed the state health department on Thursday.

Out of 43,183 fresh COVID cases, the Pune district reported 8,011 new cases. There are 64,838 active cases in the district.

Mumbai reported 8,646 new COVID infections and the active cases in the district now soared up to 55,005.

Meanwhile, the national capital reported 2,790 fresh COVID-19 cases, 1,121 recoveries, and 9 deaths in the last 24 hours, informed the Delhi Health Department on Thursday.

With this, the total cases in the national capital rose to 6,65,220 including 10,498 active cases and 6,43,686 total recoveries. However, the death toll mounted to 11,036 including the new deaths.

As many as 1,271 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the last 24 hours in Andhra Pradesh, the state health department said on Thursday. With these new cases, the cumulative tally of the COVID-19 cases in the state now stands at 9,03,260. While the active cases stand at 8,142.

Karnataka reported 4,234 new COVID-19 cases, 1,599 discharges and 18 deaths today. There are 30,865 active cases in the state.

With 3,187 new COVID-19 cases reported in Punjab, the active cases in the state stand at 24,644.

The third phase of coronavirus vaccination for all above 45 years has begun across the country on the 76 the day of the nationwide COVID19 vaccination.

With this cumulative count of COVID-19 vaccination has administered in the country has crossed 6.75 crores. As many as 4,01,06,304 people who are more than 45 years old were administered the COVID-19 jab as on April 1.

Union Ministers Anurag Thakur and Piyush Goyal, Uttar Pradesh Minister Brajesh Pathak, and Mayor of Pune were among the beneficiaries aged above 45 years who took his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine today.

The center also informed that the COVID-19 vaccination will be carried out at both public and private sector Vaccination Centres (CVCs) on all days of April, including gazetted holidays. (ANI)

The second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded with an estimated 80.43 per cent voter turnout on Thursday.

In phase-II, a total of 30 Assembly constituencies from the districts of South 24 Parganas, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur went to polls to decide on the electoral fate of 171 candidates, including 19 women.
Polling began at 7 am and ended at 6.30 pm.

Addressing media persons, Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab said, “In the second phase, 80.43 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm. Apart from a few stray incidents, the polling was peaceful. Among the major incidents, Uttam Doloi, who was sharply attacked in Keshpur succumbed to injuries. Eight people were arrested in connection with the case.”

“In another incident, Uday Shankar Dubey in Nandigram has died by hanging himself as per preliminary reports. The investigation is underway. Further, a candidate in Keshpur sustained minor injuries. 20 persons have been arrested including six men and 14 women,” he added.

Asked about Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s complaint against poll disruption in Nandigram, Aftab said, “Chief Minister was seeking to visit a few polling stations around 1.30 pm. There was some constant shouting made by the two groups at a booth. Security was further enhanced and senior police officials visited the booth. Things normalised after that.”

In the second phase of polling, the total number of electors were 76,07,667. Among them, 38,93,655 were men, 37,13,926 women and 86 were of the third gender. There were 13,118 service electors and 13 overseas electors. There were a total of 29,679 postal ballot absentee voters.

As many 44,291 polling personnel were deputed for the second phase of polling. There were 10,620 polling stations and 6,792 polling station locations in the second phase of polling. Among them, 5,535 booths were webcasted and 3,049 booths were laced with CCTV.

Among 171 candidates, two were undoubtedly the most prominent figures, that is, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December last year.

Nandigram has experienced the most high-profile contest with Banerjee and Adhikari taking on each other. The stakes are high with Adhikari pledging that he would quit politics if he does not defeat Mamata by 50,000 votes in Nandigram.

The Left Front fielded Minakshi Mukherjee, the state president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) from Nandigram against Banerjee and Adhikari.

Apart from Nandigram, another high-profile seat that witnessed polling in this phase is the Debra constituency. BJP fielded former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh against TMC’s Humayun Kabir, an ex-IPS officer.

Notably, Ghosh once happened to be close to Mamata Banerjee. She joined the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Kabir, on the other hand, joined TMC ahead of this Assembly polls.

Many popular faces from the entertainment industry contested in the second phase of polls, with actors Soham Chakraborty and Sayantika Banerjee representing TMC and standing from Chandipur and Bankura respectively while actor Hiranmoy Chattopadhyay from BJP contested from Kharagpur Sadar constituency in Paschim Medinipur.

In Tamluk, TMC fielded Soumen Mahapatra and was pitted against BJP’s Harekrishna Bera and CPI’s Goutam Panda. In the Moyna constituency in Purba Medinipur, BJP fielded cricketer Ashok Dinda against TMC’s Sangram Kumar Dolui and Congress’ Manik Bhownik.

In Haldia, sitting MLA Tapasi Mondal who had been earlier with CPI(M)was now the BJP’s candidate against TMC’s Swapan Naskaran and CPI(M)’s Manika Kar Paik.

Several minor incidents of violence reported during the second phase of polling today.

The TMC complained to the poll body that it had received a report from its representatives about the BJP “jamming” eight booths in the Moyna constituency and said, “a mob of BJP workers has entered the booth”. The complaint said that BJP workers “are attempting to take control of EVM and are rigging the booth”.

On the other hand, the BJP alleged that a women polling agent of the party at booth number 173 in Keshpur was beaten by TMC workers. She was rushed to the hospital after the attack. Further, the BJP candidate from Keshpur Pritish Ranjan Kuar was allegedly attacked by TMC workers.

Speaking to ANI, Kuar said, “I was going to a booth. There was a QRT of Police in front of our car and behind them was local media. When we reached there, ‘Trinamool gundas’ started hitting us with bricks and lathis. My security took us to the car.”

“There were seven people in our car and all were attacked. Security was there but they were helpless. We were crying for our lives. We left the place and entered a house where women saved us and took care of us,” added the BJP candidate.

There was a ruckus near a polling booth in Debra when BJP candidate Bharati Ghosh came to visit.

The first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded on March 27 with an estimated 79.79 per cent voter turnout and covered 30 seats from Purulia, Jhargram, Bankura, Purba and Paschim Medinipur.

The polling for 31 seats in the third phase of the 294-member state Assembly will be held on April 6. Elections for 44 seats will be held in the fourth phase on April 10. Further, in the fifth phase on April 17, 45 seats will go to the polls.

The sixth phase is scheduled for April 22 when elections for 43 seats will be done. In the seventh phase on April 26, polling will be held for 36 seats. Finally, the eighth phase is scheduled for April 29 when 35 seats will go for polling. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)