Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates: Slamming West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the BJP on Wednesday said that democracy should be the last word in her dictionary as it hit back at her following her letter to opposition leaders against the Narendra Modi government’s alleged assault on democracy. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has realised that she has lost ground in West Bengal and is speaking about her ‘gotra’ in desperation, but this “drama” will not help her party win the Assembly election. Addressing a rally in Thrissur, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she wanted to give a call to reject the BJP’s divisive politics and the LDF’s politics of fear fraud and favouritism. She said the Congress is not a Kerala-based party like the CPM but a people-based party. “Congress doesn’t practice the politics of divisiveness like the BJP does, our politics is of uniting you. It is about love, brotherhood and progress,” she said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written personal letters to non-BJP leaders highlighting the “assaults” by the BJP and its government on democracy and constitutional federalism of India. Ahead of the second phase of polls in the state, Banerjee’s letter, which was released by the TMC on Wednesday, seeks to drum up support from opposition leaders by stating how non-BJP states have suffered due to the saffron party led Centre’s actions. Accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of issuing threats to its supporters in her rallies, BJP has registered a complaint with the Election Commission over comments made by her. Uttar Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hit at out both the Congress and DMK alleging that they have failed to safeguard women. Referring to some alleged derogatory remarks made by some political party leaders, including DMK MP A Raja, recently, Adityanath said this has proved that there would be no protection to women if these parties were voted to power The Election Commission has also started air surveillance in the area with the help of a helicopter, a senior official said. Congress had shot the youth of Assam during insurgencies in the past. Does any party that killed Assam’s youth has any right to ask for votes in Assam?, asked the home minister in Chirang. Amit Shah also asserted that the BJP government in the state will implement all the promises made in Bodo agreement before 2022. “I have come here to promise you that Govt of India will implement every single promise made in Bodo agreement before 2022 for a peaceful Assam,” said Shah. Mamata is scared of losing the polls. That is why she is using the gotra card. She is conducting attacks on Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP candidates. Sometimes she abuses the Election Commission, said the union minister. The former Congress chief visited Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati ahead of the second phase of Assam Assembly election. The EC said SDPO, Haldia, Barun Baidya should be replaced by Uttam Mitra. Similarly, Circle Inspector, Mahishadal, Bichitra Bikas Roy should be replaced by Inspector, Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench, Sirshendu Das. Twenty-two companies of central forces will be deployed in Nandigram seat, which is witnessing a fierce battle between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her one-time lieutenant-turned-foe BJP’s Suvendu Adhikary. The EC has also decided to deploy a 22-personnel quick response team (QRT) at Nandigram on the election day, an official told PTI. The EC has also constituted a team of officials who will supervise the proceedings in Nandigram on the poll day, he said. The Election Commission on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to DMK leader A Raja for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami during an election campaign. The former Union minister and DMK’s “star campaigner” has been asked to respond to the notice by 6 pm on Wednesday. Based on ground reports, the Commission said, it is of the view that “the contents of the speech made by you are not only derogatory but also obscene and lower the dignity of motherhood of women, which seems to be a serious violation of the provisions of Model Code of Conduct.” The Commission has given him “an opportunity to explain your position in this regard on or before 6 pm on 31 March, failing which the Commission shall take a decision without any further reference to you.” The notice said the EC received a complaint through the state chief electoral officer from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which alleged that Raja had made derogatory and scandalous speech against Palaniswami during an election campaign on 26 March at Thousand Lights assembly constituency. The notice pointed out that the Central Crime Branch has registered a case under the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 against the DMK MP. The EC said that Raja had allegedly said that (DMK leader MK) “Stalin is a child of good relationship and good birth while Palaniswami is a child of bad relationship and a premature born child”. The EC also referred to some other remarks made by Raja against the chief minister.
Assembly Election 2021 Updates: BJP slams Mamata for letter to Oppn, says democracy should be 'last word' in her dictionary
Assembly Election 2021 LIVE Updates: Ahead of the second phase of polls in the state, Banerjee’s wrote a letter seeking to drum up support from Opposition leaders by highlighting how non-BJP states have suffered due to the saffron party-led Centre’s actions.
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Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Phase 2 polling in Assam and Bengal concludes, says EC
The Election Commission of India Thursday said that the second phase of Assam and West Bengal elections was conducted peacefully across 21,112 polling stations spread over 69 Assembly constituencies.
While more than 73 lakh electorates across 10,592 Polling Stations are registered to exercise their franchise in the 39 seats in the second phase of polling in Assam, in West Bengal, nearly 76 lakh electorates are registered across 10,620 Polling Stations in 30 Assembly Constituencies.
“Voter turnout reported by 5 pm from the 39 Assembly seats of phase 2 in Assam is 73.03 percent, whereas the poll percentage reported from the 30 constituencies of phase 2 in West Bengal is 80.43% as of 5 pm,” ANI quoted EC as saying.
“During this phase, a total of 10620 Ballot Units (BUs), 10620 Control Units(CUs) and 10620 VVPATs were used in West Bengal and 10819 Ballot Units (BUs), 10592 Control Units (CUs) and 10592 VVPATs were used in Assam,” the commission said in a release.
Webcasting arrangements were put in place for 5,535 polling stations in West Bengal and 5,193 polling stations in Assam, the commission added.
The EC also said that the option of postal ballot facility was extended to PwDs, Senior Citizens above the age of 80 years, COVID-19 suspect or affected persons and persons employed in essential services.
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Mehbooba Mufti supports Mamata Banerjee’s pitch for opposition unity
Expressing solidarity with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said it is imperative for the opposition parties in the country to unite in order to protect democracy and its cherished values, reports PTI.
Mufti, who was reacting to a letter by the West Bengal chief minister to non-BJP leaders in which she pitched for opposition unity against alleged “assaults” by the saffron party and its government on democracy and constitutional federalism of India, said the need of the hour is to put up a collective fight against the onslaught .
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Amit Shah, BSF DG should resign if infiltration is taking place in Bengal: Abhishek Banerjee
If infiltration is taking place in West Bengal from Bangladesh as alleged by the BJP, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the BSFs director general should resign as securing the countrys border is their duty and not of the Mamata Banerjee administration, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee said on Wednesday.
Abhishek Banerjee claimed that the Narendra Modi government failed to fulfil its promise of reopening closed tea gardens of north Bengal but at least five such gardens have resumed functioning following the intervention of the chief minister.
“Who is responsible for infiltration in West Bengal? Is it the BSF or the state police? I would say Home Minister Amit Shah and the DG of the BSF should step down as they are not successful in handling the issue. What is the use of pointing fingers at Mamata Banerjee?” he said.
BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been attacking Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly pursuing “appeasement and vote bank politics” which are responsible for infiltration in the state. Speaking at a public rally at Madarihat in North Bengal’’s Alipurduar district, Abhishek Banerjee said that the TMC government has increased the daily wage of tea garden workers from Rs 67 to Rs 202.
-PTI
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Democracy should be last word in Mamata’s dictionary: BJP
Slamming West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the BJP on Wednesday said that democracy should be the last word in her dictionary as it hit back at her following her letter to opposition leaders against the Narendra Modi government’s alleged assault on democracy.
“Democracy should be the last word in @MamataOfficial & @AITCofficial dictionary. Their cadre attack @BJP4Bengal candidates, intimidate voters, capture booths, block all hoardings and at the end leaders preach Democracy,” BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh tweeted.
The sharp attack by Santosh came following Banerjee’s letters to non-BJP leaders, expressing serious concern over alleged “assaults” by the BJP and its government on democracy and constitutional federalism of India.
-PTI
Pducherry Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Amit Shah to campaign in Puducherry tomorrow
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will pay a one day visit to Puducherry on Thursday and participate in a series of road shows to canvass for NDA candidates in the run up to the 6 April assembly polls. Shah would arrive at airport at 9.30 am , leave for the shrine of Sithananda Swamigal in Karuvadikuppam and then proceed for campaign, BJP party sources told news agency PTI. This will be Shah’s second visit to the Union Territory to campaign for NDA candidates, his earlier one being in February, when he came to Karaikal.
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Asaduddin Owaisi slams Mamata Banerjee
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi slammed West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that she practices BJP’s politics of communalism. “I condemn her remarks in which she’s claiming to be from an upper caste community. Where should Muslims and Dalits of West Bengal go, who are not part of ‘varna’ system? She’s practicing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP’s politics of communalism. They are made for each other,” news agency ANI quotes him as saying.
Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
EC transfers three police officials
The Election Commission on Wednesday ordered the transfer of three police officials, including two IG ranked officers, in poll-bound Tamil Nadu, following “adverse inputs.” In a communication to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, with a copy marked to the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO),the EC directed the transfer of IG Central HM Jayaram, IG West Dhinakaran,and SP Rural Coimbatore Arul Arasu. The EC directed the transfer of the officials “based on adverse inputs,” it said, and also named the replacement for the respective officials. “Jayaram, Dhinakaran and Arul Arasu will be attached to the DGP Headquarters awaiting posting orders” and their posting cannot be done without its permission, the EC said.Further, the Commission also directed the appointment of A Arun as Police Commissioner of Tiruchirappalli City, a day after it transferred then incumbent J Loganathan.
PTI
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Mamata Banerjee speaking of her ‘gotra’ in desperation, says Prakash Javadekar
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday said that TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has realised that she has lost ground in West Bengal and is speaking about her ‘gotra’ in desperation, but this “drama” will not help her party win the assembly election. “You are disclosing your gotra and are opposing ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and also disallowed Ma Durga’s immersion during Durga Puja. People understand everything as to who is genuine and who is not,” he told reporters. Javadekar claimed that the people of the state have already made up their mind to bring the BJP to power and the Lok Sabha election result indicated the people’s will to reject Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress.
As she ended her Nandigram poll campaign, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said during her speech that her gotra was ‘Shandilya’.
PTI
Assam Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Items worth over Rs 110cr confiscated so far, says CEO
Assam broke all previous records in seizures of cash, liquor, drug and other goods after the Assembly polls were notified with several agencies confscating items worth over Rs 110 crore, Chief Electoral Officer of Assam Nitin Khade said on Wednesday. During the 2016 state polls, Central and state agencies had seized goods worth less than Rs 20 crore. Addressing a press conference, Khade said, “After the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force on 26 February in view of the Assam Assembly elections, cash and other valuables worth Rs 110.83 crore have been seized till date. Till now, seizures of drugs and narcotics worth Rs 34.29 crore, over 16.61 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 33.44 crore, cash amounting to Rs 24.50 crore along with gold, silver jewelleries and gold bars worth Rs 3.68 crore have been made.”
Only betrayals in five years of CPM rule, alleges Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
“In Kerala you are suffering from both sides. One hand is the Central govt whose policies have set virtually back the economy,” says Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at Thrissur rally. “Unfortunately the state government has done nothing to support you through this crisis. Many wonderful promises were made. You were told 20 lkah jobs would be provided, cashew industry will be revived and rubber industry will be strengthened but none of this happened,” she claimed.
“If you look back at five years of CPM rule, you find only betrayals,” the Congress leader charged.
Kerala Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slams Centre over farmers’ protest
“Everybody knows how the Central govt headed by Narendra Modi has divided the country in the name of religion and everybody has seen the disdain with which he has treated the poor farmers of our nation,” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said and spoke about the farmers’ protest against the agri laws at the borders of Delhi. “All they want is a hearing and yet the prime minister and his govt persist with laws that are going to destroy their livelihood,” she alleges and goes on to quotes the Bible.
Kerala Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Congress doesn’t practice the politics of divisiveness like BJP, says Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Addressing a rally in Thrissur, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that it is Kerala’s greatness that many festivals are celebrated without any negativity and gave a call to reject the BJP’s divisive politics and the LDF’s politics of fear fraud and favouritism. She said the Congress is not a cadre-based party like the CPM but a people-based party. “Congress doesn’t practice the politics of divisiveness like the BJP does, our politics is of uniting you. It is about love, brotherhood and progress,” she said.
Referiing to Narendra Modi’s rally in Kerala on Tuesday where he quoted the Bible, Priyanka said she didn’t hear the prime minister utter a single word about the harassment of nuns in Uttar Pradesh." I didn’t see him stand up for them," she charged.
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Mithun Chakaraborty holds roadshow in Toofaganj
Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
DMK’s A Raja responds to EC notice
Responding to a notice by the Election Commission, DMK leader A Raja said he had not made any speech that would demean women or motherhood as alleged by the AIADMK. The former Union minister said had used a simile while responding to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami’s comment against his leader MK Stalin.
“In Tamil oratory, simile is a well-accepted norm. In my speech, evolution of the political heights and their means of MK Stalin and Edappadi Palanisami were compared by me through a simile as newborn babies for the easy understanding of the common mass,” Raja told the poll panel, according to ANI. “This was in response to the repeated allegations of the Chief Minister that MK Stalin had never worked hard to become the leader. Hence, if the full text is considered by the committee, I am hopeful it will wipe out the insult and consequent injury inflicted on me.” According to The Indian Express , Raja alleged that the AIADMK as well as the BJP are falsely propagating that he had insulted the chief minister..
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Abhishek Banerjee lashes out at Amit Shah
“Amit Shah always mentions the word ‘ghuspethia’ (infiltrators) during campaigning in Bengal. Who is responsible for that when BSF is guarding the International border and it comes under Amit Shah’s ministry. Amit Shah and the BSF DG should resign for this,” ANI quotes TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee as saying.
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
BJP files complaint with EC against TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee
BJP files a complaint with Election Commission against TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee for “misinforming and misleading the electorates by levelling false allegations against PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the Election Commission of India,” reports news agency ANI.
Puducherry Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Narayanasamy rejects Modi’s allegations against him, previous govt
Senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy on Wednesday denied as ‘baseless’ the allegations levelled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against him and the previous party government he headed in Puducherry. Narayanasamy told reporters that all the charges have been made by Modi without any basis. “If there are any corrupt practices during my stewardship and on the part of the previous Congress government, a probe could be ordered by the Prime Minister instead of making off the cuff allegations at the rally,” he said.
Addressing an election rally of the NDA in Puducherry on Tuesday, Modi had said the previous Congress government headed by Narayanasamy had turned out to be a ‘disaster’ that failed on all fronts.
PTI
Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
DMK tries to gain votes on communal basis, alleges Rajnath Singh
“The DMK tries to gain votes on communal basis. But the BJP does not do politics of caste, creed, and religion. We do politics of humanity and justice. We firmly believe in justice for all and appeasement of none,” news agency ANI quotes Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as saying at a poll rally in Tamil Nadu.
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Mamata Banerjee accuses BJP leaders of horse-trading
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that BJP leaders were distributing large sums of money running into crores of rupees to influence electoral outcome and asked for action by the Election Commission. The Trinamool Congress supremo also accused BJP of bringing in “hired goons” from outside states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to create disturbance in the state and urged the ECI to ensure free and fair Assembly polls. “There are several BJP leaders sitting in hotels with huge amounts of money and distributing from there. They are conducting horse trading,” Banerjee alleged. “The BJP is bringing goons from Bihar, UP to disrupt peace in Bengal. There are several outsiders here in Bengal,” the TMC supremo said.
Banerjee also urged the ECI “not to believe the BJP and implement any decision taken on the basis of their version of events”. Banerjee, who is contesting from Nandigram assembly seat, was speaking at a rally for party candidates Becharam Manna who is contesting from Singur and Ashima Patra, the sitting MLA and contestant from Dhaniakhali.
PTI
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates
Mamata writes to Opposition, calls for united stand against BJP’s ‘attacks on democracy’
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday wrote to non-BJP leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, MK Stalin, Tejashwi Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray, Arvind Kejriwal, and Naveen Patnaik, stating that the time has come for a “united and effective struggle” against BJP’s “attacks on democracy and constitutional federalism”.
In the letter, Mamata said that in states governed by non-BJP parties, the BJP-led Centre is creating problems for duly elected government by misusing governor’s office.
The West Bengal CM also said the passage of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) (GNCTD) Bill is a “grave development” and the BJP has snatched practically all powers of a democratically elected government.