Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates: Venkatachalam had filed his papers seeking re-election from Perundarai in Erode district as an independent on Thursday after he was denied a party ticket He said the protest in north India against farm laws was ‘instigated’ by intermediaries but Stalin could not even explain it On the education details of candidates, ADR said 96 (50%) candidates have declared their educational qualifications to be between class 5 and 12 while 92 (48%) candidates have declared to be graduates or above. Three candidates are diploma holders. North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is contesting the Assembly polls from Jalukbari seat, filed his nomination on Friday, amid cheers by a sea of supporters. The BJP leader led a massive rally from Sonaram Field to the office of Kamrup Metropolitan Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu, where he submitted his papers in the presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and senior party leaders. Sarma waved at his supporters, who were playing traditional musical instruments in his honour during the roadshow. Rahul alleged that the BJP want outsiders to come and take what belongs to the people of Assam, whereas, the Congress would work after listening to the people of the state While addressing a rally in Assam’s Tinsukia, Rahul said that the BJP want outsiders to come and take ‘what is yours’ whereas Congress will work after listening to the people of the state The full bench of the ECI is likely to visit West Bengal on 23 March to supervise poll preparations. They will hold meetings with senior officials of the state administration, particularly of those areas which are going to polls in the first phase. The full bench of the ECI is likely to visit West Bengal on 23 March to supervise poll preparations. They will hold meetings with senior officials of the state administration, particularly of those areas which are going to polls in the first phase In its list, the BJP had named Tarun Saha, husband of TMC’s Mala Saha as its candidate from the Kashipur-Belgachia seat, and Shikha Mitra, the wife of late Congress leader Somen Mitra, as the candidate from the Chowringhee constituency A delegation of TMC MPs met the Election Commission on Friday to register their protest against the poll panel’s reported decision to not permit state police personnel within 100 metres of polling stations Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan unveiled his party’s manifesto and promised income for housewives by honing their skills. Referring to the attack on her in Nandigram in which she was injured, Mamata Banerjee said, “Earlier, I was hit on the head, this time rivals injured my foot. But I am a street fighter.” The saffron party, which has emerged as the main contender in West Bengal Assembly polls, had launched a campaign in February to gather suggestions from the people for its manifesto. Addressing a rally in Midnapore, the Madhya Pradesh chief minister took a swipe at Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress in the state and said, “Another meaning of TMC is Terror, Murder, Corruption.” Youth is unemployed, farmers are protesting, CAA is there. We can’t ask the people of Assam to forget their culture, language if they come to Delhi. One force that was born in Nagpur is now trying to control the whole country, said the Congress leader. The TMC turncoat accused the West Bengal chief minister of using ‘ghuspatis’ and ‘Pakistanis’ to rig the EVMs to manipulate votes. The Assam minister will address a public rally from Sonaram field to DC office in Guwahati at 12 pm. The Congress leader will interact with college students in Lahoal in Dibrugarh and attend the tea estate workers rally in Dinjoy in Panitola block of Dibrugarh later in the day. Trinamool Parliamentary delegation consisting of Saugata Roy, Mahua Moitra and Yashwant Sinha will meet Election Commission in Delhi on Friday to discuss issues related to ‘free and fair polling in West Bengal’, reported ANI. The BJP on Thursday announced its list of 157 candidates for the last four phases of Assembly election in West Bengal, rewarding around 22 turncoats and fielding party heavyweights Mukul Roy and Rahul Sinha. The candidate list also features 17 Muslim faces, including women. The party is facing protests and resignations as many of its aspiring old-timers did not find their names in the list of candidates. Roy’s son Subranghshu, a sitting TMC MLA, state BJP Mahila Morcha president Agnimitra Paul, Bengali film personalities Rudranil Ghosh, Srabanti Chattopadhyay and Parno Mitra were among those given tickets by the saffron party. Roy, BJP national vice-president and former union minister, is back in the electoral fray after a gap of two decades. He will contest from the Krishnanagar Uttar seat, which is dominated by the Matua community. He had unsuccessfully contested election on a TMC ticket in 2001. The BJP, which has emerged as the main Opposition in the state, has also fielded sports personalities and a scientist for the high stakes battle in the state. Despite protests over recruits getting more importance than old-timers in the candidates’ list, the party gave nominations to 22 turncoats, including several former TMC MLAs like Arindam Bhattacharya who has been fielded in Jagatdal and Jitendra Tiwari in Pandaveswar. However, in some cases, the saffron party has not given nominations to turncoats from their home seats to avoid dissent. The list also has 19 women candidates, which is more than its previous two lists. The party continued with its strategy of fielding personalities from different walks of life and sitting MPs. It named folk artiste Ashim Sarkar from Haringhata Assembly seat and scientist Gobhardhan Das from Purbasthali Uttar. It has fielded its former state unit chief Rahul Sinha, who is yet to taste success in any of the elections he has contested so far, from Habra against the state Food Supplies Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick. The BJP has nominated party MP Jagannath Sarkar for the Santipur seat. The party has so far announced names of five sitting MPs, including Union minister Babul Supriyo, as its candidates for the state election. Nominations were also given to the wife of former state Congress president Somen Mitra and husband of TMC MLA Mala Saha. The two are Sikha Mitra and Tarun Saha respectively. However, in an embarrassment for the party, both Sikha Mitra and Tarun Saha refused their tickets and said they are firmly with their parties - the Congress and the TMC. “I don’t know how my name featured in the candidate list. I am still with the Congress and will remain so,” Mitra told reporters. Just like its previous lists, the BJP nominated several film personalities in its third list. Ghosh, who had recently switched over from the TMC, has been chosen as the candidate for the Bhawanipur seat in Kolkata, which used to be Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s backyard. However, just hours after the list was announced, the rift in Bengal BJP between the old-timers and the new inductees came out in the open. Several BJP leaders and aspirants voiced their anguish after they were denied nomination. Protests were held in various parts of the state and some party leaders even quit the party. BJP state Yuva Morcha leader Sourav Sikdar, the nephew of former BJP leader Tapan Sikdar, resigned from all party posts after he was denied a ticket. He accused the present party leadership of humiliating old-timers. The nomination of Bhattacharya from Jagtadal and Tiwari from Pandaveswar constituencies triggered a wave of protests in south Bengal. The local leaders of the party hit the streets and opposed their nomination. In north Bengal, nomination to former TMC leader Mihir Goswami kicked off protests with BJP activists staging road blockades. Protest was reported in Durgapur Purba constituency where Diptanshu Chowdhury, who had recently joined BJP, was given the nomination. Former chief economic advisor to the government of India, Ashok Lahiri, who was fielded from the Alipurduar seat, was removed following protests. The party now nominated Suman Kanjilal for that seat. The BJP has so far announced candidates for 280 seats. The TMC mocked the situation of the saffron party. “Every time BJP announce a list of candidates for Bengal elections, you can make an omelette. So much egg on their face,” senior TMC leader Derek O’Brien tweeted. Election for the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases, with the first phase on 27 March and the last on 29 April. The results will be announced on 2 May.
Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2021 Updates: AIADMK expels MLA Thoppu ND Venkatachalam for filing as Independent
Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates: Venkatachalam had filed his papers seeking re-election from Perundarai in Erode district as an independent on Thursday after he was denied a party ticket
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Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
AIADMK expels legislator for filing as Independent
The ruling AIADMK on Friday expelled its Perundurai legislator and former minister ‘Thoppu’ ND Venkatachalam from the party for filing his nomination from
the segment after being denied a ticket to contest the 6 April Assembly polls. AIADMK top leaders O Panneerselvam and K Palaniswami announced expelling Venkatachalam from the party, the second such ruling party MLA to face the axe for a similar act in as many days.
Venkatachalam had filed his papers seeking re-election from Perundarai in Erode district as an independent on Thursday after he was denied a party ticket. He is the third MLA from the party to have faced action since the election was announced. Sattur MLA MSR Rajavarman was expelled from the party
on March 11 after he joined TTV Dhinakarans Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) after being denied a ticket to contest again. Senthamangalam MLA C Chandrasekharan was expelled on Thursday for filing his papers against the AIADMKs official nominee from that constituency.
Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
Palaniswami defends farm laws, says Stalin does not know anything about farming
In a spirited defence of the Centre’s farm laws during his campaign, AIADMK top leader and Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Friday said his party opposed aspects like cess and levy for farmers but the DMK ‘supported’ them. Hitting out at DMK chief M K Stalin who has been focusing on the farm laws and opposing them in his election propaganda, Palaniswami said the former does not know anything about farming and the AIADMK would be the first party to resist any move if farmers were to be affected. He said the protest in north India against farm laws was ‘instigated’ by intermediaries but Stalin could not even explain it
Kerala Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
BJP candidate offers tributes at Left’s Punnapara memorial, triggers row
A controversy erupted in 1 Kerala on Friday after Sandeep Vachaspati, a BJP candidate paid floral tributes at the famous Punnapra Vayalar Smriti memorial, jointly managed by the CPI(M) and the CPI, ahead of filing his nomination papers from Alappuzha assembly seat for the April 6 polls. The memorial at Valiya Chudukadu here was built in memory of Communists killed during their movement against the ‘misrule’ of Sir C P Ramaswami Iyer, the prime minister of erstwhile Princely state of Travancore in 1946.
The Left parties condemned Vachaspati’s act, accusing him of ’trespassing’ into the memorial and aiming to ‘humiliate’ hundreds of Communist party members martyred during the uprising, while a police complaint was lodged against him by the CPI disitrict secretary. Vachaspati defended his act and alleged the memorial was the symbol of “biggest betrayal by the Communist leaders who had fled the scene after putting their innocent followers belonging to the Scheduled Castes and backward communities to face the guns of the Army.
Modi to campaign in Assam, West Bengal tomorrow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he will campaign in the states of Assam and West Bengal tomorrow. He asserted that the people of both states are keen to elect the NDA to power.
West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
25% candidates contesting Bengal polls phase-1 declared criminal cases against themselves: ADR
Forty-eight of the 191 candidates contesting the first phase of assembly elections in West Bengal on March 27 or a little over 25 per cent have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to a report by-poll rights group Association for Democratic Reforms. On the education details of candidates, ADR said96 (50 per cent) candidates have declared their educational qualifications to be between class 5 and 12 while 92 (48 per cent) candidates have declared to be graduates or above. Three candidates are diploma holders.
Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
DMK chief MK Stalin holds massive public rally in Tirupur
MK Stalin of the DMK held a massive public rally in Tamil Nadu’s Tirupur on Friday. The DMK is fielding candidates on 173 out of a total of 234 seats in the upcoming assembly polls.
West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
Mamata Banerjee ‘running misinformation campaign’, says BJP
A delegation of the saffron party met the EC on Friday. After the meeting, BJP national general secretary Bhupender Yadav accused West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee of “running a misinformation campaign and hurling false allegations against the BJP”.
“…especially against Home Minister Amit Shah. She insulted EC by claiming that it’s working as per BJP orders. We have requested EC to issue notice and seek clarification from her for lying. We raised two more issues before EC — violence endured by BJP workers in the last few days, including an attack at BJP MP Arjun Singh’s house, and deputation of central forces. They should be designated within polling booths to check voters’ IDs,” he said.
Assam Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
Rahul Gandhi interacts with tea plantation workers in Dibrugarh
The Congress leader is on a two-day visit to poll-bound Assam. He is scheduled to address a public meeting at the town field in Doom Dooma, Tinsukia on Friday.
Assam Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
Himanta Biswa Sarma files nomination from Jalukbari
North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is contesting the Assembly polls from Jalukbari seat, filed his nomination on Friday, amid cheers by a sea of supporters. The BJP leader led a massive rally from Sonaram Field to the office of Kamrup Metropolitan Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu, where he submitted his papers in the presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and senior party leaders.
Sarma waved at his supporters, who were playing traditional musical instruments in his honour during the roadshow.
Kerala Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
LDF releases manifesto; assures pension to all housewives
The Ruling CPM led LDF on Friday released its manifesto for the 6 April assembly elections promising to create 40 lakh new jobs for the youth and “pension for all housewives”. The manifesto was released at the AKG centre here by CPM state secretary in charge A Vijayaraghavan, CPI Secretary, Kannan Rajendran and other leaders of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which is seeking a second straight term.
A Rs 5,000 crore package for coastal area development to protect the shores from erosion, increasing the minimum support price for rubber to Rs 250 a kg, attaining self-sufficiency in production of eggs, milk and vegetables are among assurances in the manifesto.
Assam Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
Congress won’t implement CAA in Assam, says Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Friday assured that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will not be implemented in Assam if the party is voted to power in the state in the coming Assembly poll. It will be ensured in the state assembly that the CAA is not implemented in Assam, Gandhi told students of Lahowal College in Dibrugarh district.
“In the other states, we will stop it (CAA implementation) after we (Congress) come to power at the national level,” he said.
West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
ECI full bench likely to visit Bengal on 23 March to review poll preparedness
The full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) is likely to visit West Bengal on 23 March to review the preparedness for the ensuing Assembly elections in the state, a poll official said on Thursday.
The eight-phase elections to the 294-member Assembly will begin on 27 March. Results will be declared on 2 May.
West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
BJP old-timers shedding tears as party fielded TMC turncoats: Mamata at poll rally
Branding TMC turncoats as “traitors”, party supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday said it was good riddance that they have left her camp, but the “switch over has left BJP old-timers sulking” as the saffron party has chosen to field the defectors over its loyalists.
In an obvious reference to Suvendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee who had shifted allegiance to the BJP along with other leaders like Mukul Roy, the TMC supremo said “Gaddars, Mirjafars (traitors) have now become BJP candidates, to the dismay of old-timers of the saffron party.” Noting that “these turncoats” had been given many responsibilities in the past, Banerjee said, “I will be monitoring every project so that its benefit reaches everyone.”
West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
West Bengal BJP faces embarrassment as two candidates refuse ticket
In a major embarrassment for the party less than two weeks ahead of the Assembly elections, two persons the BJP named on Thursday as the party’s Assembly election candidates from seats in Kolkata refused their candidature, saying they had never joined the BJP in the first place, according to Outlook .
In its list, the party named Tarun Saha as its candidate from the Kashipur-Belgachia seat, and Shikha Mitra, the wife of late Congress leader Somen Mitra, as the candidate from the Chowringhee constituency.
Now both Saha and Mitra have refused the offer to contest polls and claimed that the BJP named them on its list without even consulting them.
West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
BJP manifesto for West Bengal to be released on Sunday
West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
Free, fair polls in West Bengal distant reality: TMC panel tells EC
A TMC parliamentary delegation, including Saugata Roy, Yashwant Sinha, Md Nadimul Haque, Pratima Mondal and Mahua Moitra, met the Election Commussion on Friday to complain about what they described as the poll panel’s partisan and biased approach.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that free, fair and transparent elections in State of West Bengal is becoming a distant reality. This is evident from the partisan and biased approach taken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in respect of the ongoing elections in the State, a memorandum submitted to the apex poll panel said.
“On the first count, it has been reported in media that the ECI has decided to not permit presence of State police within 100 m of polling stations and only deploy Central Forces in such arena. If true, this decision is unprecedented and casts severe aspersions on the reputation of the police administration in the State of West Bengal,” it added.
The memorandum said this needs to be substantiated at the appropriate level.
Stating that the ECI’s decision is only for West Bengal and not the other four poll-bound states in the country, the Trinamool Congress said the deployment of central forces should be to help the state government deal with law and order and “not deliberately demonise the state police personnel that have worked under different governments”.
Puducherry Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
Election department officials seize Rs 2 Crore from vehicle in Puducherry
Election flying squad officials seized Rs two crore cash being transported in a vehicle while set-top boxes worth about Rs two crore were recovered from a house in poll-bound Puducherry.
Puducherry Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shurbir Singh said in a release that though the people carrying the cash in the vehicle disclosed during enquiry that it was from a bank they could not present valid documents to show the destination it was being taken to. He said suspicion arose that the cash was intended for
“illegal distribution to the voters while the Model Code of Conduct for Assembly polls is in force.”
Assam Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
BJP ‘selling hatred’ to create divisions. Rahul Gandhi says at Assam rally
Rahul Gandhi asserted that the Congress, if voted to power in Assam, will ensure that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not implemented in the state.
The Congress leader said no religion teaches enmity, during his interaction with college students in Dibrugarh district, adding that the BJP was “selling hatred to create divisions among people”.
“It is the BJP that uses hatred to divide society. No matter where they go to spread hatred, the Congress will ensure it promotes there love and harmony,” he said.
In a veiled reference to the RSS, the Congress leader said there is “one force in Nagpur that is trying to control the entire country”, but the youths must resist this attempt with love and confidence as they happen to be the future of the country.
Gandhi is in Assam on a two-day visit, and is scheduled to release the party’s manifesto in the poll-bound state on Saturday.
Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
Kamal Haasan releases MNM manifesto, assures income for housewives
Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan unveiled his party’s manifesto and promised income for housewives by honing their skills. By initiatives like skill development, women could earn as much as Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per month and “that is what we call payment to housewives and not doles to them”. Haasan was the first to promise what he called in December last ‘payment’ to homemakers for their work.
The major parties of Tamil Nadu, the ruling AIADMK and main opposition DMK days ago promised Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,000 assistance to women family heads in their manifestos.
Government departments like the electricity generation and distribution corporation, state-run transport entities were facing losses, he said, touching on economy.
By making employees of transport corporations’ shareholders’ the government run enterprises could be made profitable, he said. Self-sufficient villages in all the 234 constituencies, support to Micro Small and Medium Enterprises by initiatives like supply of raw materials were among the other features of the manifesto..
West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates
TMC traitors given poll tickets by BJP: Mamata Banerjee
Addressing a poll rally, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Trinamool Congress rebel leaders were being given Assembly poll tickets by the BJP, causing discontent among the saffron party’s “old timers”.
Referring to the attack on her in Nandigram in which she was injured, the TMC supremo said, “Earlier, I was hit on head, this time rivals injured my foot. But I am a street fighter.”