8th phase polling claims one life amidst high turnout

May 8, 2014

Patna, May 8: High turnout was registered in the penultimate phase of the Lok Sabha election to 64 constituencies on Wednesday in which the fate of 1,737 candidates, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, were sealed.

One person was killed when police opened fire outside a polling booth in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district in a bid to prevent its capture.

polling

The highest turnout in the 8th phase was 81.28 per cent in the six seats in West Bengal, which Trinamool Congress is trying to wrest from the Left Front, followed by 76 per cent in Seemandhra, where voters chose 25 representatives to Lok Sabha and 175 members of the proposed Assembly simultaneously.

Two key battleground states Bihar (where seven constituencies went to polls) and Uttar Pradesh (15 seats) recorded turnouts of 58 and 55.52 per cent, respectively. The Congress hopes to retain as many seats as possible in constituencies coming under eighth phase in the face of a strong Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) seeking to hold on to their Muslim-OBC-Dalit vote base. With Wednesday’s polls, voting has been completed in 502 of the total 543 constituencies and the remaining 41 seats will go to polls in the last phase on May 12.

The focus was on Amethi, where Rahul is contesting for the third time, which recorded 55.2 per cent polling. Rahul, who has represented the seat since 2004, toured polling booths in Amethi on the voting day for the first time, apparently in the face of a tough challenge posed by his rivals Smriti Irani of the BJP and Kumar Vishwas of the AAP.

In neighbouring Sultanpur constituency, where Rahul’s cousin and BJP’s Varun Gandhi is in fray, 57.2 per cent voters cast their votes.

Barring sporadic clashes between workers of YSR Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and alleged attacks on policemen in Rayalaseema districts, polling was largely peaceful in Seemandhra where Congress is battling hard to repeat its 2009 impressive show post bifurcation.

Prominent among the 118 candidates in Bihar were LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan from Hajipur and RJD candidate Rabri Devi from Saran.

In West Bengal, notable among the 72 nominees are nine-time CPM MP Basudeb Acharia facing the challenge of actress Moon Moon Sen of the TMC?from Bankura.

Two seats in Jammu and Kashmir registered a turnout of close to 50 per cent.

Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, where several incidents of militant violence have been reported since Tuesday and separatists gave a poll boycott call, recorded a turnout of 39.6 per cent.

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Protest in Kerala's Idukki demanding protection from wild elephants

Agencies

June 8,2020

Idukki, Jun 8: Devikulam MLA S Rajendran from CPM along with supporters staged a protest by blocking the Munnar-Udumalpet interstate highway here on Monday, demanding that action to be taken to prevent wild elephants entering into human settlements and destroying properties.

The protest started at 9.30 am and demand was made that senior forest officials should give them assurance of putting an end to the problem.

A police team led by Munnar Deputy Superintendent of Police (SP) Ramesh Kumar was camping in the area.

Wild elephants from the nearby forest are frequently trespassing into Munnar and last night two elephants destroyed a vegetable shop in the town.

If it was a lone elephant that the locals nicknamed as Padayappa that used to enter the human settlement, now along with him a baby elephant is also coming to the town at night.

The locals have named the second elephant Ganeshan. Though there were instances of them destroying crops and eating from vegetable shops, till now the duo has not attacked humans.

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PM Modi, Jordan king discuss challenges posed by COVID-19

News Network

April 17,2020

New Delhi, Apr 17: Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held talks with Jordan King Abdullah II and discussed the challenges posed to the world by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The two leaders discussed the challenges posed to the world by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the steps being taken in their respective countries to limit its impact," an official statement said.

Prime Minister conveyed his greetings to Abdullah II and the people of Jordan for the upcoming Holy month of Ramadan which commences late next week.

The leaders agreed that their teams would remain in touch on issues related to COVID-19, as well as on other regional and global issues.

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Fit for only discuss and diya and to lit candles.Rest of world leaders are struggling to save their citizen and Nation from this pandemic. Till when -----?.

For India only the organisation's and social welfare group and well wishers are in the field and helping.

Definitely with the blessings of patriot Indians they will succeed and they all will continue with their noble cause.

Jai Hind

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Mahatma Gandhi beyond Bharat Ratna: SC

News Network

January 18,2020

New Delhi, Jan 18: The Supreme Court Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking conferment of 'Bharat Ratna' on Mahatma Gandhi saying that people hold the father of the nation in “high esteem”, beyond any formal recognition.

A bench, comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant, however asked petitioner Anil Dutta Sharma to give representation to the central government in this regard.

“Mahatma Gandhi is the father of nation and people hold him in high esteem, beyond any formal recognition,” the bench said.

The issue of directing the government to award Bharat Ratna to the father of the nation was not a “justiciable issue”, it said.

The bench however said that it agreed with the sentiments of the petitioner for granting official decoration to Mahatma Gandhi.

Disposing of the petition, the top court said, “We will allow you to give a representation to the Centre in this regard.”

Sharma, in his PIL, had sought a direction to the government to give “official decoration” to Mahatma Gandhi to honour him for the contribution to the nation.

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