Voting begins in seven states for 64 constituencies

May 7, 2014
May 7: Polling in Uttar Pradesh for 15 Lok Sabha seats began Wednesday, officials said. By-polls for two state assembly seats is also being held. As many as 243 candidates are in fray for the Lok Sabha. vote

In Amethi, incumbent MP and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi faces Kumar Vishwas of the Aam Aadmi Party and Smriti Irani of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Bypolls are being held in two state assembly constituencies - Rampur Khas and Vishwanathganj.

Balloting in Jammu and Kashmir for two Lok Sabha seats has begun. As many as 19 candidates are vying for the two parliamentary constituencies of Baramulla and Ladakh.

In West Bengal, voting has begun for six Lok Sabha seats and by-poll for one assembly seat at 7 a.m., officials said. As many as 72 candidates are in the fray for the parliamentary seats. A total of four candidates are fighting in the by-poll for the Kotulpur assembly seat.

Voting for seven Lok Sabha seats and two assembly seats has begun in Bihar, officials said. As many as 118 candidates are in the fray for the Lok Sabha seats of Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Maharajganj, Saran, Hajipur and Ujiarpur.

Balloting in Uttarakhand for all its five Lok Sabha seats has begun, officials said. As many as 74 candidates are in the fray. In Hardwar, the Congress has fielded Renuka Rawat, wife of Chief Minister Harish Rawat, against former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank of the Bharatiya Janata Party. In Garhwal, BJP candidate and former chief minister Maj. Gen. (retd) B.C. Khanduri is pitted against Harak Singh Rawat of the Congress.

In Andhra Pradesh the battle is for 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 state assembly seats in Seemandhra region, officials said. Polling for the parliamentary seats and the state assembly is being heldsimultaneously. As many as 335 candidates are in the fray for the parliamentary seats. The state will be formally divided June 2 into Telangana and the residuary Andhra Pradesh.

Balloting in Himachal Pradesh for its four Lok Sabha seats and by-poll for one assembly seat began Wednesday at 7 a.m., officials said. As many as 38 candidates are in the fray for the parliamentary seats and four are in contention in the assembly by-poll for Sujanpur seat. Over 4.8 million electors are eligible to exercise their franchise. Balloting is being held at 7,382 polling stations.

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Agencies
August 1,2020

Chandigarh, Aug 1: The death toll in the Punjab spurious liquor tragedy rose to 86 on Saturday even as Chief Minister Amarinder Singh suspended seven excise officials and six policemen, officials said.

The government also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for each of the families of the deceased, they said.

Tarn Taran alone accounted for 63 deaths, followed by 12 in Amritsar and 11 in Gurdaspur’s Batala. Till Friday night, the state had reported 39 deaths in the tragedy unfolding since Wednesday night.

According to an official statement, the CM ordered the suspension of seven excise officials, along with six policemen.

Among the suspended officials are two deputy superintendents of police and four station house officers.

Strict action will be taken against any public servant or others found complicit in the case, said the chief minister, describing the police and excise department failure to check the manufacturing and sale of spurious liquor as shameful.

Nobody will be allowed to get away with feeding poison to our people, he added.

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Agencies
February 27,2020

New Delhi, Feb 27: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has said that the Delhi violence in which over 30 people were killed, was specifically targeted against the Muslims.

Expressing "grave concern over the ongoing violence taking place in Delhi", the USCIRF in a statement said that as President Donald Trump's inaugural visit to India winds down, North-East Delhi has been rocked by deadly rioting, with reports of violence and mobs specifically targeting Muslims.

"These incidents are even more concerning in the context of efforts within India to target and potentially disenfranchise Muslims across the country, in clear violation of international human rights standards," USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava said.

"According to reports, several mosques have also been set alight or vandalized. Many Muslim residents have been forced to flee the area. This unrest comes in the wake of widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act following its passage in December 2019.

"The brutal and unchecked violence growing across Delhi cannot continue," Bhargava said adding that the Indian government must take swift action to ensure the safety of all of its citizens.

"Instead, reports are mounting that the Delhi police have not intervened in violent attacks against Muslims, and the government is failing in its duty to protect its citizens."

USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins said the ongoing violence in Delhi and the reported "attacks against Muslims, their homes and shops, and their houses of worship are greatly disturbing".

One of the essential duties of any responsible government, he said, is to provide protection and physical security for its citizens, regardless of faith.

"We urge the Indian government to take serious efforts to protect Muslims and others targeted by mob violence."

In its annual report last year, the USCIRF classified India as a "Tier 2" country for engaging in or tolerating religious freedom violations that meet at least one of the elements of the "systematic, ongoing, egregious standard for designations as a "country of particular concern (CPC)", under the International Religious Freedom Act.

The ongoing violence in North-East Delhi erupted after clashes between pro and anti-CAA protesters on Sunday.

Besides the casualties, over 200 others have been injured in the deadliest violence in the national capital in decades.

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News Network
July 31,2020

New Delhi, Jul 31: Air India has operated more than 2800 flights and flown over 3 lakh passengers worldwide till now under the Vande Bharat Mission.

"Air India under Vande Bharat Mission Operated more than 2800 flights and flown more than 3 lakh, 80 thousand passengers worldwide till now," Air India said in a tweet on Thursday.

The fifth phase of the Government of India's 'Vande Bharat' mission, aimed at evacuating Indian nationals stranded in various foreign countries owing to restrictions on air travel, will begin early next month, August 1.

"Under Vande Bharat Mission, we have already brought back more than 2.5 lakh stranded Indians from 53 commies," Air India had earlier said in a statement.

Over 7.88 lakh Indians stranded abroad due to coronavirus pandemic have returned under Vande Bharat Mission till July 22, Ministry of External Affairs had said.

The government started Vande Bharat Mission on May 7.

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