LIVE: Maharashtra election on Nov 20; Jharkhand on Nov 13, 20; result on Nov 23

Kuch to log kahenge: CEC on allegations of poll irregularities

"Kuch to log kahenge, logon ka kam hai kehna" (people will say things, it is their job to say such things) -- was the response of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday when talked about critics alleging irregularities in the poll process in the recently-concluded Haryana Assembly election.

"Election by election, the participation in the process is increasing, violence is reducing and there are record seizures. Voters are giving a clear indication that they have belief in the electoral process and they are very participative.... Other than that I can only say kuch to log kahenge, logon ka kam hai kehna," Kumar told reporters.

Talking about the recently-held Jammu and Kashmir election, Kumar repeated a verse that he had used earlier -- "jamuriyat ke jashn me apki shirkat, duniya dekhegi napak iradon ke shikast ki kahani".

Couplets and verses have been a regular feature at Kumar's press conferences.

"Adhoori hasrato ka ilzam har bar hum par lagana thik nahi, wafa khud se nahi hoti, khata EVM ki kehte ho, aur baad mein jab parinam aata hai toh uspe qayam bhi nahi rehte," the CEC had said, announcing the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls in March.

What he meant was it is not proper to blame the EC for unfulfilled desires when one has not done his or her job properly. 

Jarange slams Fadnavis for not meeting Maratha quota demand before poll announcement

Activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday criticised Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for not fulfilling the Maratha community's quota demand before the model code of conduct for the assembly polls came into force.

Addressing the media at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna after the poll dates were announced, Jarange appealed to the Maratha community to show its power by ensuring 100 per cent voting in the elections next month.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will be held in a single phase on November 20, and counting of votes will take place on November 23.

"The Maratha community had hoped that its demands (regarding quota) would be fulfilled, but Fadnavis has worked to ruin the life of Maratha youth. He worked to ensure that the community did not remain united, didn't progress and was deprived of reservation. Hence, they have announced the elections without fulfilling our demand," he alleged.

He claimed that the government added 17 communities to the OBC category but did not give anything to the Maratha community.

The activist appealed to the Maratha voters to ensure 100 per cent voting in the upcoming assembly polls.

"Making decisions was in their (ruling parties) hands. But now, the community will decide whether to bring you back to power. The community cannot be ignored while forming the government. The Marathas have shown their power for 14 months and should now show their power through voting," he said.

Marathas should vote for their children's future and not for any political party, the activist said. 

All about bypolls in 2 Lok Sabha, 48 Assembly seats

• EC has announced bypolls to the Wayanad and Nanded Lok Sabha seats and 48 Assembly constituencies. 
• Bypoll to the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal and the Milkipur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh were not announced as election petitions are pending in the respective high courts against the candidates who had won the seats earlier.
  
• Bypoll to the Wayanad parliamentary seat and 47 assembly seats will be held on November 13 along with phase one elections for the Jharkhand Assembly.
  
• Bypoll to the Nanded Lok Sabha seat and the Kedarnath assembly constituency will be held on November 20 along with Maharashtra assembly polls and phase two of Jharkhand elections.
  
• The Wayanad Lok Sabha seat was vacated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as he opted to keep the Rae Bareli seat.
  
• The Nanded Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after MP Vasant Chavan died recently. Similarly, TMC MP from the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat Haji Sheikh Nurul Islam passed away a few days ago.
  Assembly bypolls to be held in 15 states: 

Uttar Pradesh

Assam

Bihar

Chhattisgarh

Gujarat

Karnataka

Kerala

Uttarakhand

Maharashtra

Madhya Pradesh

Meghalaya

Punjab

West Bengal

Rajasthan

Sikkim

#WATCH | Lucknow: On the announcement of election dates in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, UP Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya says, " I welcome this announcement and I have full confidence that we will comeback to power in Maharashtra and in Jharkhand, people throw away the govt of JMM,… pic.twitter.com/bp21tlPuJa

— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2024

Mayawati: The less the time the cleaner the polls

The announcement of dates for the general elections to the Maharashtra and Jharkhand state assemblies by the Election Commission of India today is welcome. The less time and the more clean the elections are, that is, free from the curse of money power and muscle power, the better it is, the entire responsibility of which rests on the Election Commission: Mayawati

Mayawati: BSP will contest polls on its own

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday said that her party will contest on its own in the upcoming state elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand as well as byelections in nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.

In a series of posts on X in Hindi, Mayawati welcomed the announcement of the poll schedule and said it is the responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure that the elections are held in the shortest possible time and are free from the curse of money and muscle power.

"The BSP will contest elections alone in both these states...," she said, adding it is to ensure that its people remain united and strive to come to power as part of their mission to protect dignity and self-respect inspired by BR Ambedkar.

"The BSP will field its candidates in the by-elections being held on nine assembly seats in UP and will fight this election on its own strength with full preparation and vigour," the former chief minister said in another post.

Assembly polls in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20. In Jharkhand, elections will be held in two phases on November 13 and 20, the Election Commission announced on Tuesday.

Voting in the bypolls will be held on November 13. The counting of votes will be held on November 23.

The Election Commission announced the bypolls for nine of the 10 vacant seats of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. It did not announce bypolls in the Milkipur seat of Ayodhya district due to pending election petition.

All the seats except Sisamau fell vacant after their MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha polls. In Sisamau, SP MLA Irfan Solanki was disqualified after being convicted in a criminal case.

In the 2022 assembly polls, Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, Milkipur and Kundarki were held by the Samajwadi Party, while the BJP had won Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan and Khair. The Meerapur seat was held by the RLD.

The Karhal seat fell vacant due to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav getting elected from Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency.

Will take strict view on violence: CEC on Baba Siddique's killing ahead of Maharashtra polls

Days after NCP leader Baba Siddique was killed in Mumbai, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday said the Election Commission will take a strict view on preventing violence, especially against political personalities, as the Model Code of Conduct comes into force in Maharashtra. Asked about concerns following Siddique's killing, especially as the poll panel is already dealing with the issue of urban apathy towards voting, the CEC said they will make it clear to police that violence of any sort should not take place.

"After the MCC declaration, we will make it extremely clear to the police authorities in a particular state that you are mentioning that violence of any kind and a crime of this nature, which has political overtones, would be absolutely a no-go area for the commission," Kumar said.

"So far, we did not have a role. As the MCC comes into force, we will have a strict view on this. We will direct everyone that any kind of violence or crime, especially against any political person, should not happen," he added.