Report Wire

Tag: kerala assembly elections

  • Clashes amongst native occasion staff to allegations inside, Kerala freeway theft leaves BJP red-faced

    Investigation into the freeway theft of an estimated Rs 3.5 crore three days earlier than the Assembly elections in Kerala is including to the BJP’s state unit embarrassment.
    While BJP leaders have been questioned in reference to the case, discontent brewing within the occasion has spilled over onto the streets, with occasion staff clashing in Thrissur on Sunday over the alleged involvement of occasion leaders within the incident.
    On Monday, OBC Morcha state vice-president Rishi Pulpu was sacked from the occasion after he demanded, in a social media put up, that BJP’s Thrissur district committee be dissolved.
    On Tuesday, police registered a case in opposition to BJP Thrissur district normal secretary Ok R Hari on prices of threatening Rishi, who has alleged that the occasion’s district unit has tried to guard the accused within the theft case.
    Police sources stated BJP Thrissur district president Ok Ok Aneesh Kumar will probably be questioned on Wednesday in reference to the case.
    “Kozhikode-based RSS worker ( A K Dharmarajan), whose money seemed to have been robbed by a hired gang, had told police that the money belonged to the BJP,” a supply within the police stated.
    “Other BJP leaders have denied it. We are trying to verify the veracity of Dharmarajan’s statement by questioning other BJP leaders.”
    More leaders could be questioned to determine the supply and vacation spot of the quantity robbed, the supply stated.
    The quantity recovered from the premises of the arrested gang has additionally risen within the intervening interval.
    “Dharmarajan had claimed that he misplaced solely Rs 25 lakh. But we now have thus far recovered Rs 1.26 crore. One group is engaged in recovering the remainder of the quantity,’’ sources stated.
    On April 3, three days earlier than the elections, a automobile was allegedly robbed on a nationwide freeway stretch between Thrissur and Kochi.
    On April 7, a day after the polls, the driving force of the automobile complained to the police that
    Rs 25 lakh was robbed, which, he instructed police, belonged to Dharmarajan.
    The CPI(M) had alleged that the theft was a BJP ploy to lift cash for its election funds, which the saffron occasion had denied.
    As the probe progressed, a number of leaders, together with BJP state secretary (organisation) M Ganeshan, had been questioned.

  • After ballot debacle, Sonia desires Congress home to be put so as; election for social gathering president on June 23

    As the Congress Working Committee gathered just about on Monday to brainstorm over the social gathering’s ballot efficiency, Sonia Gandhi introduced that the method of electing the brand new social gathering president will likely be held on June 23.
    Over the previous 12 months, senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor and Kapil Sibal have referred to as for “full-time” and “effective leadership” that will likely be “visible” and “active” within the discipline.
    Speaking over the social gathering’s efficiency within the not too long ago held Assembly polls, Gandhi mentioned that they need to “take note of the setbacks and put the house in order”.
    “A small group will be set up to look at every aspect that caused the party’s electoral reverses. We need to candidly understand as to why the Congress failed to dislodge incumbent govts in Kerala and Assam, and drew a complete blank in West Bengal,” Gandhi added.
    “These will yield uncomfortable lessons, but if we do not face up to the reality, if we do not look the facts in the face, we will not draw the right lessons,” she famous.

    Gandhi’s statements come days after she described their efficiency in final month’s Assembly elections as “very disappointing”. The Congress struggled to attraction to voters on this spherical of Assembly elections.
    In the recently-concluded Assembly polls, the social gathering did not wrest again energy in Kerala and Assam and drew a clean in West Bengal. It additionally misplaced out in Puducherry. The deliberations would assist the Congress put together for the subsequent spherical of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
    In Bengal, the place the social gathering joined fingers with the Left and the ISF, it was shut out and the alliance was routed. The Trinamool swept to victory with 213 seats whereas the the BJP received 77.
    In Assam, the social gathering did marginally higher, successful 29 of 95 seats it contested. But the opposition alliance did not problem the BJP, successful simply 50 seats as towards the ruling social gathering’s 75.

    In Kerala, the Congress held its floor, shedding only one seat when in comparison with 2016 when it had received 41. The Left entrance, nevertheless, registered a commanding win by claiming 99 seats.
    In Tamil Nadu, the social gathering was a part of the successful DMK-led alliance and carried out comparatively higher, successful 18 of 25 allotted seats. It, nevertheless, did not return to energy in Puducherry because the NR Congress-BJP pairing received 16 of 30 seats.

  • Collective effort behind Kerala win, not simply Pinarayi: CPM mouthpiece

    Days after the CPM-led LDF created historical past in Kerala by retaining energy within the state for the primary time since 1977 and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan got here in for all-round reward with many calling him the architect of the victory, the CPM’s mouthpiece on Thursday disagreed with the evaluation that the victory was solely due to the “personality and role” of Vijayan and argued that it was the results of “both individual and collective efforts”.
    Former CPM normal secretary Prakash Karat within the editorial in ‘People’s Democracy’ wrote that there’s an effort “by sections of the media and some political commentators to reduce this historic victory solely to the personality and role of Pinarayi Vijayan”.
    “According to them, it is the emergence of a ‘supreme leader’ or ‘strong man’ that was the main reason for the electoral success of the LDF. They claim that one man dominates the government and party. There is no doubt that Pinarayi Vijayan, as chief minister, set a new standard in providing political guidance to policy-making…,” he wrote.

    “Nevertheless, the victory is the result of both individual and collective efforts. As far as the CPI(M) and the LDF are concerned, the incoming ministry will continue the tradition of collective work and individual responsibility.”

  • Protests mount in IUML towards Kunhalikutty

    Express News Service
    KOZHIKODE:  After the dismal efficiency of the celebration within the Assembly polls, protest is mounting towards IUML management together with its nationwide normal secretary P Ok Kunhalikutty from numerous corners.  The celebration had failed to provide a rational rationalization as to why Kunhalikutty resigned from Lok Sabha and contested for the Assembly. There had been bickering towards the choice throughout the celebration.

    Muslim Youth League nationwide vice-president Panakkad Mueen Ali Shihab Thangal had brazenly expressed displeasure over the ‘unwanted decision’ to thrust a bypoll on the voters.   These voices will change into extra pronounced when the celebration searches for causes for the poor present.  No one within the celebration has formally reacted thus far after the election outcomes had been introduced. But the social media is replete with accusations towards Kunhalikutty and the IUML management. Harsh feedback have appeared beneath Kunhalikutty’s publish in Facebook the place he thanked the voters.   Not simply the rank and file however a few of the leaders are additionally sad with the best way of functioning and lack of democracy within the celebration.

     Ok M Shaji needed to shift from Azhikode to a different snug seat in Malappuram or Kasaragod. This was stalled allegedly by Kunhalikutty who persuaded a gaggle of leaders from Kasaragod to hurry to Panakkad to dam the transfer. And the outcome was Shaji’s defeat within the constituency.  There had been additionally protests from celebration employees from Kalamassery and Thirurangadi towards the choice of candidates. Entire Ernakulam district committee raised banner of protest towards fielding Ibrahim Kunju’s son V E Abdul Gafoor in Kalamassery. IUML misplaced the seat to CPM chief P Rajeev.  Fielding celebration state normal secretary Ok P A Majeed in Thirurangadi and elevation of P M A Salam to Majeed’s publish had been additionally greeted with opposition.   There is a rising feeling among the many Sunnis within the IUML that Jamaat-e-Islami, the new-found ally of the celebration, is asking the pictures in IUML. 

    They apprehend that the IUML management is being managed by Jamaat and its media.   They suspect that the propaganda that the CPM is a B staff of the Sangh Parivar is the contribution of the caucus. It can also be alleged that the IUML management fully did not learn the temper of the group due to the affect of the Jamaat.   “Muslim community is positively inclined to Pinarayi and has voted for the LDF in the constituencies where there are no IUML candidates. This is visible in the election results throughout the state. IUML did not understand this phenomenon as they were under  Jamaat control,” stated a frontrunner of the E Ok faction of Sunnis.  

  • In a primary for Kerala, father-in-law CM and son-in-law MLA in Assembly

    In a primary, a father-in-law and son-in-law duo will make their presence felt collectively within the Kerala Assembly quickly and thus script a brand new chapter in its decades-long historical past.
    The 77-year previous father-in-law is nobody aside from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan whereas the fortunate son-in-law is P A Mohammed Riyas, nationwide president of the Democratic Youth Federation.
    Riyas is the husband of Vijayan’s daughter Veena, an IT entrepreneur primarily based in Bengaluru.
    While Vijayan gained by a whopping margin of over 50,000 votes from his dwelling turf Dharmadam in Kannur district, the 44-year-old Riyas acquired elected from Beypore, a Left bastion in Kozhikode.
    Though the state Assembly had a legacy of accommodating little children of varied politicians in these years, it’s for the primary time {that a} father-in-law and son-in-law are collectively turning into a part of the House.
    A vibrant youth chief, Riyas had earlier unsuccessfully contested in 2009 Lok Sabha polls from Kozhikode.
    Veena and Riyas acquired married at Cliff House, the official residence of the Chief Minister, on June 15, 2020.
    There had been additionally another kith and kins of politicians who tried their luck within the April 6 polls however a lot of them failed.
    Both Jose Okay Mani, the chief of Kerala Congress (M), a distinguished Left accomplice and his sister’s husband M P Joseph, a UDF candidate, bit the mud in Pala and Trikkaripur respectively when the outcomes had been introduced on Sunday.
    While Kerala Congress chairman P J Joseph gained from Thodupuzha, his dwelling turf in Idukki, as UDF nominee, his son-in-law Dr Joseph was defeated in Kothamangalam constituency because the candidate of Twenty20, a corporate-backed political celebration.
    Congress leaders KMuraleedharan, MP and Padmaja Venugopal, kids of formerChief Minister late Okay Karunakaran had been defeated inNemomand Thrissur respectively.
    Children of former ministers and MLAs from the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and opposition Congress-led UDF had examined the electoral waters in over 20 of the 140 seats within the April 6 Assembly polls.

  • Wayanad to coastal areas, Cong can’t cease Pinarayi wave

    BUCKING its custom of voting out the ruling get together each 5 years, Kerala selected to stick with the Left Democratic Front, rendering the Congress-led UDF an embarrassing defeat within the state.
    The coalition, which bagged 19 out of 20 seats within the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, ended with 41 seats within the 140-strong Assembly. The UDF present was primarily confined to central Kerala districts of Ernakulam and Kottayam, and ally IUML’s stronghold of Malappuram.
    In truth, the Congress, the UDF’s main get together, fared the worst. Of the 93 seats it contested, fielding new and younger faces in half of them, it might win solely 21. In Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad Lok Sabha seat too, the place he extensively campaigned, the UDF misplaced in three of the seven Assembly segments.
    Congress state president Mullappally Ramachandran known as the defeat surprising. “There is nothing in the political situation in Kerala that justifies this verdict.”
    In the southern districts of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, the Congress gained solely three out of 25 seats. Among the largest shocks for the get together was the defeat of V S Sivakumar from Thiruvananthapuram to minor LDF ally Janathipathya Kerala Congress’s Antony Raju. Congress younger face and two-term legislator Okay S Sabarinathan misplaced to CPM native chief G Stephen, who had confronted protests from inside the get together.
    In Opposition chief Ramesh Chennithala’s Alappuzha district, the Congress win was restricted to his seat.
    The Congress had anticipated a wave in its favour in coastal areas in southern districts because the fishermen group was offended with the LDF authorities over a cope with US companies for deep-sea fishing. The Catholic diocese of Alappuzha and Kollam had overtly come out in opposition to the deal through the elections, main the Congress to hope for good points within the 40-odd coastal constituencies in Kerala. However, that didn’t occur.
    In North Kerala districts additionally, the Congress couldn’t enhance its tally. In Kozhikode district, the get together couldn’t win in a single seat.
    The IUML however gained 17 of the 27 seats it contested, retaining its maintain on its bastion of Malappuram district. Last time, it had contested 23 seats and gained 18.
    The breakaway Kerala Congress led by P J Joseph gained solely two of the ten seats it had contested.
    Among the UDF leaders who misplaced had been Okay M Shaji (IUML), V T Balram (Congress), Anil Akkara (Congress) and Okay S Sabarinathan (Congress).
    The defeat is a second blow for the Congress after the native physique elections in December, that the LDF had swept, and lots of get together leaders admitted it was a do-or-die battle. After the December loss, the Congress had introduced in former chief minister Oommen Chandy to the centrestage, making him the chairman of the election committee.
    It had additionally this time chosen names primarily based on “winnability”, avoiding its typical pitfall of factional leaders pushing personal leaders.
    The get together additionally hoped to have made an influence with the anomalies in electoral rolls alleged by Chennithala within the run-up to voting. The ruling CPM had maintained silence on the matter.

  • IUML employee hacked to demise in post-poll conflict in Kerala’s Kannur

    An IUML employee was hacked to demise allegedly by CPI(M) staff in Kerala’s Kannur district in reference to the post-poll violence late Tuesday evening.
    Police recognized the sufferer as Paral Manzoor, 21, a local of Panoor close to Koothuparamba within the district. His brother Muhasin, 27, was critically injured within the assault.
    A CPI(M) employee was taken into custody in reference to the incident.
    According to the police, a gang hacked the brothers after storming into their home round 8 pm, an hour after polling was over. Both have been rushed to an area hospital in Thalassery, however Manzoor succumbed to accidents round midnight.

    Police mentioned pressure had prevailed between CPI (M) and IUML staff at Pullookkara close to Panoor since Monday evening. On the polling day additionally, there had been altercations between staff of each events. After polling was over, a gang allegedly belonging to CPI(M), hurled bombs on the home of the brothers and hacked the duo.

    Congress-led UDF referred to as for a hartal on Wednesday within the Koothuparamba constituency. Opposition chief Ramesh Chennithala mentioned the CPI(M) was unleashing violence anticipating setbacks within the elections.
    Kerala recorded an honest voter turnout of 74.02 per cent as of 8:15 pm within the Assembly elections Tuesday regardless of Covid-19 restrictions at polling cubicles. The ultimate figures from the Election Commission could be launched after making an allowance for the votes solid by Covid-19 sufferers and people in quarantine within the final hour of voting.

  • CPM employees thrash presiding officer at Kerala polling sales space close to Payyannur

    By Express News Service
    KANNUR: A presiding officer was overwhelmed up allegedly by CPM employees in a sales space at Payyannur constituency. 

    The officer has been recognized as Muhammad Ashraf Kalathil of Panur, a professor at Paral DIA College, Thalasserry.

    The incident passed off when Ashraf stopped a voter who reached sales space quantity 105 A (Kandankali School) with a ration card. This result in an argument between Ashraf and the CPM employees current there. Later, irate social gathering employees thrashed Ashraf. 

    In the guide of the Election Commission, ration card has not been included as a doc for use as an id card,  stated Ashraf.

    Due to the incident, the polling was stopped for round half-hour. Ashraf was taken to Payyannur Taluk hospital for remedy and he has lodged a grievance with the EC concerning the incident. The polling resumed after one other presiding officer took cost.

  • Kerala polls: State Congress chief seeks votes of LDF backers to beat BJP in Manjeshwar

    By Express News Service
    KASARAGOD: Congress state president Mullappally Ramachandran’s last-day enchantment to the LDF supporters to vote for the UDF in Manjeshwar “to stop the BJP” has not gone down properly with the LDF and the BJP. 

    The UDF candidate AKM Ashraf endorsed the view of Ramachandran. “The LDF is not in the picture in Manjeshwar and so all the secular voters should come together and elect me and defeat the BJP,” stated Ashraf.

    LDF candidate and CPM chief VV Rameshan stated Ramachandran had no sense of Tulunadu and was speaking gibberish. “The LDF made considerable progress during the campaign. Today, the fight is between the LDF and the BJP. Mullappally’s appeal comes due to his sense of defeat,” he stated.

    BJP state president Ok Surendran, who’s the NDA’s candidate in Manjeshwar, stated the souls of Sarath Lal and Kripesh wouldn’t forgive the Congress for making an attempt to strike up an alliance with the LDF. “Mullappally’s appeal is a shameless begging of votes. It exposed the helplessness of the Congress,” he stated and added that the Congress chief made a public enchantment for LDF vote sensing a defeat by the hands of the NDA in Manjeshwar.

    Ramachandran held his floor and stated “no one should shed crocodile tears” over Youth Congress employees Sarath Lal and Kripesh, who have been murdered allegedly by CPM employees in February 2019.

    ALSO READ | 2.74 crore voters, 140 seats: Kerala all set for polls after keenly fought marketing campaign

    He, nevertheless, refused to simply accept the assist of the SDPI, the political outfit of the People’s Front of India, a far-right Islamic organisation. The SDPI had publicly introduced its assist to Ashraf. The LDF had struck regional understandings with the SDPI in 72 meeting constituencies, he added.

    Veteran Congress chief Oommen Chandy stated the UDF didn’t want any outdoors assist to win in Manjeshwar.

    Congress chief in Manjeshwar Manjunath Alva stated the bottom actuality within the constituency was completely different from different locations. “Here, only 10% of the voters are affiliated to political parties, and so such an appeal will not have much impact. The UDF has reached out to all sections of society and will register a comfortable win in Manjeshwar,” he stated.

    Manjeshwar is seeing a decent three-cornered combat. In 2016, Surendran misplaced within the constituency by 89 votes to Indian Union Muslim League’s PB Abdul Razak. However, within the by-election held in 2019, necessitated by the loss of life of Razak, the IUML defeated the BJP by almost 8,000 votes. The LDF has a 26% vote share within the constituency. In 2006, it got here from the third place to win the constituency, pushing the IUML to the third place.

  • Kerala meeting elections: Will this be Ramesh Chennithala’s best hour but?

    Express News Service
    HARIPAD: “We are waiting for the day when Haripad gets a chief minister,” Abdul Khader, who’s in his 70s, tells The New Indian Express whereas waving on the motorcade of Opposition chief and UDF candidate Ramesh  Chennithala, which made its strategy to predominantly Muslim space of Thulamparambu within the Haripad constituency after the rousing reception on the Sree Subramanya Swamy temple.

    Over to the Haripad MLA’s home. Two undated black-and-white medium-sized pictures adorn the partitions throughout a desk of the sitting-cum-office room. In one among them, a younger Ramesh Chennithala is seen within the firm of Indira Gandhi and Okay Karunakaran. In the second, which is positioned barely above the primary, a jovial Chennithala is seen explaining one thing to Rajiv Gandhi.

    At the UDF workplace in Haripad, there’s a sense of objective.  Party staff are making the ultimate preparations for Chennithala’s schedule for the day. G Mohandas, who was further private secretary to Chennithala when he was the house minister, is issuing meals and gas coupons to staff.

    At 8.00 am, Chennithala held a presser on the UDF workplace, located in Haripad city, about 1.5 km from the MLA’s home. He continued his tirade in opposition to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF authorities on the facility buy settlement with the Adani Group. This was the second consecutive day on which he attacked the federal government over the cope with Adani.

    It’s 10.30 am. Two native Congressmen flip by means of the pages of newspapers as if to kill time. The MLA’s home is in any other case empty. Chennithala, the MLA from Haripad,  is away in Tiruvalla to marketing campaign for Kunjukoshy Paul of Kerala Congress(Joseph), a UDF ally.

    Meanwhile, Chennithala is predicted to return from Tiruvalla at 11.30 am for one ultimate lap of Haripad, starting his campaigning for the day from Haripad Sree Subramanya Swamy temple. He’s contesting from Haripad for a fifth time, and this time his supporters count on nothing lower than a victory margin of 25,000 votes. In 2016, his margin of victory was 18,621.

    Waving at his supporters, Chennithala arrives in an open jeep alongside along with his motorcade round 12:45 pm. He’s instantly surrounded by ready supporters, however the very first thing on the agenda is to hunt the blessings of Karthikeya, the presiding deity. There’s no tiredness or weariness in Chennithala.

    Talking to The New Indian Express, in between accepting shawls from supporters and readily posing for selfies, Chennithala says he is assured of the UDF scoring a cushty victory. He says campaigning by each Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi has lifted the spirits of staff.

    “The entire LDF-Pinarayi Vijayan campaign is propped up by a 24-hour PR machinery. This will fall apart, once the election results are out. The people of Kerala desire a change. They have made up their minds,” he says.

    Chennithala has to attend round 23 extra official receptions in Haripad, and that is his ultimate day of campaigning on his house turf. On Sunday, he will probably be off to Idukki, one other key district for the UDF. “Am I talking to the next Chief Minister of Kerala?” I ask. “The high command will decide the chief minister,” he says.

    The ‘High Command will determine’ is the official place of any aspiring chief minister within the Congress. But, Chennithala is aware of that there is one other larger battle he has to win as soon as the UDF secures a majority. But for now, the job at hand is to cross the primary hurdle.

    The Opposition chief follows a strict routine, which might clarify his youthfulness. He will get up at 5.30 am and goes by means of newspapers. After a 15-minute yoga session, he’s prepared for the day’s actions. John Thomas, who’s dealing with his affairs within the Haripad constituency, says Chennithala has been a purevegetarian. But now, he eats fish on the recommendation of medical doctors to strengthen muscle mass.

    For Chennithala, this meeting election is a do-or-die affair. There are simply two extra days left for polling day. All the onerous work and toil he had put in over the past 5 years as  Opposition chief, will probably be lastly examined because the state goes to the polls on Tuesday.

    “Why only Nemom, I’m contesting from all the 140 seats,” he had mentioned when there was a requirement for him to contest from the one seat gained by the BJP within the 2016 elections.

    The assertion merely tells what’s at stake for this 65-year-old. The final 5 years haven’t been simple for Chennithala, An unfriendly press, an impression fastidiously created by his detractors that he is somebody ever-ready to shift loyalties to Sangh Parivar/BJP, or that he’s a weak Opposition chief, who’s nomatch for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

    But there is not any denying the truth that Chennithala has been in a position to put the LDF authorities on the defensive on a number of fronts. After he put out your complete checklist of over 4 lakh double and bogus voters on the internet, the Election Commission on Friday hurriedly put out a set of measures to forestall a number of/bogus voting.

    Chennithala holds the report for the youngest minister within the state’s historical past when he was made the agricultural growth minister within the 1986 Karunakaran ministry– a report which stands even 35 years on.

    Since returning to state politics as KPCC president in 2005, it is no secret that Chennithala has been harbouring an ambition to develop into the chief minister someday. That time is now.