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Tag: Kerala assembly elections 2021

  • Pinarayi Vijayan sworn in as Kerala Chief Minister for the second time

    Senior CPM chief Pinarayi Vijayan took oath because the chief minister of Kerala for the second time on the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. Governor Arif Muhammad Khan administered the oath of workplace.
    A most of 500 individuals in attendance had been allowed on the venue holding with the Covid protocols.

    Took the oaths of workplace and secrecy, because the Chief Minister of Kerala. Together, allow us to realise a folks’s different, and construct a Nava Keralam! pic.twitter.com/zMnm0VsJQa
    — Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) May 20, 2021

    Vijayan is the primary chief minister within the historical past of the state to be re-elected to energy after a full five-year time period. C Achutha Menon of the CPI had a consecutive time period in energy up to now, however it was not a five-year time period.
    Vijayan will lead a 21-member cabinet consisting of members from CPM, CPI, KC(M), JDS, NCP, DKC and INL.

  • Kerala BJP chief targets state unit chief: ‘Chopper politics will not work here’

    BRINGING to the fore fissures within the state unit of the BJP, senior chief C Okay Padmanabhan on Tuesday stated “helicopter politics” wouldn’t work in Kerala.
    A former state BJP president, Padmanabhan, who contested in opposition to CM Pinarayi Vijayan in Dharmadam, was referring to the usage of helicopter by state get together chief Okay Surendran, who contested in two seats districts aside.
    Surendran had taken a helicopter to shuttle between constituencies of Manjeshwar and Konni.
    Padmanabhan, who’s a member of BJP core committee, informed reporters in Kannur that the state get together president contesting in two seats was unprecedented. “The helicopter politics would not work in Kerala. That may sometimes go well with voters in North India. The leadership failed to clearly understand the core of the state politics,” he stated.

    He additionally praised Vijayan, saying his private charisma performed a vital function within the LDF win. “The LDF had a very neat and tidy campaign,” he stated.
    Reacting to the remarks, BJP state president Surendran stated, “Padmanabhan is a senior leader… The party would examine such criticism, which is expected to give a new direction for the future course of action. I used the helicopter only because I contested in two seats.”

  • After poor UDF present in Kerala meeting elections, requires change in Congress unit

    VOICES OF dissent within the Congress in opposition to the state management look like getting louder following the defeat of the party-led UDF within the Kerala meeting elections.
    With the UDF diminished to 41 seats, six lower than its 2016 tally, a requirement for an overhaul within the state get together unit has emerged from inside the get together in addition to its disgruntled allies. The Congress, which contested 93 seats, might win solely 21 seats.
    The Congress management has not reacted to the election rout or fastened a gathering of its political affairs committee to assessment the scenario. Party state president Mullappally Ramachandran and Opposition chief Ramesh Chennithala have refused to touch upon the UDF’s pathetic present earlier than an in depth analysis.
    However, knives are out within the get together. Setting the tone of demand for change, Congress MP Hibi Eden mentioned in a Facebook put up: “Why do we still need a sleeping president.”
    Party Alappuzha district president M Liju give up his put up, taking ethical accountability for the lack of all however one seat within the district. UDF candidate Ok Ok Shaju, who misplaced in Mavelikkara seat, blamed Congress working president Kodikunnil Suresh MP for the defeat.

    Congress sources mentioned there’s a rising feeling within the get together that the current management ought to go. Many leaders have raised the demand, the sources mentioned, with out naming anybody. “But, it is up to the party high command to take a final call. Since the national leadership is also on a sticky wicket, we are not sure about the outcome,” mentioned a senior chief.
    Congress state vice-president T Siddique, who gained Kalpetta seat in Wayanad weathering opposition from inside the get together, mentioned the get together system on the sales space degree may be very weak at many locations. “Hence, the Congress couldn’t mobilise votes even from its conventional vote banks. The large verdict UDF bought in the course of the Lok Sabha elections [winning 19 out of 20 seats] made it overconfident that the coalition would come again naturally within the meeting election,’’ he mentioned.
    Siddique mentioned a public notion had been created in Kerala that no matter be the achievements, the incumbent authorities could be unseated. The UDF faulted this time by banking closely upon that notion. “After every electoral rout, there would be a panel to study the reasons. But so far no action has been taken against anyone responsible for anti-party activities during the elections,” he mentioned.
    Senior UDF chief and Kollam MP N Ok Premachandran blamed organisational weak spot of the UDF.

    “The UDF had raised several genuine issues against the CPI (M) government and made it retract many controversial decisions. But there was no coordinated election mechanism in the UDF during the campaign. Barring Rahul Gandhi’s enthusiastic campaign leg in Kerala, there was no concerted attempt by the UDF to reach to the people with issues. The present nominated committees should go. The UDF can go ahead only after corrective steps,” mentioned Premachandran.
    Senior UDF chief and Kerala Congress chairman P J Joseph informed reporters in Thodupuzha that groupism in Congress proved expensive for the UDF. “The intervention of Congress national leadership did not help change the situation. There was no effective coordination between the Congress and the allies. The Congress should think about why it could win only 21 of the 93 seats it contested,” mentioned Joseph, whose get together gained two out of 10 seats.

  • Businessman robbed on freeway is RSS employee, says Kerala Police

    PROBE INTO a freeway theft of Rs 25 lakh on April 3, three days forward of the meeting elections, has discovered that the businessman who misplaced the cash is an RSS employee, police mentioned on Thursday. Also, in line with the police, there’s a mismatch between the cash claimed to have been robbed and the sum recovered from one of many accused, which is far greater.
    According to the grievance lodged with the police on April 7, a day after polling, a gang waylaid the automotive which was carrying the cash and looted it on the freeway from Thrissur to Kochi.
    The theft obtained political color after LDF convener and CPI (M) state secretary A Vijayaraghavan alleged that the looted quantity was a part of the BJP’s election fund. He alleged {that a} part of BJP leaders was concerned within the looting of the “black money” that the celebration had allegedly pumped into the elections in Kerala.
    Saleem Madavoor, nationwide president of Loktantrik Yuva Janata Dal, additionally complained to the Enforcement Directorate, alleging that the cash was a part of the BJP’s election fund for southern districts. “The actual plundered amount was Rs 10 crore, of which Rs 3.5 crore was meant for Ernakulam district,” he alleged in his grievance.

    On Thursday, Thrissur Rural SP G Poonguzhali instructed reporters that the cash belonged to A Ok Dharmarajan, a businessman in Kozhikode. “We have understood from the probe that he is an RSS worker,” she mentioned.
    Police have arrested seven folks – all with felony antecedents – in reference to the theft. A search is on for 5 others, together with the important thing suspect.
    According to the police, they’ve recovered Rs 30 lakh in money and gold from the premises of one of many arrested individual. The police mentioned this confirmed that the precise quantity looted by the gang may very well be a lot greater.

    The police mentioned Dharmarajan obtained Rs 25 lakh from Sunil Naik, a former state treasurer of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP.
    When contacted, Naik, who can also be from Kozhikode, mentioned he had given the cash to Dharmarajan for enterprise functions. “I’ve a number of years of economic transactions with Dharmarajan. When I gave him this explicit quantity, I didn’t ask him why he wanted it. I’ve a real-estate enterprise and I’ll furnish particulars with the police to indicate the supply of revenue. I don’t know something a couple of greater quantity recovered from one of many accused,’’ he mentioned.

  • Polls to three Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in Kerala ought to be held earlier than time period of legislative Assembly expires: High Court

    The Kerala High Court on Monday stated that elections to a few Rajya Sabha seats within the state, that are falling vacant on April 21, ought to be held earlier than the current legislative Assembly’s time period expires.
    Observing that the legislators of the outgoing Assembly have the fitting to forged their votes, the bench of Justice P V Asha, in an interim order, directed the Election Commission (EC) to finish the method by May 2, the day outcomes of the not too long ago concluded Assembly elections can be introduced.

    Last week, contemplating the petitions of CPI (M) legislator S Sharma and the state legislative Assembly secretariat, the EC had instructed the excessive court docket that it will be “just, fair and constitutional” to announce the election for the three seats after the brand new legislative Assembly is constituted.
    At the identical time, the EC reiterated that the schedule of the Upper House elections can be notified earlier than the three incumbent members from Kerala retire.

    Sharma had moved the excessive court docket difficult the EC choice to maintain in abeyance its earlier notification to conduct the Rajya Sabha elections earlier than April 21, the day these three seats would fall vacant.
    The CPI (M) legislator was of the view that the EC transfer to delay the election course of would deny the sitting legislators of the present Assembly their proper to vote.

    As per the unique notification, the elections to the three Rajya Sabha seats ought to be held on April 12. The EC was of the view that because the voting for the Assembly elections ended on April 6, giving the outgoing Assembly members an opportunity to vote wouldn’t mirror the desire of the folks.

  • Election 2021 Live Updates: Amit Shah to handle six public rallies in Bengal at present

    EC frowned on this however makes use of martyr icon in its Bengal advert
    The Election Commission Saturday invoked the armed forces in its print commercial urging West Bengal’s electors to return out and vote, even because it advises political leaders and candidates to desist from making any reference to Defence personnel of their ballot marketing campaign.
    The advert that appeared on the day of the fourth section of polling shows the silhouette of the ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’ and a sketch of cartoonist RK Laxman’s ‘Common Man’ as paying homage to the fallen soldier. The advert asks the reader: “They sacrifice for their country. Can’t you even vote for the country?”
    It then goes on to state, “Vote is not only your right, but also your duty. Cast your vote fearlessly.”
    The Amar Jawan Jyoti was constructed after the 1971 warfare to commemorate the martyred and unknown troopers of the Indian armed forces who died through the warfare.
    In run-up, Mamata slammed Central forces, urged voters to ‘gherao’ them
    THE demise of 4 folks in firing by the CISF in “self-defence”, throughout polling in Cooch Behar in north Bengal on Saturday, comes after days of buying and selling of expenses between the Trinamool and BJP over the presence of Central forces for the elections.
    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly accused the Central forces of appearing on the behest of the Centre (learn the BJP) and of atrocities. She has even urged folks to “gherao” the forces in the event that they see any “wrongdoing”. The BJP, together with Home Minister Amit Shah, has repeatedly harassed their “patriotism”. Senior Trinamool chief and minister Rabindranath Ghosh on Friday advised voters to go to polling cubicles with lathis, to protect towards the CRPF “creating disturbance”.
    Bengal Elections: Amid violence, 76% turnout in 4th section
    Fourty-four Assembly seats in West Bengal recorded a 76.16 per cent voter turnout within the fourth section of voting until 5pm on Saturday, a day marked by the demise of 5 individuals in two separate incidents in Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar district.
    Cooch Behar recorded 79.93 per cent votes, adopted by Hooghly’s 76.02 per cent, South 24 Parganas’s 75.49 per cent, Howrah’s 75.03 per cent and Alipurduar’s 73.65 p.c.
    “Apart from the two incidents in one district, the poll was conducted peacefully,” stated Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Aariz Aftab.
     

  • Conspiracy theories on cross-voting, vote commerce fly thick and quick

    By Express News Service
    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after the state exercised its franchise, the three main political fronts are busy calculating all doable permutations and mixtures to try to decipher the ballot consequence. While the ruling and opposition fronts are assured of garnering a cushty majority, the NDA predicts a hung meeting that may enable the third entrance a major say. Meanwhile, conspiracy theories and tales of cross-voting and vote commerce are additionally doing rounds.

    While the LDF expects to win round 85 seats, the UDF has laid declare to something between 75 and 85. The BJP, however, hopes to safe not less than seven seats this time. In the meantime, all three fronts have provide you with their very own variations of cross-voting in key constituencies. Continuing the Left’s tirade on BJP and UDF over an unholy nexus, CPM performing secretary A Vijayaraghavan alleged that points confronted by the saffron get together, such because the rejection of its candidates’ nominations in some constituencies, confirmed the get together was not approaching the polls critically. 

    “The BJP could not even ensure a triangular contest in several constituencies,” he mentioned.At the identical time, accusing the CPM of becoming a member of arms with PDP and with BJP in lots of pockets, Opposition chief Ramesh Chennithala claimed solely the UDF was in a position to keep away from such unholy alliances. “CPM workers have been unleashing violence across the state due to their fear of defeat,” he mentioned. He additionally alleged widespread bogus voting in Taliparamba, the place he demanded a re-election.

    Congress state president Mullappally Ramachandran expressed concern relating to the ballot consequence in Manjeshwar, the place BJP state president Ok Surendran contested. Alleging cross-voting, Mullappally mentioned the data he had obtained from the grass-root staff in Manjeshwar was terrifying.  “If Surendran manages to win there, CM Pinarayi Vijayan will be solely responsible,” he alleged. 

    ‘CPM-Cong deal to defeat BJP in 45 seats’.

    The NDA alleged that CPM and Congress had entered right into a consensus to defeat BJP in round 45 seats the place the saffron get together had excessive probabilities of successful. Senior BJP chief P Ok Krishnadas mentioned such a transfer to defeat NDA was the results of an understanding between Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and CPM basic secretary Sitaram Yechury. Surendran claimed each LDF and UDF confronted the elections with the assist of communal forces. “Though the SDPI publicly announced its support to UDF in Manjeshwar, the organisation was supporting the Left in several other constituencies,” he mentioned in Kasaragod.

  • Kerala Elections: Keenly-watched seats see decrease turnout

    Express News Service
    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The voter turnout within the meeting elections declined sharply from 77.35 per cent in 2016 to round 74.02 per cent (as of 10pm on Tuesday) this time. The preliminary evaluation primarily based on the provisional voting proportion launched by the Election Commission reveals {that a} appreciable variety of swing votes weren’t solid in round two dozen keenly-watched constituencies.

    In 22 seats the place elections had created lots of public curiosity, polling dropped by 1-8 per cent from 2016. This implies that regardless of intensive campaigning, the three fronts did not deliver fence sitters to the cubicles. Such seats embrace  Kazhakoottam, Nemom, Konni, Palakkad, Pala and Thrissur.

     N M Pearson, political observer, stated, “The low turnout indicates absence of swing voters who often decide the winners in the race. But it’s hard to predict who will benefit from this as many constituencies have witnessed three-cornered fights.”

    Normally, the Left used to profit from the low voter turnout. “But things have changed over the years and there was a considerable number of swing votes even among the rank and file of mainstream political parties today. Overall, there was a stark contrast in the campaigning of Left and UDF as the former sought the mandate projecting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, while there was a leadership uncertainty in the UDF,” he stated.  Political pundits additionally conceded that the controversies raised by the Opposition did not deliver voters to the cubicles.

  • 74.02% good rating, Kerala! Now the lengthy wait

    By Express News Service
    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Creditable turnout although tad decrease than final time .Results on May 2 .Complaints of bogus voting regardless of ballot panel’s steps .Two aged folks collapse and die .LDF eyes 85 seats.Cong assured .NDA present essential  

    Kerala has made its resolution on who will rule the state for the subsequent 5 years however you’ll know the reply solely on May 2. Braving an unrelenting Covid-19 pandemic and summer season warmth, voters lined up at polling cubicles throughout the state on Tuesday to train their franchise within the meeting elections. The common voter turnout stood at a creditable 74.02 per cent, although it was a tad decrease compared to the 77.35 per cent recorded within the 2016 election.

    While the ruling Left Front expressed confidence of retaining energy with a cushty majority, the opposition UDF camp can be elated.

    Going by the UDF evaluation after the polls, the entrance ought to win wherever between 75 to 85 seats. The BJP-led NDA hopes to make its presence felt with authoritative victories in 5 to seven seats along with ending second in about 10 seats.

    Significantly, the Sabarimala subject dominated the political discourse on the polling day, with the LDF, UDF and BJP buying and selling costs. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan claimed Lord Ayyappa and all different gods would stand with the Left Front for being there for the folks, to which Congress veteran A Okay Antony retorted the Chief Minister ought to first apologise to the Lord for the Sabarimala fiasco.

    The state additionally witnessed incidents of violence in some pockets, together with at Kazhakoottam in Thiruvananthapuram the place CPM and BJP staff clashed with one another.

    The BJP candidate within the constituency, Sobha Surendran, staged a sit-in whereas LDF candidate and Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran flayed the cops. Violence was additionally reported in Haripad the place CPM and Congress staff clashed. In Kannur, an IUML employee was hacked.

    In many closely-fought constituencies, the voting proportion remained comparatively low with BJP’s lone sitting seat — Nemom — recording 69.80 per cent in comparison with 74.11 per cent in 2016.After the voting ended, opposition chief Ramesh Chennithala exuded confidence that the UDF will come again to energy with an emphatic victory.

    ‘Left sure of winning at least 85 seats’

    “The general sentiment among voters across the state indicates that the masses have exercised their franchise against the Left government. The publicity campaigns have not come to the support of the Left,” mentioned Chennithala. He alleged that the Left cadre, sensing defeat, had unleashed violence in opposition to UDF staff throughout the state.  

    However, the Left management rejected the opposition claims and expressed confidence of successful 85 seats or extra. “The Left is sure of winning at least 85 seats. The extent of victory would be known only after careful analysis of the Left wave that swept the state,” mentioned CPM politburo member S Ramachandran Pillai.

    The CPM additionally suspects cross-voting between the UDF and the BJP in a number of constituencies. The BJP camp, although, is but to make an evaluation. While most pollsters really feel it might be an in depth name, one factor is obvious — the bipolar political nature of the state is all set to remodel right into a tripolar one with the BJP-led NDA making inroads into many pockets.

  • Sri Lankan Tamils vote in Gavi the place there’s not even telephone community

    Express News Service
    PATHANAMTHITTA: “If this situation continues, we all may not be in Gavi during the time of next assembly polls. Our hardships are beyond words. We don’t have any hospital and education facilities. The main issue for us is that phones have no use in Gavi as we don’t have network coverage. Many people in my village still don’t know how to handle an ordinary phone. How we can live here?” requested 34-year-old Padmanabhan Selvaraj, who belongs to one of many Sri Lankan Tamil households residing at Gavi in Pathanamthitta district. 

    He was speaking to TNIE after casting his vote on the Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) workplace at Gavi in ward III of Seethathodu grama panchayat on Tuesday. He reached Gavi from Pathanamthitta city after travelling 60km by means of deep forest.

    “Though I am a voter of Kochu Pamba, I can’t live here as I am doing contract work of KSEB. Daily, I get several work-related calls. If I stay here, I cannot use phones. Here, we also don’t have hospitals and schools. So, I stay in the town area temporarily with my wife and children for better living conditions,” he mentioned.    

    As many as 699 voters stay in Gavi, Kochu Pamba, Meenar, Pathinalam Mile and 18 Inch Colony  of Konni meeting constituency within the scenic forest space. Of them, 680 voters belong to Sri Lankan Tamil households. They communicate Sinhala, Tamil and Malayalam. The Election Commission had arrange two polling cubicles for Sri Lankan Tamil households — one at Gavi and the opposite at Kochu Pamba — for the meeting polls. 

    Though their residing circumstances are pathetic, they actively took half within the meeting polls on Tuesday.“We live in a reserved forest area. Hence, we will not get land in our names. We live in the layams (workers’ quarters). We don’t want land. Every part of the world has phone and internet connectivity these days. But here, phones do not have any use. Even when there is a medical emergency or death, we have to travel kilometres to hire a vehicle. If we have phone network coverage, our lives will become easier. We have only one LP school in Gavi which was started five years ago. We also dodn’t have a hospital and ambulance facilities here. If we need any of these facilities, we have to go to Vallakadavu, Vandiperiyar and Tamil Nadu,” mentioned Ramajayam R.

    Mahendran Veeraiha, 42, mentioned Tamils, who had gone to Sri Lanka earlier, have been introduced again to India as a part of an settlement signed between the 2 governments in 1964. “Our mother and father  reached Gavi from Sri Lanka within the Seventies. Earlier, round 700 Sri Lankan Tamil households stayed right here. They cleared some portion of the thick forest and began cultivating crops. 

    They work in cardamom plantation of KFDC and the Gavi eco-tourism challenge. During Seventies, the each day wage of a employee was solely `4.50. At current, the wage is `436. “The retirement age is 58 and after that, we meet our expenses using pension,” mentioned Mahendran, who works as a clerk within the KFDC. Now, solely 360 Sri Lankan Tamil households stay right here now. Several others left for Vandiperiyar, Vallakadavu, Kollam and Tamil Nadu for higher residing circumstances.