Tag: madhya pradesh coronavirus

  • Madhya Pradesh: Ahead of Damoh bypoll, BJP, Congress ship water tankers to dry, offended villages

    DAYS AHEAD of the bypoll in Damoh on April 17, parched villages that type a part of this constituency in Bundelkhand belt of Madhya Pradesh have managed to get a main demand fulfilled, though briefly. For the previous three days, rivals BJP and Congress have been sending in water tankers to a number of of those villages, the place folks stroll or cycle lengthy distances to fetch water.
    This got here days after most of the villages made it clear to the political events their situation: no water, no vote.
    In truth, villagers of Padriya have additionally put up a banner – ‘Paani nahi toh vote nahi’ – together with two empty plastic containers. Earlier this week, when BJP candidate Rahul Singh Lodhi visited the village to marketing campaign, he was gheraoed and turned away.
    Relief adopted quickly – the water tankers. But the villagers of Padriya know it might not last more than the elections. “It’s because of the election that BJP sends the water tanker in the morning, and the Congress in the evening. I’m unable to decide for whom I should vote. After election, the tankers will again stop coming,” says Rekha Ahirwar.
    For her, the water tankers have come as a respite from the routine process of waking up in the course of the evening and cycle two km to fetch water in plastic containers for her household of 4.
    Water has been one of many high considerations for the folks of Damoh, and figures prominently within the BJP marketing campaign. While the social gathering has promised growth, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has held a sequence of conferences with neighborhood leaders, promising piped water within the constituency. He has additionally reminded them of Rs 700 crore sanctioned for consuming water venture within the area.
    It is the promise of growth that’s swaying a number of voters corresponding to Manish Aggarwal, who runs a cell restore store, in direction of the BJP. He says Lodhi gained the earlier election – as a Congress candidate – solely as a result of folks wished change from Jayant Malaiya, BJP veteran and former state minister, who earlier held the seat. “But sadly nothing changed,” says Aggarwal.

    “But there is no point wasting your vote on a Congress candidate. Although the Congress might have a better candidate, with the BJP government at the Centre and in the state, it is better to vote for the BJP if one hopes for development,” he says.
    The bypoll in Damoh was necessitated after Lodhi defected from the Congress and joined the BJP in October 2020. This time, he’s within the fray together with Congress’s Ajay Tandon and at the very least 20 different candidates.
    Many consider will probably be a troublesome struggle for Lodhi, who gained with a slender margin of 768 votes final time. Apart from the rival events high-pitch marketing campaign, he’s believed to be dealing with a problem inside the BJP. Malaiya, who has appreciable affect within the constituency, is alleged to be upset along with his social gathering for denying his son Sidharth the ticket.

    Apart from this, the BJP candidate is dealing with a problem from his cousin Vaibhav Singh Lodhi, who’s contesting the elections as an Independent, who could lower into his caste votes. Caste is a outstanding consider elections in Bundlekhand area.
    Many conventional BJP supporters corresponding to Nitesh Jain really feel that voting for Congress is the easiest way to show turncoats like Lodhi a lesson. “Last time around it was not Lodhi who won but it was a vote against Malaiya that brought him to power. Now he [Lodhi] has sold himself and needs to be taught a lesson,” says Jain.
    “We are facing election [in these Covid times] because of him and this will be followed by a harsh lockdown. How will traders like me survive.”

  • In bypoll-bound Damoh, a village shuts itself to interrupt coronavirus chain

    IN TWO DAYS from now, individuals can be queuing as much as solid their votes within the Damoh Assembly bypoll in Madhya Pradesh. The district is witnessing large exercise with a string of leaders from each the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress addressing public gatherings in other places.
    Presenting an image in stark distinction is a village Hinota Kalan which has about 3,500 residents. Picking up the gauntlet to interrupt the Covid-19 chain because the second wave of the pandemic rages, this village in Hatta tehsil in Damoh district determined to close itself down.
    On Tuesday, when The Indian Express visited the village, streets lay vacant and all retailers remained closed. The silence in the primary street of the village was interrupted by the continual ringing of Narendra Chokariya’s cell phone. As BJP’s block upadhyaksha of Hatta, there have been calls for on him to organise individuals from his village to attend the general public assembly at neighbouring Laxman Kuti village. Rajya Sabha MP and BJP chief Jyotiraditya Scindia was campaigning in Laxman Kuti.
    A bypoll was necessitated within the Damoh Assembly constituency after Rahul Singh Lodhi, a Congress MLA had defected in October 2020, and joined the BJP.
    However, Chokariya, very similar to the three,500-odd residents of Hinota Kalan, didn’t need to danger his personal well being and security and that of others by getting them to take part in crowded public gatherings. He is much more guarded having spent practically Rs 1.5 lakhs in treating his youthful brother, who just lately recovered from Covid-19.
    “I am committed to my party, but how do I push people to participate in something at the cost of their lives. Jaan hai toh jahaan hai,” says Chokariya.

    On April 7, the state authorities issued a round asserting a weekend lockdown in city areas throughout all districts. It, nonetheless, exempted Damoh — headed for a by-election on April 17 — from any such restrictions. The administration left it to the District Election Officer to resolve on the character of restrictions to be imposed in Damoh.
    In the district, political actions are in full swing with public gatherings being held on daily basis. Senior leaders equivalent to Digvijay Singh and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath from the Congress and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former CM Uma Bharati, and Lok Sabha MP Pralhad Patel, have been addressing individuals in several areas of the constituency.
    While Hatta tehsil that lies about 50 kms from Damoh just isn’t ballot sure, political occasion employees like Chokariya are beneath strain to get individuals from their villagers for public gatherings. Another villager from Hinota Kalan who works for the Congress, mentioned he obtained comparable calls to get villagers when Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh had reached Damoh to marketing campaign.
    On Tuesday, Damoh reported 74 constructive circumstances. So far, the district has recorded 3,519 constructive circumstances and 94 deaths. Villagers alleged there was no contact tracing, and with the federal government equipment centered on the by-polls, no policeman had visited the village. Hence, the Hinota Kalan villagers took the issues in their very own arms after their village noticed 4 deaths.

    All retailers, vegetable distributors to meals grain retailers and tea stalls remained fully shut over the weekend. The lockdown was noticed on the decision of Gajendra Singh, a village elder, who went about with folded arms beseeching every businessman to close down his store.
    “The CM is coming and holding public rallies at a time when the government should be imposing strict restrictions to avoid gathering of crowds. We decided to observe the lockdown until the elections conclude, and are hoping that after the polls, the government will wake up and do what is needed,” mentioned Gajendra Singh.

  • Night curfew possible in Bhopal and Indore, says CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan

    In view of the rising coronavirus instances in Bhopal and Indore, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated evening curfew could be re-imposed within the two districts from Sunday or Monday.
    At a evaluation assembly held on Friday to debate the scenario within the state, Chouhan stated, “Look at the rise in infection cases… Tough measures will be taken to flatten the curve. Night curfew might be clamped in Bhopal and Indore from Sunday or Monday.”
    Chouhan stated folks coming to the state by air, trains and roads from neighbouring Maharashtra, the place there’s a surge in Covid-19 instances, ought to be thermally scanned. He additionally instructed officers to make sure Covid-19 guidelines and pointers are strictly adopted by folks to stop the unfold of the virus.
    During the assembly, methods to limit the inflow of individuals from Maharashtra had been additionally mentioned, an official assertion stated.
    Chouhan stated folks ought to be motivated to take proactive measures and be vigilant and put on masks. Awareness campaigns ought to be performed in state districts when wanted.
    He additional added that shopkeepers in districts bordering Maharashtra together with Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur should take protecting measures to stop the unfold of the virus and motion ought to be taken towards shopkeepers who don’t comply with these measures.
    The Chief Minister additionally careworn on the necessity for motivating folks to get each the doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.He stated that public consciousness campaigns ought to be performed and preparations ought to be made to deliver extra aged residents to the vaccination centre.

    On Friday, 603 Covid-19 instances had been reported in Madhya Pradesh. Indore, the worst-hit district within the state, noticed 219 new instances, taking the caseload there to 61,642, whereas Bhopal witnessed 138 recent instances, which pushed its whole depend to 45,079.

    Indore has up to now reported 940 deaths and Bhopal 621. There are 1,528 energetic instances in Indore, whereas the state capital has 806 such instances.