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Ex-CEC Krishnamurthy questions EC on Gujarat poll schedule delay

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9 years ago

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TS Krishnamurthy

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]TS Krishnamurthy joins Opposition chorus questioning why poll panel announced schedule for Himachal Pradesh elections but not for Gujarat

Former chief election commissioner TS Krishnamurthy has said that the ongoing row over the Election Commission’s decision to announce the poll schedule for Himachal Pradesh while deferring the same for Gujarat, despite the term of the two assemblies ending within weeks of each other was “an avoidable controversy”.

Krishnamurthy, who headed the Election Commission (EC) between February 2004 and May 2005, is the second former chief election commissioner after SY Quraishi to raise questions on the poll panel’s decision of deferring the announcement on Gujarat assembly elections – an issue that has also been red flagged by the Congress and other Opposition parties.

In an interview to The Indian Express, Krishnamurthy – who like SY Quraishi has often taken a stern stand against actions taken by the poll panel or the government with regard to conduct of elections – claimed that had he been the CEC now, he would have “found a solution” to conduct the Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat assembly polls simultaneously.

“All this controversy could have been avoided with better management,” Krishnamurthy was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. “I suppose they (the EC) could have announced both (Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh polls) together, either one week before or one week after. I am not looking at whether the decision was influenced or not. I am concerned with whether, administratively, a solution could have been found. I think I would have found a solution,” the former CEC added.

Earlier, ex-CEC SY Quraishi had taken a similar line on the controversy, claiming that the move to break from the EC’s convention of announcing elections together in states where incumbent governments are completing their terms within six months of each other had raised “serious questions”.

The Congress, which is the principal political rival of the BJP in both Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, has claimed that incumbent CEC, AK Joti has possibly delayed announcing the poll schedule for Gujarat under pressure” from the Centre, to enable the ruling BJP governments at the Centre and in the western state to announce sops for voters that will help its electoral prospects. While the Congress is in government in Himachal Pradesh and feels that it is in a position to retain power in the hill state, it hopes to end the 22-year-long BJP rule in Gujarat in the upcoming polls – riding on a reported anti-incumbency wave and major agitations against the state’s BJP regime by Dalit, Adivasi, Muslim and Patel communities (which together account for over 50 per cent of the state’s electorate).

The Gujarat assembly’s term ends on January 22, 2018 while the term of the Himachal Pradesh assembly ends on January 7. It was expected that the EC would announce the poll schedules for both the states together but last week, chief election commissioner AK Joti announced the election date only for Himachal Pradesh.

Joti cited relief and rehabilitation of the flood-affected in Gujarat as one of the factors that influenced the decision to delay poll announcement in the state.

However, Krishnamurthy countered Joti’s argument by saying: “Emergency flood relief work is to be done by bureaucrats, not politicians. The Model Code of Conduct (for elections) does not stand in the way of any emergency relief work. It does not prevent existing projects from continuing. Only new projects should not be announced during the MCC period.”

While Krishnamurthy and Quraishi have both raised questions over the possible administrative lapse of the EC in delaying the announcement of the Gujarat poll schedule, the Congress has maintained that the poll panel’s move was aimed at “helping the BJP”.

The Congress has argued that several pro-people schemes that the Vijay Rupani-led Gujarat government had planned to announce right before the announcement of the elections in order to woo voters would have been stalled due to the MCC had the poll schedule been announced last week, along with that of Himachal. What adds some weight to this argument is the fact that the BJP government in the state seems in a hurry of announcing sops and schemes.

On Monday, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani had announced farm loans of up to Rs 3 lakh at zero per cent interest – a move that is likely to benefit around 2.5 million farmers mostly concentrated in rural Gujarat where the BJP seems to be losing ground. Sources say a few more such announcements are expected before October 22 – the tentative date by when the EC is expected to announce the schedule for the state’s election.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Shehzad Poonawalla steps down from BJP, says personal and financial pressures led to decision 

Shehzad Poonawalla has resigned from the BJP, citing pressing financial and personal circumstances, and said he will move to the private sector.

Published

54 mins ago

on

August 17, 2026

By

Shehzad Punawalla

Shehzad Poonawalla on Monday resigned from the BJP, citing what he described as pressing financial and personal circumstances.

The BJP’s national spokesperson said he had first submitted his resignation on July 30. However, the party did not accept it at the time and asked him to reconsider his decision.

Poonawalla has now reiterated his decision to step down as the BJP’s national spokesperson and relinquish his primary membership of the party.

In his resignation letter to BJP president Nitin Nabin, Poonawalla said that after “long and hard contemplation”, he had decided to seek relief from his organisational responsibilities and active primary membership.

He also referred to developments involving certain individuals in recent days, saying they had reinforced his earlier decision. He did not name anyone in his letter.

Shehzad Poonawalla thanks BJP leadership

Poonawalla said he was touched that the BJP had initially declined to accept his resignation and expressed gratitude towards the party leadership.

He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Nitin Nabin, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santosh for the platform and opportunities he received during his five years with the party.

Poonawalla said his decision to leave was not driven by any sense of hurt and described his sentiments towards the party leadership with “gratefulness, love, affection, and highest regard”.

He said that his decision was linked to pressing financial and personal circumstances and that he would move into the private sector.

At the same time, Poonawalla said he would continue to support Prime Minister Modi’s vision and work, as well as that of the BJP, wherever possible.

“I am only leaving the Vyavastha not the Vyakti or Vichar,” he said.

Shehzad Poonawalla’s political journey

A lawyer, Poonawalla began his political career with the Congress before later joining the BJP.

He came into prominence in 2017 after publicly questioning the Congress’s internal election process. He alleged that the process was rigged in favour of Rahul Gandhi for the post of party president.

Poonawalla subsequently left the Congress and joined the BJP, where he became one of the party’s prominent representatives in television debates.

On July 30, he had also changed his bio on X, removing the reference to himself as “BJP National Spokesperson” while retaining his description as a lifelong follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Bihar temple stampede leaves 7 dead amid heavy Sawan rush

Seven devotees were killed and several others injured in a stampede-like incident at Ashok Dham Temple in Bihar’s Lakhisarai during the Sawan rush.

Published

1 hour ago

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August 17, 2026

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At least seven devotees were killed and several others injured in a stampede-like incident outside the Ashok Dham Temple in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district on Monday. The incident occurred amid a heavy rush of worshippers on the third Monday of the Sawan month.

Officials said panic may have spread after an electric pole collapsed near the queues, with rumours circulating that a live wire had fallen into the crowd. Authorities later said the fallen wire was a cable.

Crowd surge triggers chaos at temple

Lakhisarai District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar said an unprecedented surge in the number of devotees was further intensified by the arrival of two trains around 6.30-6.45 am.

According to the district magistrate, a barricade outside the temple broke under the pressure of the crowd, causing people to fall over one another.

He said arrangements had been made in anticipation of a large gathering, while police and administrative personnel had been monitoring the area since around 3 am.

Electric pole collapse sparks panic

Kumar said an electric pole on the right side of the men’s queue suddenly fell. A rumour then spread that a live electric wire had fallen on devotees.

He said the wire was actually a cable, but the rumour caused pressure to build in the women’s queue on the other side. Several women subsequently fell on top of one another.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Shivam Kumar said preliminary information indicated that an electric pole had fallen and that people may have been electrocuted, leading to the stampede-like situation.

However, he said the exact cause would be established only after a detailed verification of the facts.

Rescue operations launched

Following the incident, police and administrative teams reached the temple and began rescue operations. The injured devotees were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described the incident as extremely tragic and directed the administration to ensure proper and prompt medical treatment for those injured.

The Chief Minister also announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh for the family of each person who died.

Ashok Dham Temple draws Sawan crowds

The Ashok Dham Temple, also known as Shri Indradamaneshwar Mahadev Temple, houses a large Shivalinga and attracts a significant number of devotees during Sawan.

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Asish Banerjee found dead in Rampurhat, Mamata Banerjee aide’s death shocks TMC

Former West Bengal deputy speaker and five-time Rampurhat MLA Asish Banerjee was found dead at a Trinamool Congress office in Birbhum.

Published

1 day ago

on

August 16, 2026

By

Mamata Banerjee

Former West Bengal Assembly deputy speaker and Trinamool Congress leader Asish Banerjee was found dead at a party office next to his residence in Rampurhat, Birbhum district, on Sunday morning.

Police said his body was found hanging and was sent for postmortem. A large crowd gathered outside the Trinamool Congress office after news of his death spread.

Who was Asish Banerjee?

Asish Banerjee had served as the deputy speaker of the West Bengal Assembly when Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was the state’s chief minister. He was also a five-time MLA from Rampurhat.

He had served as Bengal’s education and agriculture minister after Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress first came to power in the state.

Banerjee contested the West Bengal Assembly election earlier this year but lost the Rampurhat seat to BJP’s Dhruba Saha.

Asish Banerjee’s recent party role

Banerjee stepped down as chairman of the Trinamool Congress’s Birbhum district core committee in June. At the time, he said he would continue as a general member of the party.

He lived in the Hattalapara neighbourhood of Rampurhat, with the party office where his body was found located next to his house.

BJP gains in Birbhum

The BJP won six of the 11 Assembly constituencies in Birbhum in the latest state election. This marked a significant change from 2021, when the Trinamool Congress had won 10 seats in the district while the BJP had secured one.

Police have sent Asish Banerjee’s body for postmortem as the circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated.

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