India News

Uttar Pradesh civic polls: BJP was ahead of rival parties, BUT…

Published

9 years ago

December 2, 2017

Uttar Pradesh civic polls: BJP indeed was a clear winner, but...

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In the noise about BJP ‘sweeping’ the Uttar Pradesh civic body elections on Friday, some aspects got overlooked in the initial reports. Elections to local bodies seldom evoke such interest, but since the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and the party leadership right up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi attached such significance to them, a relook at the polls would be in order.

The first is about the questions raised about the genuineness of the results: the issue of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and whether they had been tampered with. Notably, over 500 EVMs out of more than 30,000 deployed in UP civic polls had to be replaced.

While this issue has been raised by political opponents as well, their complaint cannot be dismissed simply as case of sour grapes, as the BJP alleges.

Mayawati has challenged the BJP and said her party would sweep the 2019 Lok Sabha polls if voting is done on ballot papers. “If BJP is honest and believes in democracy then discard EVMs and conduct voting on ballot papers. General Elections are due in 2019. If BJP believes people are with them, they must implement it. I can guarantee if ballot papers are used, BJP won’t come to power,” the BSP chief told mediapersons on Saturday.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also said that the BJP had performed well only on seats where EVMs were used for polling. “BJP has only won 15% seats in ballot paper areas and 46% in EVM areas,” Yadav said. He did not elaborate or provide data for his claim, though.

There were at least two specific instances which lend strength to doubts over EVMs.

Apoorva Verma, the Samajwadi Party candidate from Janakipuram alleged that EVMs were tampered with and, earlier, an independent candidate from Saharnapur, Shabana, had levelled the same charge.

Apoorva Verma said, “Har pratyashi, chahe wo BSP se ho ye Congress se ho ya SP se ho ya AAP se ho, ka ek hi mat hai ki ye chunaav radd kiya jaye aur phir se ho (Every candidate (non-BJP), wishes for cancellation of this election (UP civic polls) and everyone in unison is demading for a re-election).”

In a video doing rounds in the social media, she claims that even her vote wasn’t registered as she has got zero votes. “No impartial election is being conducted, all the elections are being orchestrated to help the BJP win,” she says.

Earlier, an independent candidate from Saharanpur, Shabana had protested: “At least my family had voted for me, how can I get zero votes?” Her husband had added, “Where did my vote vanish?”

“We at least had three votes from our family, but we must at least have had 900 votes,” claimed her husband in the video posted by an Aaj Tak journalist. “EVM me sarasar gadbadi hai,” he added.

BJP’s political rivals are not the only ones complaining. Voters, too, complained. A friend from Lucknow also said he voted Congress BJP but it went to BJP. “Same thing happened to votes cast by others in the family,” he added.

He said the EVMs had no VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) facility, although he had doubts about that, too. “It is only a matter of programming. The paper trail can be programmed to print the correct vote while the vote registered electronically can be different,” he said.

Besides, he pointed out, there were reports that the paper trail from EVMs in Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections was such that the print tended to fade away after some days. That would render a recount later infructuous.

A report in thewire.in said the BJP won the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation seat where polling was conducted through EVM machines, but it suffered heavy losses in rural and semi urban seats where elections were conducted via ballot papers.

In seven districts adjoining Ayodhya, most BJP candidates lost the local elections, the report said. Out of 33 municipal board seats in rural and semi-urban areas of Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Basti, Gonda, Balrampur, Bahraich and Sultanpur districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, the BJP won only 6 seats. The Samajwadi Party managed to win 12 seats, the BSP 5 seats, the Congress 3 seats while independents won 7 seats.

In Faizabad, Bahraich and Balrampur districts, the BJP could not manage to open its account.

“The popularity of the BJP government … could not help the party’s candidates in the rural and semi urban seats of Faizabad despite the presence of BJP MLAs from in those areas,” said the report.

In fact, APN had reported complaints about malfunctioning of EVMs from several places in the very first phase of polls on November 22. There were also complaints about entire localities missing from the voters’ list.

Complaints about such rigging part, there are certain aspects about the results that missed the eye. The easy, quick look figure was BJP winning 14 out of 16 mayor posts – in a four-way contest. Other statistics are not so rosy for the party:

Of the 1,300 municipal corporation posts, the BJP won 596: less than half (45.85%).
It won 70 out of 198 nagar palika parishad chairman posts – a little more than one-third. (35.35%).
The BJP got less that one-fourth of nagar panchayat chairperson posts, winning 100 out of 438 (22.83%).

True, the BJP was ahead of all its rivals:

The SP won 202 corporation wards, 45 nagar palika parishad chairperson seats and 83 nagar panchayat chairperson posts.

The BSP won two mayor posts, 147 municipal corporation wards, 29 nagar palika parishad chairperson posts, and 45 nagar panchayat chairperson posts.

The Congress won 110 municipal corporation wards, 9 nagar palika parishad chairperson posts, 17 nagar panchayat chairperson posts.

Independents did well: The independent candidates combined won the highest number of Nagar Panchayat chairman seats, 184 and Nagar Panchayat members, 3875.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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LPU students protest over reported rape allegation, police call it rumour

Students at Lovely Professional University protested over a reported rape allegation involving a worker, with police describing the claim as a rumour.

Published

10 hours ago

September 27, 2026

APNLive Desk

Students of Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab staged a protest after an allegation involving the reported rape of a student by a worker at the university surfaced.

The protest led to disruption around the university, with students taking to the streets and blocking the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway, according to the report.

The allegation triggered anger among students, who demanded action over the reported incident.

Police describe rape claim as rumour

Police, however, described the rape claim as a rumour, indicating that the allegation had not been established as a confirmed incident.

The distinction is important because the reported sexual assault allegation should not be treated as a confirmed rape unless investigators or other authoritative sources establish that fact.

The protests nevertheless continued as students sought clarity and action over the issue.

Protest disrupts traffic

The student demonstration also affected traffic on the Jalandhar-Phagwara National Highway. The protest brought attention to the allegations and the concerns being raised by students at the university.

With police calling the claim a rumour, further verification and investigation would be necessary to establish what actually happened.

India News

INDIA bloc likely to meet on September 30 over Gyanesh Kumar row

INDIA bloc parties are likely to meet in New Delhi on September 30 amid growing opposition to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Published

22 hours ago

September 26, 2026

APNLive Desk

Opposition parties belonging to the INDIA bloc are set to meet in New Delhi on September 30 to discuss concerns surrounding the Election Commission, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and a proposed removal motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The proposed meeting comes amid growing coordination among opposition parties over the functioning of the poll panel and demands for action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The parties are also discussing a possible joint response to the developments.

Why is the INDIA bloc meeting being planned?

The INDIA bloc meeting on September 30 comes amid reports of objections within the Election Commission over certain decisions and orders related to the SIR exercise.

According to the report, Opposition leaders have been discussing a coordinated response to their concerns over the Election Commission and the electoral-roll revision process.

The issue is also expected to be discussed at the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for September 29, a day before the proposed INDIA bloc meeting.

Gyanesh Kumar removal demand in focus

The demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has become a major point of contention between the Opposition and the Election Commission.

The CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML)-Liberation have demanded Kumar’s removal and an immediate halt to the SIR exercise. Congress has also intensified its criticism of the CEC.

Opposition parties are also working on a fresh removal motion against Gyanesh Kumar. The September 30 meeting is expected to finalise the strategy for the motion, including the collection of signatures. According to the report, this would be the Opposition’s third such attempt.

What is the SIR controversy?

The political dispute is linked to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, or SIR.

The controversy intensified following a report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on several occasions concerning decisions and orders related to the SIR process.

The Election Commission has said that differing views and observations are part of normal deliberations in a multi-member constitutional body. The poll panel has also maintained that its orders have legal sanction and follow statutory procedures, while stating that the final decisions on the SIR were taken unanimously.

TMC and Left parties coordinate over the issue

The developments have also brought the Trinamool Congress and the CPI(M) together on the Election Commission issue, despite their political differences in West Bengal.

CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby proposed an immediate meeting to discuss a joint strategy. According to the report, Mamata Banerjee spoke with M A Baby and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, after which the leaders settled on September 30 for the meeting.

What could be discussed at the September 30 meeting?

The proposed meeting is expected to focus on:

Concerns surrounding the Election Commission
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls
Opposition demands concerning CEC Gyanesh Kumar
A possible fresh removal notice against the CEC
A coordinated response by INDIA bloc parties

The exact agenda and participation will depend on the discussions among the opposition parties before the proposed meeting.

India News

“Will die but won’t give up”: Sahil Wakode’s parents urge IIT students to continue fight

Sahil Wakode’s parents have appealed to IIT Bombay students to continue their fight for justice amid the ongoing investigation into their son’s death.

Published

23 hours ago

September 26, 2026

APNLive Desk

The parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode have appealed to students to continue raising their voices and fighting for justice following their son’s death.

Sahil Wakode, a second-year student at IIT Bombay, died in his hostel room on September 18. His death has led to student protests and an ongoing investigation by the Mumbai Crime Branch.

What Sahil Wakode’s parents have alleged

Sahil’s parents have alleged that their son faced caste-based discrimination and harassment at IIT Bombay before his death. They have sought action against those they hold responsible and have demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

The family has also called for a CBI inquiry and has sought the arrest of officials named in the case. These remain allegations and are part of the ongoing investigation.

The Mumbai Crime Branch took over the probe after an FIR was registered following the complaint by Sahil’s parents.

IIT Bombay’s position

IIT Bombay has said that Sahil was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination and had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers.

The institute has maintained that no disciplinary action had been initiated against him. It said the matter had been discussed with him by the instructor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career.

The circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death are being investigated by the appropriate authorities.

Investigation continues

The case remains under investigation, with the Mumbai Crime Branch examining the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death and the allegations made by his family.

His parents have continued to demand justice and action against those they believe were responsible, while the investigation is expected to establish the facts surrounding the case.