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EC orders re-poll in 73 booths, allegations of malfunctioning EVMs mar by-polls

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EC orders re-poll in 73 booths, allegations of malfunctioning EVMs mar by-polls

The Election Commission claimed that complaints were exaggerated

In a scenario where every seat counts, every election is seen as an indicator of public mood, the keenly watched by-polls in four Lok Sabha and nine assembly constituencies on Monday once again witnessed the ruling parties and opposition trade barbs as allegations of EVM malfunctioning marred polling in a number of seats on Monday.

Complaints came from nearly everywhere, but most were from the more crucial or sensitive states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Even when the voting was underway, opposition parties and the ruling BJP moved the EC in the national capital claiming that “hundreds” of EVMs and paper trail machines deployed for Kairana and Noorpur bypolls developed snags and were not replaced for hours.

The most serious charges came from Kairana Lok Sabha constituency, where EC decided to hold repoll in 73 polling booths. The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alleged that electronic voting machines (EVMs) have been tampered with in Dalit and Muslim dominated areas during the bypolls in Kairana.

RLD candidate in Kairana Tabassum Hasan shot a letter to the Election Commission alleging that EVMs and VVPATs were deliberately tampered with and no action has been initiated to fix them. The complaint pertains to EVM tampering and malfunctions being reported from different localities of five Assembly segments of the parliamentary constituency. According to Tabassum, 18 booths in Shamli, 11 booths in Kairana and 21 booths in Gangoh Assembly constituency faced issues related to EVM malfunctioning.

Tabassum told news agency ANI, EVMs are being tampered everywhere and faulty machines haven’t been replaced in the Muslim- and Dalit-dominated areas.

“I’ve been continuously receiving complaints. They didn’t expect so many ppl to come out to vote in Ramzan. Initial strategy was to hold elections in Ramzan so that ppl won’t vote,” she said.

Tabassum Hassan, Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate for the Kairana Lok Sabha seat, wrote to the Election Commission alleging voting machines and paper trail devices developed snags at more than 150 of the 941 booths just after polling started at 7am.

“It cannot be a coincidence that the machines are not working where there is a substantial turnout of Muslim and Dalit voters. I handed a written complaint to the poll panel but nothing has been done though several hours have passed,” she told reporters.

The RLD – supported by Samajwadi Party and BSP – is in direct contest with the incumbent BJP. The election on Kairana Lok Sabha seat was necessitated due to the death of BJP MP Hukum Singh. His daughter Mriganka Singh is taking on Begum in the bypoll.

Speaking to Outlook, RLD’s organisation secretary for Uttar Pradesh, Rajkumar Sangwan said EVMs are found faulty in over 250 booths. “The Muslims, who are fasting on Ramzan, are standing on the queue for over three hours due to faulty EVMs and the district administration is not taking any action to fix them,” he said.

Naeemul Hasan, Samajwadi Party candidate for the Noorpur Assembly seat, also complained about EVMs, saying the paper trail machines were non-functional at 113 of the 351 booths.

Hitting out at the faulty EVMs, Samajwadi Party’s Rajendra Chaudhary said, “There are reports that in Noorpur 140 EVMs are faulty, which is because they’ve been tampered, there are similar reports from Kairana. They (BJP) want to avenge defeat in Phulpur & Gorakhpur, which is why they want to defeat us at any cost,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

“Thousands of EVMs are not working. Thirsty and hungry farmers, labourers, women and youths are standing in queues in the scorching sun,” SP national president Akhilesh Yadav tweeted during the polling.

In Maharashtra, voting in 35 booths of Maharashtra Bhandara–Gondiya Lok Sabha seat was temporarily suspended due to complaints of faulty EVMs. “Voting temporarily suspended for now at 35 polling booths due to faulty Electronic Voting Machines (EVM),” District Magistrate Abhimanyu Kale was quoted as saying.

Media reports said amid Opposition’s allegations of nearly 25 per cent EVMs being used in the bypoll in the Bhandara-Gondiya parliamentary constituency on Monday were malfunctioning, the Election Commission said all defective machines were been replaced.

However, calling the reports of largescale voting machine malfunction “an exaggeration”, the Election Commission  said the “severe heat conditions” were interfering with the machines.

The EC said reports of ‘large-scale’ failure of EVMs were “exaggerated projection of reality” even as complaints mounted about problems with machines, including in Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana, where BJP is trying to retain the Lok Sabha seat against a united Opposition in a communally-charged election.

Media reports said the poll panel blamed inept handling of the paper-trail machines for votes by the ground staff, especially when the temperature is high, for malfunctioning in some areas. District magistrate of Shamli district says that VVPAT machines had problems and not EVMs.

Not satisfied, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad urged political parties to come together and boycott use of EVMs, alleging that faults were being “purposely generated” in EVMs.

He claimed the new machines used to replace the faulty ones already had polled votes. Azad, who was in Maharashtra for an iftar party at the Congress state headquarters, claimed the BJP was banking on “theft” of votes. He said he was saddened that even the EC has not taken any action.

Tehseen Poonawalla, writing in Time of India (TOI), questioned the EC’s stand on EVMs. He said “the ECI now admits that EVMS can be hacked , totally contradictory to its earlier stand , but rules out the possibility, citing that it is impossible to lay hands on the EVMs.”

Raising doubts about the dependability of EVMs, he said that EC reply to various RTI applications revealed several theft of EVMs particularly from BJP ruled states.

To add to this the ECI has no records of technicians from the 2 PSUs BHEL & ECIL ( Electronics Corporation of India Limited ) who are engaged in maintenance of the machines. Moreover , there exists no records of how many technicians from the 2PSUs who were earlier engaged with maintenance of EVMs have left their service since the 1st generation of EVMs were introduced and have since now taken up private employment.

During the general elections, he added , ECI engages several private technicians to service the approx 8lacs EVMs ( 5 laga in use). However no records exists about these people, if whether these technicians are late engaged by any political organization.

Casting doubts on the way Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT)  is used, he said it is meant to show voters that their votes went to the candidate they desired to vote for. But the paper used in VVPAT is thermal paper and the ink disappears in about 4 months. Also on the paper trail, there exists no barcode or numbering to tally the votes. Therefore, in several cases, despite VVPAT , votes in the machine & paper trail did not tally .

Finally, he said, the ECI says that it is not possible to tamper and manipulate every single EVM. However , all EVMs need not be hacked since, on an average, most assembly elections are won or lost by a near margin of < 10,000 votes. So only a few EVMs needs to be manipulated to alter the results, he said.

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Yogi Adityanath hits back after Akhilesh Yadav says organising cabinet meeting at Kumbh is political

Adityanath juxtaposed the global acclaim for the Maha Kumbh with Yadav’s condemnation, portraying it as a symptom of the Samajwadi Party’s alleged long-standing opposition to significant religious symbols such as the Ram Mandir and Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

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The political atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh sizzled as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a blistering attack on Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, accusing him of disrespecting the Maha Kumbh and the religious sentiments of the Indian people. This sharp rebuke, delivered during a public rally in Milkipur ahead of crucial by-elections, followed Yadav’s criticism of the state government holding a cabinet meeting at the Kumbh Mela site.

Adityanath juxtaposed the global acclaim for the Maha Kumbh with Yadav’s condemnation, portraying it as a symptom of the Samajwadi Party’s alleged long-standing opposition to significant religious symbols such as the Ram Mandir and Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

He further escalated his attack, painting the Samajwadi Party as being mired in internal property disputes and insinuating connections to criminal elements, thereby attempting to discredit Yadav’s criticisms as coming from a morally compromised position.

Yadav’s initial criticism focused on the perceived impropriety of holding a cabinet meeting within the sacred space of the Kumbh Mela. He argued that the government was inappropriately using a religious event for political purposes, a charge that Adityanath vehemently rejected.

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet meeting itself was significant. All 54 ministers attended, approving numerous development schemes designed to boost Prayagraj and the surrounding region.

A key announcement involved extending the Ganga Expressway, a crucial infrastructure project designed to connect Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Kashi, Chandauli, and ultimately, the Purvanchal Expressway in Ghazipur. This ambitious project, Adityanath claimed, would significantly contribute to sustainable development in the region.

Logistical adjustments were made to minimize disruption to the Kumbh Mela pilgrims. The cabinet meeting’s venue was shifted from the Mela Authority Auditorium to the Triveni Sankul in Arail to avoid inconveniencing devotees and managing the security arrangements for the VIP attendees.

The day concluded with Adityanath and his entire cabinet participating in the Kumbh Mela’s sacred rituals, taking a ceremonial dip in the Triveni Sangam. This highly publicized event, mirroring a similar participation in 2019, served as a powerful visual counterpoint to Yadav’s earlier criticism. The event simultaneously showcased the government’s commitment to religious traditions while promoting its developmental agenda.

The clash between Adityanath and Yadav underscores the deep political divisions and the strategic use of religious symbolism in Uttar Pradesh’s political landscape. The Maha Kumbh, a significant religious event, became a battleground for political point-scoring, highlighting the complex interplay between religion and politics in the state.

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Delhi Assembly elections: BJP promises free education and student aid, AAP raises concerns

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Arvind Kejriwal addressing media after writing to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on BJP’s alleged electoral misconduct

As Delhi gears up for the upcoming assembly elections on February 5, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released the second installment of its election manifesto, promising comprehensive solutions to citizen issues and tackling misgovernance and corruption allegations against the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The manifesto, dubbed ‘sankalp patra,’ includes significant pledges such as free education from pre-school to postgraduate levels for needy students at government institutions, and a financial package comprising Rs 15,000 and travel reimbursements for young individuals taking entrance exams. Scheduled Caste students enrolled in technical and professional courses are also promised a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000.

Building on their first manifesto which targeted women voters, the BJP’s latest promises focus on the youth, with over 1.5 lakh set to benefit from a new skills training program. This release follows criticisms by AAP of the BJP’s approach, especially after the tragic incident last July where three civil service aspirants lost their lives due to flooding.

Anurag Thakur, former Union Minister, emphasized the ‘Modi ki guarantee’ assurance, stating these initiatives would be implemented swiftly if the BJP is elected. The manifesto also includes welfare measures for domestic workers and insurance schemes for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, who have traditionally been a strong support base for AAP.

In response, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal critiqued the BJP’s plans, particularly highlighting a clause that, according to him, would limit free education to only “eligible” children, deviating from AAP’s policy of universal free education. Kejriwal also recalled BJP’s earlier statement on discontinuing free healthcare, framing these promises as a threat to the financial stability of Delhi’s households.

The AAP’s counter-campaign warns voters that electing BJP could lead to increased living costs and bureaucratic hurdles in accessing education and healthcare, urging the electorate to consider these factors carefully. With the election results due on February 8, both parties continue to vie for public favor through promises aimed at key demographics.

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Uttarakhand State cabinet approves uniform civil code manual, dates for rollout soon

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Pushkar Singh Dhami

In a significant step toward legal reform, the Uttarakhand Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, has approved the manual for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The approval came during a Cabinet meeting held at the state secretariat on Monday. The dates for the rollout of the UCC will be announced soon.

This decision follows partial amendments made to the rules previously drafted for the UCC’s implementation. The amendments were thoroughly examined and finalised with input from the Law Department, with the Cabinet’s discussion focusing on the smooth execution of the law.

Post-meeting, Chief Minister Dhami expressed his satisfaction with the progress, underlining the government’s commitment to fulfilling a key electoral promise. “We had assured the people of Uttarakhand during the 2022 elections that the UCC would be implemented promptly once our government came to power. With the draft committee’s work complete, we are now closer to fulfilling that promise,” Dhami stated.

Uttarakhand’s implementation of the UCC will make it the first state in India to adopt a comprehensive civil law framework for all religious communities. The UCC aims to standardize laws in areas such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and maintenance. While India already has a Uniform Criminal Code, a unified civil law has not existed until now.

The UCC will explicitly exclude tribal communities and prohibit practices such as ‘halala’, ‘iddat’, and ‘talaq’, which are part of Muslim Personal Law. The law itself consists of 392 sections and is divided into seven schedules. The comprehensive 750-page draft, which spans four volumes, was prepared by a five-member expert committee formed in June 2022 to examine the feasibility of introducing the UCC in Uttarakhand.

Led by Retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, the committee submitted the final draft to the state government on February 2, 2024. The draft received approval from the state Cabinet on February 4, followed by ratification by the state Assembly during a special session. Governor Lt. Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) gave the green light on February 28, marking the UCC’s passage into law, a move hailed as a historic milestone in Indian legal history.

While the implementation dates are yet to be finalized, the Cabinet’s approval signals that Uttarakhand is poised to set a significant legal precedent in India.

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