A delegation of Trinamool Congress leaders, who were detained on April 8 from the Election Commission office here, sat on a protest throughout the night in the Mandir Marg police station premises despite police releasing them the same day…reports Asian Lite News
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders who were earlier detained for protesting outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) sat inside the premises of Mandir Marg Police Station pressing their demands to change the chiefs of the CBI, NIA, ED and Income Tax Department.
As per Delhi police, the 10-member delegation of Trinamool Congress leaders were detained on Monday following a protest outside the Election Commission of India over their demands in the national capital. The Opposition leaders were brought to Mandir Marg Police Station partway through their agitation and later asked to leave at night but the delegation did not leave and instead sat inside the premises all through the night.
“We released them yesterday but they did not leave,” said a police official. Those who staged the protest included five TMC MPs Derek O’Brien, Mohammad Nadimul Haq, Dola Sen, Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghosh. At the same time, three former MPs Arpita Ghosh, Shantanu Sen and Abir Ranjan Biswas were present. Apart from this, MLA Vivek Gupta and TMC youth leader Sudeep Raha were also protesting. A 10-member delegation went to the Election Commission’s office on Monday and submitted a memorandum highlighting that “BJP and NIA have been working hand-in-glove to selectively target and harass our party workers”.
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TMC urged the poll body to change the chiefs of Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, Income Tax Department and National Investigation Agency. After being detained, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien said that they are ready to fight the “BJP’s dictatorship”. TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also said that NIA Director and other officials should be removed by the poll body.
TMC MP Dola Sen also said, “We have appealed to the Election Commission to change the chiefs of NIA, CBI, ED and Income Tax and we are sitting on a 24-hour peaceful protest with this demand. Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, approached the Governor and top state officials on Monday to request the extension of central forces’ deployment beyond the Model Code of Conduct period. Citing the need to ensure the safety of citizens and uphold democratic values, he urged officials to extend the deployment by three months to ensure public safety and protect constitutional integrity. (ANI)
Gujarat CEC sends invitations to 20.3 lakh women voters
The Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat, P Bharathi, is extending a unique invitation to voters, particularly women, to participate in the upcoming grand festival of democracy.
Over 20.3 lakh invitation cards will be dispatched to encourage an increased turnout of women voters at 13,000 polling stations across the state.
In the spirit of India’s unity in diversity and its tradition of inviting others to celebrate occasions, P Bharathi is sending out these invitations to voters, urging them to cast their votes with their families, the information department Gujarat stated.
The aim is to enhance the participation of women voters at more than 13,000 polling stations where the difference in voter turnout between men and women is more than 10 per cent, and where the overall voter turnout is less than 50 per cent compared to the previous Legislative Assembly elections.
District Development Officers at the rural level and Deputy Municipal Commissioners at the urban level have been appointed as Nodal Officers of the Turnout Implementation Plan (TIP) to increase voter turnout at these polling stations.
To further increase women’s voter turnout, around 20.3 lakh invitation cards will be sent out across the state, requesting families to vote together.
The Chief Electoral Officer, Bharthi, has appealed to women voters to take time out of their busy schedules to vote with their families and inspire others to do the same through these invitation cards.
In addition, all district election officers have been instructed to conduct Chunav Pathshalas at all polling stations to discuss the reasons for low voter turnout and to make efforts to ensure that the maximum number of citizens exercise their right to vote.
Street meetings are organised by Asha workers, Anganwadi workers, Booth Level Officers, School Principals, Talatis, Gram Sevaks, non-political social leaders of villages and members of self-help groups under Chunav Pathshalas, where attendees will be encouraged to pledge to vote with their families for maximum voting turnout in the upcoming Lok Sabha General Elections-2024.
The BJP whitewashed the Congress in the 2014 and 2019 general elections by winning all 26 constituencies in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Gujarat will vote for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in a single phase on May 7 across all the 26 parliamentary constituencies in the state. The counting of votes is slated for June 4
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won all 26 seats with a vote share of 63.1 per cent while the Congress party bagged 32.6 per cent vote share.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party registered victory in all 26 seats with a vote share of 60.1 per cent whereas Congress received 33.5 per cent of votes. (ANI)
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