Month: May 2021

Indian envoy says trade will drive future Indo-Bangla relations

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Post date 2 May 2021
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He said cooperation in these sectors can bring about a win-win situation for the two countries…reports Asian Lite News

Trade will be a potential key driver of Bangladesh-India friendship in the future with focus on product value addition, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami said, media reported.

Doraiswami was delivering a keynote at a symposium titled ‘Bangladesh-India Relations: Prognosis for the Future.’

The High Commissioner has called for closer integration of transportation systems, greater connectivity, power and energy sector cooperation, including renewable energy; blue economy cooperation and people-to-people connectivity and health sector cooperation, it was reported.

He said cooperation in these sectors can bring about a win-win situation for the two countries.

“We should look at trade and a whole new framework. I believe trade will be potentially a key driver of our friendship in the future,” Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami said, according to a UNB report.

A medical worker collects a swab sample from a teacher for COVID-19 test at a school in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sept. 14, 2020. After a consistent drop in new cases, the Pakistani government has announced to reopen educational institutes in phases from Sept. 15. (Str/Xinhua/IANS)

Doraiswami laid emphasis on sectors like food production, readymade garments (RMG) and textile in which Bangladesh could provide India with a key base for value addition.

A week ago, Doraiswami said the two countries have very special relationship and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh braving the second wave of Coronavirus.

He also mentioned that India has provided vaccine to several countries and Bangladesh is the highest recipients among all the countries.

AstraZeneca vaccine

“We have said we would do our best to meet everyone’s needs, subject to limits of production, domestic demands, and other obligations. We will continue to do our best to support the vaccine rollout in our neighbourhood countries, but it is important to bear in mind that there is a huge wave of the pandemic underway in India.”

Doraiswami also said that there is limitation in the agreement signed between the original owners of the vaccine and manufacturing countries, including India. Now both, the owners of the vaccine formula and manufacturing countries, are working together to enhance production and supply of vaccine.

“We can assure Bangladesh that we will do our best to ensure that within the limit of physical production we will share whatever we can,” Doraiswami said.

Bangladesh has received more than 10.3 million vaccine doses, including 3.3 million as gift while rest as part of a commercial deal with the Serum Institute of India (SII), from India.

Beximco Pharma of Bangladesh signed a deal on November 5, 2020 with the SII to buy 30 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed by British drug company AstraZeneca. As per the deal, India will supply five million doses of vaccine per month.

Also Read- Bangladesh suspends new Covishield doses

Tags india-bangladesh, TRADE

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B’desh resumes int’l flights

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Post date 2 May 2021
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The report said, people from this group can travel to Dhaka only under special approval or authorization from the government of Bangladesh…reports Asian Lite News

Bangladesh has resumed International flight operations with some selected countries from May 1after remaining suspended since April 14 in view of the surge in COVID 19 cases in Bangladesh, according to report.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has created three groups, in which no incoming or outgoing passengers will be allowed from Group A which includes India, Argentina, Ghana, South Africa and Brazil among the 12 countries, the DD News reported.

The report said, people from this group can travel to Dhaka only under special approval or authorisation from the government of Bangladesh.

They will also complete a mandatory 14-day institutional quarantine at government nominated hotels.

Passengers falling under Group B consisting of 26 countries including France, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Qatar, Spain, Turkey and others will be allowed to travel to Dhaka. They will also have to complete a 14-day mandatory institutional quarantine at government nominated hotels.

Meanwhile, no restriction is imposed on passengers traveling to these countries from Dhaka. However, an exception has been made for passengers traveling from Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.

They will be required to complete a 3-day mandatory institutional quarantine at government nominated facilities. The passenger will be released to complete a total of 11 days home quarantine if the medical test result is satisfactory.

All other Incoming and outgoing passengers except from the countries listed in Group A and Group B will be required to complete 14-days strict home quarantine.

Also Read-Entry ban: 250 Bangladeshis stranded at border

Tags dhaka, flights, travel

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NDA looks set to form govt in Puducherry

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Post date 2 May 2021
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The exit poll predicts 16.6 per cent vote swing in favour of the NDA, while for the UPA it is -5.3 per cent, approximately, as compared to 2016..reports Asian Lite News

The All India NR Congress (AINRC)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was leading in nine of the 12 constituencies taken up in the first phase of counting in the Union territory of Puducherry, as per the early trends released by the Election Commission of India.

Twelve constituencies were taken up for counting in the first phase. Ten constituencies would be taken up in the second phase while eight in the third phase.

AINRC candidates were leading in six constituencies and its ally BJP in three. Congress was leading in one constituency and its ally DMK also was leading in one. An independent candidate was leading in Mahe constituency, Puducherry’s enclave in Kerala.

AINRC founder N Rangasamy was leading by 1,174 in Yanam while the party candidates – C Djeacounar was leading by 4,566 votes in Mangalam, S Ramesh was leading by 5,714 votes in Kadirgaman, Chandira Priyanga by 4,180 votes in Nedungadu, U Lakshmikandhan by 4,768 votes in Embalam and P R N Thirumurugan by 7,452 votes in Karaikal north.

According to the CVoter Exit Poll for Times Now/ABP News, the projected seat variation for the 30-member Puducherry Assembly for the NDA is 19 to 23 seats, well over the majority mark, while the UPA is likely to win 6 to 10 seats. Others are projected to win a maximum of 2 seats.

The exit poll predicts 16.6 per cent vote swing in favour of the NDA, while for the UPA it is -5.3 per cent, approximately, as compared to 2016.

According to the exit poll, the UPA will get 34.2 per cent votes, which is way behind the NDA which is projected to get 47.1 per cent votes.

The Congress, which was ruling the UT, was unseated after many of its MLAs defected to the BJP earlier this year, forcing incumbent Chief Minister V. Narayansamy to resign after his government was reduced to minority.

Also Read-Lockdown in Puducherry on counting day

Tags Puducherry, TAMILNADU

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Shutdown for a few weeks, will help India fight Covid-19, says Dr Fauci

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Post date 2 May 2021
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Washington, Sept. 23, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, testifies during a hearing of U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Sept. 23, 2020. Anthony Fauci attended the hearing on Wednesday and warned of the long-term effects that disease might have on those infected. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via Xinhua/IANS)

India’s total tally of Covid-19 cases now stands at 1,95,57,457, the highest since the pandemic started in 2020, with 33,49,644 active cases and 2,15,542 deaths so far…reports Asian Lite News.

As India recorded 3,92,488 new Covid-19 cases and 3,689 fatalities, Dr Anthony S Fauci, one of Covid’s most trusted global voices said no nation likes to lock itself down but a shutdown for a “few weeks” could put an end to the cycle of transmission in India. He said the move will provide a window to take critical “immediate, intermediate, and long range” steps out of this “very difficult and desperate” situation.

Minister of Health Dr. Harsh Vardhan visits the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to review the COVID-19 preparedness, in New Delhi (PIB)

It is the 11th day in a row when India recorded more than 3 lakh cases while over 3,000 casualties have been reported for the past five days.

Speaking to Indian Express, Dr Fauci said, “The one thing I don’t want to do and I hope it doesn’t turn out this way, is to get involved in any sort of criticism of how India has handled the situation because then it becomes a political issue and I don’t want to do that since I’m a public health person and I’m not a political person.”

India’s total tally of Covid-19 cases now stands at 1,95,57,457, the highest since the pandemic started in 2020, with 33,49,644 active cases and 2,15,542 deaths so far.

(Pallav)

“I mean, first of all, I don’t know if India has put together a crisis group that would meet and start getting things organised. I heard from some of the people in the street bringing their mothers and their fathers and their sisters and their brothers searching for oxygen. They seem to think there really was not any organisation, any central organisation,” Dr Fauci said.

According to MoHFW, 3,07,865 people have been discharged in the last 24 hours after getting cured, taking the total recoveries to 1,59,92,271.

“For example, vaccinating people right now, which you absolutely must, must do — it’s essential — is not going to alleviate the immediate problem of people needing oxygen, needing hospitalisation, needing medical care. That’s not going to fix it now because vaccinating people today, it’s going to be a few weeks before you alleviate the prevention of other people getting sick,” Dr Fauci said.

The health ministry said that a total of 15,68,16,031 people have been vaccinated so far in the country, including 18,26,219 people administered vaccines in the last 24 hours.

“Then the intermediate. I think you need — what the Chinese did when they had a crisis, you might recall, literally, within a few days to weeks they built these emergency units that served as hospitals to take care of people. It was an accomplishment that everybody marvelled at. It just seems to me, what I was viewing on television, what people were looking for a desperate need for hospital and care. That’s the first thing,” Dr Fauci added.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 29,01,42,339 samples have been tested up to May 1, 2021 for Covid-19, of these 18,04,954 samples were tested on Saturday.

“And, finally, in the longer range, in a matter of a couple weeks, I would do whatever you can do to get vaccinated. To have a country like India, where two per cent of people are vaccinated, is a very serious situation. You absolutely have to get more people vaccinated,” he added.

Also Read-India’s ‘Shooter Dadi’ dies of Covid 19

Tags fauci, Lockdown

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Pinarayi creates history, Mamata humbles BJP

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Post date 2 May 2021
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BJP retains Assam and wind Puducherry, MK Stalin set to be Tamil Nadu CM, reports Asian Lite News

The election juggernaut in four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry sprang a few surprises on Sunday. But the clear winners who emerged out of the two-month-long exercise were the chief ministers of Kerala and West Bengal.

If Pinarayi Vijayan scripted history becoming the first CM to win two consecutive terms in the state, Mamata Banerjee proved a giant killer as she upset the BJP’s protracted election campaign which saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief Nadda and the whole Un ion Cabinet holing 100s of rallies across the state. The BJP were left red-faced after the call, “Ab ki baar 200 par” (This time a win with over 200 seats).

The party’s calculation in Tamil Nadu also came a cropper after the DMK-led front is set the form the government. The win is the beginning of a new political innings for DMK leader MK Stalin, who has been actively campaigning against the ruling AIADMK. However, the victory may not be decisive as the AIADMK-led front has managed to give MK Stalin a tough fight.

However, the saffron party seems set to retain its government in Assam and form an NDA government in Puducherry.

Vijayan the winner

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, off late addressed by many in the social media as ‘Captain’, seems set to justify the title by creating history by leading the Left Democratic Front to its second consecutive victory, a feat which bucks an over 40-year-old trend in the state’s electoral politics.

As the counting of votes reaches the last few rounds across the state’s 140 Assembly constituencies, the LDF is leading in 98 seats, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front leading in 41 and the BJP in one seat — Palakkad where Metroman E. Sreedharan is leading by 1,700 votes, as against over 5,000 at one point.

The Left’s stunning performance can be attributed to no one other than Chief Minister Vijayan who led from the front.

In the 2016 polls, it was party stalwart V.S. Achuthanandan who led from the front and after the Left won, Vijayan stepped in to take the Chief Minister’s post, while Achuthanandan was given the post of ‘Kerala Castro’.

The Congress-led UDF, which had swept the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, will have to do a lot of introspection as they were banking on a backlash against the Left from the Hindu women voters, especially those who are devotees of Lord Ayyappa, over Vijayan altering the traditions of the Sabarimala temple in 2018. After getting knocked out at the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Vijayan decided to wait for the apex court directive and then decide.

Mamata edges past BJP in Bengal

The early trends in the West Bengal assembly polls show that though chief minister Mamata Banerjee is trailing behind BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram, ruling Trinamool Congress is having an edge over the BJP.

The initial trends of 292 seats show that the Trinamool is leading in 189 seats while the BJP is leading in 98 seats and the United Front (Sanjukta Morcha) is leading in rest of the 5 seats.

The 2021 assembly election has been a major test for the ruling Trinamool Congress as the saffron brigade had put in all its might to make its footmark for the first time in West Bengal. But if early trends are taken as an indication, then Mamata Banerjee seems to have an edge over her rival.

The trends available from different sources indicate that Trinamool Congress is leading in 178 of the 292 seats while the BJP is leading in 108 seats. United Front – an alliance of Left Front, Congress and the newly formed Indian Secular Front, is leading in rest of the 6 seats.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

There was no election in two assembly constituencies as the respective candidates died before the polls. Presently the counting of postal ballots is going on where mainly the government officials on election duty and voters above 80 years of age exercised their franchise.

There is one aspect which can make chief minister Mamata Banerjee happy. As counting of the postal ballots show Trinamool having an edge over the BJP, it is also indicative that the government employees who turned their face away from the ruling party are showing signs of coming back into the Trinamool fold. In the last Lok Sabha elections, on the basis of postal ballots, the BJP was ahead in 41 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats.

Also Read-Pinarayi leads LDF to historic win in Kerala

Didi is Bengal’s Dada

West Bengal assembly election result beholds the fate of over 2000 candidates, who contested across the 294 constituencies that voted in eight phases…reports Asian Lite News

West Bengal Assembly Elections result, the most awaited among the three other states and a Union territory that went to polls in March and April, is likely to be announced by Sunday evening as counting of votes is underway. Early leads show that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is headed for a big win with Mamata Banerjee’s party leading in over 200 seats. As of now, the BJP is ahead in nearly 80 seats, according to trends on the Election Commission of India’s website.

During the eight-phased elections, the state witnessed a fierce battle between chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and BJP, which is confident of winning a clear majority.

Mamata Banerjee is looking to win the third term in West Bengal as the chief minister while the opposition BJP has vowed to win more than 200 seats. The fight for the Nandigram assembly constituency is so far the most interesting as the TMC supremo is contesting from this seat for the first time and is trailing behind BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, who was once the CM’s close aide.

Exit polls have predicted a close contest between the TMC and BJP, who trained guns at each other during massive election rallies that were later criticised for being conducted during the worrisome wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. If Mamata Banerjee’s TMC manages to hold on, it will a remarkable achievement as the party has been weakened by desertions, faced significant anti-incumbency, and appeared to be behind the BJP for much of the campaign.

West Bengal assembly election result beholds the fate of over 2000 candidates, who contested across the 294 constituencies that voted in eight phases.

Banerjee, who had won the last two elections from the Bhowanipur Assembly constituency in Kolkata, left her seat this time and decided to contest from Nandigram. Adhikari, who was an important minister in Banerjee’s cabinet before defecting to the BJP, had won from Nandigram in the 2016 elections on a Trinamool ticket.

Though Banerjee is trailing, the Trinamool Congress is showing signs of cruising to a big victory with most of its major candidates leading in their respective seats.

PWD Minister Arup Biswas is leading from the Tollygunge Assembly constituency over his BJP rival Babul Supriyo by a margin of nearly 8,000 votes.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Education Minister Partha Chatterjee is also leading from the Behala West Constituency by a margin of nearly 5,000 votes. Similarly, Javed Ahmed Khan has taken a lead of more than 47,000 votes over his Left Front rival Shatarup Ghosh.

Apart from that, Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee is leading from the Ballygunge constituency, IT Minister Bratya Basu is leading from Dum Dum in North 24 Parganas, Urban Development Minister and former Mayor Firhad Hakim is leading from Kolkata Port constituency, Food Minister Jyotipriaya Mullick is leading from Habra, while Minister of State for Women and Child Health Shashi Panja in leading from the Jorasanko constituency in North Kolkata.

Alternatively, Tourism Minister Goutam Deb is trailing from the Dabgram-Phulbari constituency in Jalpaiguri district, while Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak is trailing from the Asanasol South constituency in East Burdwan district. Minister of State for Fire Sujit Basu is also trailing from the Bidhananagar constituency.

BJP’s Nisith Pramanik is leading against Trinamool heavyweight Udyayan Guha from the Dinhata Assembly constituency in Cooch Behar district.

Heavyweight BJP candidates like Swapan Dasgupta, Locket Chatterjee, Biashali Dalmia, Rahul Sinha, Babul Supriyo and Samik Bhattacharya are all trailing in their respective constituencies.

Also Read-Pinarayi leads LDF to historic win in Kerala

Tags BENGAL

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Pinarayi leads LDF to historic win in Kerala

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Post date 2 May 2021
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Looking at the overall picture, it now appears that the Left is maintaining the same ground as in 2016, when they won 91 seats…reports Asian Lite News.

Present CM of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan is ready for a comeback for another 5 years in the state. ith counting of votes in the Kerala Assembly elections picking pace, and reaching the halfway mark in many of the 140 constituencies, the indications are that the Left is set to rewrite the state’s electoral history by becoming the first government to retain power.

According to present indications, the Left Democratic Front is leading in 93 seats while the Congress-led United Democratic Front in 44 and the BJP in three seats.

The Left’s stunning performance can be attributed to no one other than Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who led from the front.

Vijayan, despite running into numerous troubles in various issues, stood his ground and boldly went forward. His writ ran large when it came to selecting party candidates, with seven ministers and 26 legislators left out.

Meanwhile, of the 48 seats that the UDF is leading in, its second-largest constituent, the IUML is leading in 12.

E sreedharan

Of the NDA, ‘Metroman’ E. Sreedharan is fighting hard and in one particular booth in his constituency Palakkad, he has got all the votes and at the moment, he is leading by around 5000 votes.

Looking at the overall picture, it now appears that the Left is maintaining the same ground as in 2016, when they won 91 seats.

However, its new ally Kerala Congress-Mani’s leader Jose K.Mani, son of late legendary K.M. Mani whose party was in the Congress-led UDF till last year before switching over to the LDF, was trailing badly by over 10,000 votes in Pala, represented by his father for over half a century.

What will be painful for him is a few of the other candidates from his party are leading.

State Power Minister M.M. Mani, who won the 2016 polls with a slender margin of around 1000 votes, is now leading by a huge margin of 20,000 votes and said this result was on the cards “as there has never been a better government in the state than Vijayan’s”.

The pattern right from the start of the counting of votes was the UDF was unable to move above the 60 seat mark and in many of these constituencies, it is leading with a slender margin and if it continues, then there could be more shocks and the Left might well end up with 100 seats or more.

TN Election Updates: DMK takes lead

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Post date 2 May 2021
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On the other hand, the AIADMK-led alliance is leading in 89 seats, as per Election Commission data…reports Asian Lite News.

As the counting of votes for the single-phase Tamil Nadu Assembly elections is underway with the DMK-led alliance in the lead in a majority of Tamil Nadu’s 234 Assembly constituencies, party cadres have started to assemble at the party headquarters here.

The party cadres are visibly happy as DMK is expected to maintain the lead and finally win the poll to capture power in the state after a gap of 10 years.

According to Election Commission data, the DMK is leading in 117 seats, while of its allies, Congress leads in 13 seats, the CPI, the CPI-M and the VCK in two seats each, taking the tally to 136 seats, as against the halfway mark of 118 seats.

On the other hand, the AIADMK-led alliance is leading in 89 seats, as per Election Commission data.

DMK President M.K. Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi Stalin are comfortably leading in their Kolathur and Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni seats, respectively.

Also Read-DMK-Congress front to sweep TN

Tags election2021, TAMILNADU

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Kerala Polls: Advantage LDF as Congress Withers

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Post date 2 May 2021
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LDF CPI-M workers celebrate party's performance

The pattern in what has been seen so far is there are quite a number of seats where the balance is shifting between the Left and the Congress-led UDF candidates…reports Asian Lite News

Pinarayi Vijayan led LDF govt is on hope for a second term as Counting of votes that began at 8 a.m. on Sunday in Kerala is showing that the Left after leading in the postal ballot, continued to maintain its lead when the EVMs were opened, while the Congress led-UDF made slight forward progress and the BJP was leading in two constituencies.

In the 140-member Kerala Assembly, according to the latest reports the Left leads in 80 constituencies while the Congress-led UDF is ahead in 58 and the BJP in two seats.

All the exit polls had predicted a clean victory for the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left with a minimum of 75 seats and a maximum of 120 seats.

The pattern in what has been seen so far is there are quite a number of seats where the balance is shifting between the Left and the Congress-led UDF candidates.

The BJP which presently has one seat at Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram, continues to lead and so is Metroman E.Sreedharan at the Palakkad constituency.

By now on an average two to three rounds of counting has been over and there are about 13 to 15 rounds in each constituency, and in the constituencies where the fight is close, one will have to wait till the last rounds to be counted.

All the leaders are leading, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Oommen Chandy, Ramesh Chennithala but two Ministers J.Mercykutty and T.P. Ramakrishnan are trailing.

At Badagara, K.K. Rema, the wife of slain former CPI-M leader T.P. Chandrashekeran, who has been supported by the UDF, is leading with over 3,000 votes.

Also Read-LDF stage protests demanding free Covid vaccine

ELECTION UPDATES 2021: NDA leads in Assam

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Post date 2 May 2021
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Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and AGP chief and minister Atul Bora are leading from Majuli, Jalukbari and Bokakhat seats respectively…reports Asian Lite News.

BJP is on great relief as the party is getting a good lead-in Assam ahead of the 2021 Assembly election counting is in progress. The ruling BJP-led NDA is leading on 39 seats, while the Grand Alliance led by the Congress is ahead on eight assembly constituencies, elections officials said on Sunday.

According to the Election Commission’s initial trends of the results, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is leading on 27 seats while its ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on six seats and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) on six.

The Congress has established initial leads only on five seats while its partners Bodoland Peoples Front on two seats and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) on one seat.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and AGP chief and minister Atul Bora are leading from Majuli, Jalukbari and Bokakhat seats respectively.

Congress Legislative Party leader and his deputy Debabrata Saikia and Rakibul Hussain both are trailing from Nazira and Samaguri respectively.

The counting of votes for 126 Assembly seats in Assam for which polling was held in three phases began on Sunday morning in 34 districts amid tight security measures and all Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Assam Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nitin Khade said counting of votes are being held in 50 Election Districts (34 administrative districts) and there are three tiers of security put in place in and around the counting centres and adjoining areas.

“To maintain Covid protocols and guidelines issued by the Election Commission, numbers of counting halls have been increased by 131 per cent — from 143 in 2016 Assembly election to 331 this time,” the CEO said.

In all, 946 candidates including 74 female candidates of different political parties including BJP and Congress contested the elections.

Sunday’s polling outcome would decide the electoral fate of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal (Majuli), BJP’s northeast region points man and Finance, Health, Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (Jalukbari), Assembly Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami (Jorhat), ruling BJP’s state President Ranjeet Kumar Dass (Patacharkuchi), Congress President Ripun Bora (Gohpur), party’s Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia (Nazira), Asom Gana Parishad chief and minister Atul Bora (Bokakhat), jailed Raijor Dal President and prominent peasant leader Akhil Gogoi (Sibsagar) and Assam Jatiya Parishad President Lurinjyoti Gogoi (Duliajan).

Also Read-BJP targets division of non-BJP votes for Bengal polls

Tags Assam, Assembly elections, BJP