With the announcement of polling dates for the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, all major political parties have intensified their campaign, apart from taking pot-shots at one another…reports Asian Lite News
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is confident of making a comeback in the state despite the opposition parties — the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, giving the saffron party a tough fight.
The party has been sounding confident on the issues it has taken up for the elections, as well as on the popularity of its faces in Delhi and Lucknow.
In fact, the BJP veterans have been continuously claiming that the party will repeat its last election’s performance.
The party which has often backed the idea of “a double engine government”, is constantly putting forth the issues and agendas related to Hindutva along with the development work. According to party sources, the BJP leaders will try to woo people on the basis of this strategy.
Apart from listing the achievements of the public welfare work of the Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath governments, the BJP leaders will also discuss the issue of Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura, its core agenda.
Terming the issue of law and order as the biggest achievement of the Yogi Adityanath government, the BJP leaders are likely to be seen appealing to people to vote in favour of the party to keep the momentum going.
The BJP has also prepared a blueprint for the digital campaign in an attempt to reach out to the voters amid restrictions imposed by the Election Commission following rise in the number of Covid cases.
A BJP leader associated with the election campaign told IANS the party would be making an effort to woo every section of the electorate to vote in favour of the party. Hence, “the party has taken special care of the youth, women, elderly, the workers as well as the voters associated with the party over the Hindutva ideology”.
The party will continue to focus on its core agenda of “Ayodhya-Kashi-Mathura” as well, he said.
Elections to five states Assemblies — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gao, Punjab and Manipur — would be held from February 10 to March 7, and the counting of votes will take place on March 10, reports Asian Lite News
Spanned over seven phases, the elections to five states Assemblies — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gao, Punjab and Manipur — would be held from February 10 to March 7, and the counting of votes will take place on March 10, the Election Commission of India announced on Saturday.
Uttar Pradesh will go to polls on February 10, 14, 20, 23 and March 3 and 7; Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand would vote on February 14; while Manipur will vote in two phases on February 27 and March 3, said Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra.
The elections would be held following full Covid protocols.
Up to January 15, no physical rallies roadshows, padyatras, or vehicle rallies will be allowed keeping in view the pandemic situation. All parties have been advised to conduct campaigns in virtual mode.
Invoking Article 171 (1), Chandra said that the AAssembly’stenure has to end in five years and, therefore, elections are necessary.
As per the Covid protocols for conducting elections, all elections officials will be double vaccinated, will be given a booster dose, and will also be treated as frontline workers. Booths would be fully sanitised and there will be adequate gloves, sanitizers, etc for the polling staff.
More than 15 crore people in the five poll-bound states have received the first dose of the vaccine, while nine crore people have received both shots.
Polling time has been increased by one hour in all the states.
The final electoral rolls were published on January 5. There are a total of 18.34 crore voters, including service voters. Of these, 8.55 crore are women. The EC has made an effort to increase the number of voters and as a result, all states have seen an increase, with the maximum voter increase in Uttar Pradesh.
There are a total of 24.5 lakh first-time electors and 30.47 lakh senior citizens. The EC has capped the number of voters per booth to 1,250, resulting in an increase in the number of polling stations to 30,334 as the average number of voters per polling booth has decreased.
At least one booth in each Assembly constituency will be managed exclusively by women, Chandra said.
“It will now be mandatory to publish criminal records of candidates a minimum three times in local newspapers and television channels. Even the parties are expected to do so with their candidates,” he said.
Earlier, Chandra said that the Commission has set out three goals for these elections: Covid-free elections, hassle-free voting experience and maximum participation by voters.
The preparations have been going on for at least six months with EC teams visiting poll-bound states.
Model Code of Conduct kicks in
With the announcement of the seven-phase polling for assembly elections for five states on Saturday, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into force with immediate effect.
The Model Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates will be in force till the completion of the election in the states scheduled to go for polls — Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa.
The Election Commission’s letter to the Chief Secretaries of the states concerned drew attention to the particular provisions of the MCC relating to the ‘party in power’ which says that the party in power shall ensure that no cause is given for any complaint that it has used its official position for the purpose of its election campaign. “In particular, the Ministers shall not combine their official visit with electioneering work and also shall not make use of official machinery or personnel during the electioneering work,” it said.
The restrictions also include use of government transport, including the aircraft, for furtherance of the interest of the party in power.
Lucknow Municipal Corporation starts removing hoardings installed by political parties as Model Code of Conduct (MCC) comes in effect with announcement of Assembly election dates. pic.twitter.com/MEgE07HObp
The EC letter also drew attention towards the provisions of use of public places, such as parks, maidans etc. and also about who can use the Rest Houses, Dak Bungalows etc.
“The issue of advertisement at the cost of public exchequer in the newspapers and other media and the misuse of official mass media during the election period for partisan coverage of political news and publicity gathering achievements with a view to furthering the prospects of the party in power shall be scrupulously avoided,” it said.
No ministers or other authorities are allowed to sanction any grants/payments out of the discretionary funds from the time elections are announced nor can they lay foundation stone etc. or make any promises for providing any kind of civil facilities.
With announcement of polling schedule, Model Code of Conduct has come into force & our teams have started removing political hoardings. 18 polling stations are added in Goa. A campaign to verify content on social media has also been launched: Goa Chief Electoral Officer, Kunal pic.twitter.com/YwbjWUETO7
The Commission also reminded the top state babu about the complete ban on transfer of officials, and in case utmost necessary, to do so with prior permission of the Commission.
The assembly elections for five states – Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur – would be held in seven phases. Uttar Pradesh would have voting on February 10, 14, 20, 23 and March 3 & 7; Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand would have polling on February 14 while Manipur will have voting in two phases, February 27, and March 3.
Voters would be provided hand gloves for signing on the voter register and pressing the EVM button for voting…reports Asian Lite News
The assembly elections for five states from notifications to the counting day are going to be a tough nut to crack for the Election Commission, which, has laid out an elaborate protocol for voters and voting booths and of course, its officials.
The EC announced poll schedule for five states — UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa on Saturday.
Starting with face masks during the election-related activities and maintaining social distancing norms, the Commission has asked all its polling personnel/security personnel/counting staff to be doubly vaccinated before being deployed/engaged in election-related activities.
The polling agent/counting agent etc. would not be allowed to enter the counting hall/polling station without full vaccination and in case of those who are not, an RT-PCR test within 48 hours would be required. All the entry points to such hall/room/ premises used for election purposes would have a provision for thermal scanning of all persons and sanitizer at all entry points.
One nodal health officer shall be designated for the State Level, the District Level, and the Assembly Constituency Level to oversee Covid-related arrangements and preventive measures during the entire electoral process, the EC said.
The other protocols include gloves for officials handling EVM/VVPAT and election material Kit to be prepared and distributed from in a spacious and sufficiently large hall following all safety, sanitation, and social distancing measures. The Kit for the Polling Officer will include PPEs if needed, a mask, sanitizer, face shield and gloves.
Similarly, the EC has issued orders for polling arrangements following the Covid protocol.
The assured minimum facilities at each polling station will have mandatory sanitization of Polling Station, preferably, a day before the poll; thermal scanner at the entry point of every polling station location; thermal checking of voters at the entry point of polling station location/Polling station, either by polling staff or Para Medical staff or Asha worker; markers to demonstrate social distancing for queue; earmarking circle for 15-20 persons of 2 yards (6 feet) distance for voters standing in the queue depending on the availability of space with separate queues for males, females, and PwD/ Senior citizen voters.
While sanitizer should be provided at the entry/exit point of every polling station, EC said, it also suggested keeping face masks in reserves for those electors who are not carrying the masks.
“During the process of identification of voter, the voters will be required to lower the facemask for identification,” the EC guidelines said, adding, at any given time, only one vote shall be allowed to stand in front of each polling official maintaining social distance.
Voters would be provided hand gloves for signing on the voter register and pressing the EVM button for voting.
“Most importantly, Covid patients and all others who may be under quarantine will be allowed to cast their vote at the last hour of the poll day at their respective Polling Stations, under the supervision of health authorities,” the EC said.
“Needless to add that anybody violating instructions on COVID-19 measures will be liable to be proceeded against as per the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Section 188 of the IPC, and other legal provisions as applicable. District Election Officer should bring this to the notice of all concerned,” Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said.
Libya’s House of Representatives or Parliament has called on the High National Elections Commission to propose a new date for the presidential polls as soon as possible…reports Asian Lite News
The House of Representatives made the call after a parliament session, during which 80 of its members gathered to hear the briefing of the Commission’s head on the failure to hold the presidential election on schedule, reports Xinhua news agency.
“The High National Elections Commission should communicate with all departments and agencies involved in the electoral process in order to lift the state of force majeure and set a new date for the elections,” said the statement.
According to Emad al-Sayeh, head of High National Elections Commission, “conflicting legal rulings that were not released on time, and threats made to the Commission against publishing the final list of presidential candidates containing certain names” were among the factors that prevented the presidential election from taking place on time.
The presidential election in Libya was scheduled for December 24, 2021.
However, along with the parliamentary elections, it was postponed indefinitely over technical and legal issues, according to the Commission.
The most notable presidential candidates in the fray include Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi; Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the eastern-based army; Aguila Saleh, the speaker of Parliament; and Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, the incumbent Prime Minister.
The elections are part of a roadmap adopted by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, which aimed at restoring peace to the country after years of political turmoil and violence.
Goa Assembly polls will be held in February- March next year along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur. The BJP has been in power in the coastal state since 2012…reports Asian Lite News.
For winning the third election in a row in the state, the Goa BJP has started presenting a report card of state government to people.
The party workers are visiting every household with the works of the BJP government in the last ten years.
A well placed source said that a campaign has been launched to reach every house in the state with the works of the BJP government in 10 years.
For winning the third election in a row in the state, the Goa BJP has started presenting a report card of state government to people.
“We have started presenting our report cards to people. Report card contains works of the BJP government in the state since 2012. The campaign started on January 1 and will continue till January 10. In these 10 days, BJP workers will reach out to each and every household in the state and tell the voters what our government has done in the last 10 years,” he said.
Goa Assembly polls will be held in February- March next year along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur. The BJP has been in power in the coastal state since 2012.
Apart from knocking each door in the state, the BJP workers and leaders are also meeting eminent personalities with the report card and taking their suggestions. “We are meeting eminent personalities and influencers giving details of our government in the last two terms,” a party leader said.
The saffron party, meanwhile, is organising meetings at different levels to activate its cadres. “Assembly level convention of the party has started and workers’ meetings are also being organised across the state,” he said.
It has set a target to win over 25 seats in the 40-member Goa Assembly. BJP national general secretary and state in-charge, CT Ravi said that BJP will form the government for third term by winning more than 25 seats.
“People have seen development in the last ten years under the BJP government and will once again elect a BJP government to further accelerate the pace of development of the state. We are going to win over 25 seats,” Ravi said.
The defeat of Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party in local elections of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa shows a clear sign of crack between the military establishment and the ruling party…reports Asian Lite News
Khan’s ascendancy to the Islamabad throne was made possible by the army, especially Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI and is often referred to as the hybrid regime showed signs of crumbling after the resounding defeat of PTI, reported The Singapore Post.
This was a defeat that Khan had feared but not expected in KP since his relationship began to sour with the military establishment early this year.
Imran’s hybrid regime is crumbling
But the army quietly looked the other way and let the pins fall on the PTI candidates. This is the second round of the battle between partners of the hybrid regime.
In a first, Imran Khan had shown the military down by deliberately delaying the announcement of the appointment of ISI chief. The Army chief wanted a change in who heads the ISI early this year. The army declared Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum as the new ISI chief whereas Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, who had helped Imran Khan to win the electoral battles on behalf of the army, was moved out as Peshawar corps commander.
Imran Khan sat on the Army chief’s recommendation till rumours and conspiracy theories became thick enough to be cut with a blunt knife. Khan mulled all the options–to reject the army chief’s recommendations or to accept them. He chose the third option–delay the official declaration. It showed he was no longer in the same books as General Javed Bajwa. The army took the insult and kept quiet, reported The Singapore Post.
The army played its hand in the KP elections. There could be many reasons for the PTI to get such a drubbing on the ground, but one remains the key to the game, the army’s decision to stay off any of the tricks which it deployed in the 2018 elections. This ‘hands off’ policy left PTI candidates to fight on their own and lose badly.
What worries Imran Khan now is the upcoming local elections in Punjab. It is due early next year and results in Punjab will set the ball rolling for the big elections in 2023, reported The Singapore Post.
The army can play a big role in the Punjab elections, and if it does, the stage is set for a final showdown between the partners. The third round of the tussle will tell who wins in the end.
It is clear the New Year will witness interesting games in Pakistan, starting with the elections in Punjab, even as the country remains on the precipice of drowning in rising radicalism and financial debts. (ANI)
Taking note of the delay in the proposed elections in Libya, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the need for the polls to go ahead inappropriate conditions…reports Asian Lite News
The Secretary-General has taken note of the announcement on Wednesday by the Libyan High National Elections Commission (HNEC) that the first round of the presidential poll, which was scheduled for December 24, will be delayed, Xinhua news agency quoted Farhan Haq, Guterres’s deputy spokesman, as saying in a statement.
UN Seeks Safe & Fair Elections In Libya
The Libyan parliamentary elections, originally planned to be held also on December 24, had already been postponed to January 2022.
“The Secretary-General commends the 2.8 million Libyans who have registered to vote. It is imperative that the will of the people is respected. Presidential and parliamentary elections must take place in Libya in the appropriate conditions to peacefully end the political transition and transfer power to democratically elected institutions,” said the statement.
In this regard, Guterres took note of the HNEC’s recommendation to the House of Representatives and welcomed its continued commitment to the ongoing presidential and parliamentary electoral process, said the statement.
The HNEC on Wednesday proposed to postpone the first round of the presidential election to January 24, 2022, provided that the House of Representatives “takes the necessary measures to lift the state of force majeure that obstructs the electoral process”.
The most notable presidential candidates in the fray include Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi; Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the eastern-based army; Aguila Saleh, the speaker of Parliament; and Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, the incumbent Prime Minister.
The Secretary-General’s special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, and the UN Support Mission in Libya will continue to support a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned process to address outstanding challenges and ensure the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.
His party won the seat in North Shropshire, central England, by a massive majority in 2019, but that was wiped out by the Liberal Democrats in Thursday’s vote in a result that will intensify the mutinous mood among Conservative MPs, reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday suffered a crushing by-election defeat in a constituency never previously lost by his Conservative Party, a result which raises serious questions about his leadership.
His party won the seat in North Shropshire, central England, by a massive majority in 2019, but that was wiped out by the Liberal Democrats in Thursday’s vote in a result that will intensify the mutinous mood among Conservative MPs.
Johnson, 57, was already reeling after roughly 100 of his MPs rebelled in parliament Tuesday against the government’s introduction of vaccine passes for large events.
The UK leader’s authority has also been clobbered repeatedly in recent weeks by claims of corruption and reports that he and his staff broke coronavirus restrictions last Christmas.
Weeks of bad headlines turned what would normally be a routine victory in the safe rural seat — won by 23,000 votes just two years ago — into a shattering defeat of almost 6,000 votes, while surging virus cases have added to a sense of crisis.
The government reported nearly 89,000 new infections Thursday, the second consecutive record daily tally.
Winning candidate Helen Morgan said that voters had sent a message “loudly and clearly” to Johnson that “the party’s over.”
“Your government, run on lies and bluster will be held accountable. It can and will be defeated,” she vowed.
Defeat will likely see more MPs filing letters of no-confidence in their leader, which could trigger an internal party vote to remove him.
The same process saw his predecessor Theresa May ousted in mid-2019 after MPs including Johnson voted against her Brexit deal in parliament.
The Liberal Democrats appeared to have been helped by supporters of the main national opposition Labour party lending them their votes.
However, others in the small town of Whitchurch were prepared to overlook the former London mayor’s transgressions.
The atmosphere before the vote was a far cry from May, when the Conservatives swept to an unprecedented by-election victory in the northeast England seat of Hartlepool on the back of a successful vaccine rollout.
But the virus is once more dominating British life and the arrival of the Omicron variant has again deepened the gloom before Christmas, with the prime minister’s authority seen as weakened.
Britain is also suffering spiralling inflation as a result of big borrowing during lockdowns, high energy prices and bottlenecked supply chains. Tax rises also loom from next April.
Johnson — who won voters’ overwhelming backing in 2019 on his promise to “Get Brexit Done” — has been dogged by controversies since early last month.
It began with his unsuccessful attempt to change parliament’s disciplinary rules to spare North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson a suspension after he was found to have breached lobbying rules.
Paterson, who had held the seat since 1997, then quit, forcing Thursday’s by-election.
That crisis, though, was soon eclipsed by reports that Johnson and his staff broke Covid rules last year by holding several parties around Christmas — just as the public were told to cancel their festive plans.
Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba, 75, has been re-elected as the President of the Nepali Congress (NC)…reports Asian Lite News
He defeated his only contestant Dr Shekhar Koirala. Deuba got 2733 votes while Koirala got 1855 votes during the 14th general convention of the party.
Initially Deuba, Koirala, Prakash Man Singh, Bimlalendra Nidhi and Kalyan Gurung were in the fray. After none of the candidates secured above 50 per cent votes, the elections went to the second round between Deuba and Koirala who secured the first and second highest vote.
Deuba re-elected as President of Nepali Congress for second time
In the second round of voting, a total of 4,623 votes were cast. Out of these, only 4,588 votes were valid.
In the second round, besides Koirala, all three defeated candidates threw weight behind Deuba, making it possible for him to win.
President Deuba, who began his political career as a student leader, was actively involved in Nepal’s democratic movement in 1990. In the 1991 elections, Deuba was elected to the House of Representatives from Dadeldhura-1.
Born on June 13, 1946 in Dadeldhura district, Deuba was again elected from the same constituency in the 1994 midterm elections, and was elected parliamentary party leader of the Nepali Congress. He has been the president of the NC since 2016. Deuba first became Prime Minister in 1995.
Libya delays publishing final list of presidential candidates
Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC) announced the delay in publishing the final list of the presidential candidates, citing its plans on judicial and legal procedures related to the electoral process…reports Asian Lite News
“The Commission will adopt some judicial procedures in communication with the Supreme Judicial Council, and legal procedures in communication with the House of Representatives, before publishing the final list of candidates and announcing the start of the electoral campaign,” the HNEC said in a statement.
Libya delays publishing final list of presidential candidates
The HNEC was supposed to announce the final list of the presidential candidates after the judicial appeals ended on Tuesday, reports Xinhua news agency.
The Libyan commission said it is reviewing the judicial verdicts regarding presidential candidates’ challenges, promising every effort to ensure that all its decisions in line with issued verdicts.
More than 2.8 million Libyan voters are expected to cast their votes to elect a new President in the December 24 elections, as part of a roadmap adopted by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum.
The most notable presidential candidates include Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi; Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the eastern-based army; Aguila Saleh, the speaker of Parliament; and Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, the incumbent Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, the country’s parliamentary elections, originally planned to be held on the same day as the presidential poll, have been postponed to January 2022.
