Minister for Transport A.K. Saseendran confirmed that the state had no other option but to go for total lockdown given the surge….reports Asian Lite News
On expected lines with the Covid positive cases continuing its surge like never before, the office of the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday announced a total lockdown from Saturday till May 16.
Minister for Transport A.K. Saseendran confirmed that the state had no other option but to go for total lockdown given the surge.
“This is the only way out and it will only benefit all of us. So all have to abide by it and stay home,” said Saseendran.
President of the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association, Vijayakrishnan said there is no way out other than for strict lockdown.
The IMA State wing also had wanted tough protocols, but an all party meeting held last week however decided to wait and was against declaring a total lockdown.
“This lockdown is different from the one which we had the last year as then the number of cases was very less, but the situation now is grave as the numbers are going high by the day. This lockdown will certainly help us bring down the new cases,” said Vijayakrishnan.
Vijayan on Wednesday expressed grave concern over the spike in cases and said 41,953 people turned Covid positive after 1,63,321 samples were tested in the past 24 hours.
The TPR on Wednesday stood at 25.68 per cent and the total number of active positive cases in the state stood at 3,75,658, while 23,106 people were cured taking the total cured to 13,62,363.
Since the end of last month as a first step, Saturdays and Sundays were like a partial lockdown and from Tuesday onwards such a condition was extended, when on Thursday the new decision came for a total lockdown.
Taking to Twitter Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that dedicated oxygen war rooms will function with representatives of the police, health, transportation, disaster management, and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO)…reports Asian Lite News.
Another 41,953 new Covid cases and 58 deaths have reported in Kerala. Amid the spike in COVID-19 numbers Kerala is setting up dedicated oxygen war rooms at the district and state levels. Taking to Twitter Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said that dedicated oxygen war rooms will function with representatives of the police, health, transportation, disaster management, and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). “Dedicated Oxygen War Rooms will function at State and District levels with representatives of Police, Health, Transportation, Disaster Management and PESO. O2 stock is being monitored in the Districts by Collectors. O2 module will be included in Covid Jagratha portal,” said Kerala CM in a tweet.
Dedicated Oxygen War Rooms will function at State and District levels with representatives of Police, Health, Transportation, Disaster Management and PESO. O2 stock is being monitored in the Districts by Collectors. O2 module will be included in Covid Jagratha portal. pic.twitter.com/BoQ4tFDauW
He said that oxygen stock is being monitored in the districts by collectors and the oxygen module will be included in the COVID-19 Jagratha portal. The new initiative comes amidst the acute shortage of medical oxygen that various states are facing. Earlier, Chief Minister Office informed that an oxygen plant will be set up in the Chattanchal Industrial Park under the Kasargod District Panchayat. Meanwhile, Kerala reported 38,607 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. (ANI)
Balakrishnan has been facing the wrath of a section in his party and from other quarters, because of his two sons…reports Asian Lite News
After leading the CPI-M led Left Front to a resounding second successive term, Pinarayi Vijayan is now all set to bring back Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who last year was given an ‘honourable’ exit by asking him to go on leave for his medical treatment, though the real reason was otherwise.
Balakrishnan has been facing the wrath of a section in his party and from other quarters, because of his two sons. His younger son Bineesh Kodiyeri was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate-Bengaluru unit, soon after his friend was picked up by the Narcotics Control Bureau.
On October 29, Bineesh was arrested and even now he is in a jail in Bengaluru. Balakrishnan’s elder son Binoy Kodiyeri is also caught in a case and the final verdict from a court in Mumbai is yet to come after a woman from Bihar went to the court stating that her son’s father is Binoy.
On account of these two serious issues, the CPI-M in November last year gave Balakrishnan leave as he was undergoing treatment for cancer, and brought in Left Democratic Front convenor A.Vijayaraghavan as acting Secretary of the party.
Incidentally, Vijayan and Balakrishnan both come from Kannur — the cradle of the Communist movement and hence they have a very healthy relation.
In the CPI-M, all know that there exists a Kannur lobby and the rest are known as the non-Kannur lobby. All along it has been the Kannur lobby which has had the upper edge in the party when it comes to party posts and also when cabinet portfolios are distributed.
However, a dent has appeared in the Kannur lobby after the party decision that two-time MLAs cannot get a third term. Another Kannur strongman E.P.Jayarajan (State Industries Minister), who was the number two in the first Vijayan cabinet, has been sulking on account of this decision which came as a shocker to him.
A media critic said there has been an aberration in the Kannur lobby which took place after E.P.Jayarajan was denied the seat on the grounds of the new norm and another Kannur powerhouse P.Jayarajan, despite not falling under the norm was also denied.
“This caused heartburns in the rank and file also. But Vijayan played his game by holding the cards close to his chest and brought in M.V. Govindan, another top Kannur leader and he contested and won and is all set to get a key portfolio. It’s here that Vijayan, who has stamped his authority will in all likelihood bring back Balakrishnan and it’s expected to happen very soon,” said the critic.
Incidentally, Balakrishnan became the CPI-M state secretary for the first time at the 21st state party conference held at Alappuzha in 2015, when he replaced Vijayan who was at the helm for a record 17 years.
In 2018, he was given a second term and on account of the Covid pandemic and the Assembly polls, the 23rd state party conference was postponed. And, now it’s going to be held soon and according to sources, Balakrishnan, before the dates of the conference are announced, will return and take over as the Secretary. Sources say that it will be under him that the event will take place and in all likelihood, he will get a final term, as according to the rules of the party, none can stay beyond three terms.
So all these moves show that both the government and the party are firmly under the control of Vijayan and he will be the last word after the successful election.
This setback has come after an array of its biggest leaders which include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, UP Chief Minister Yogi Aditiyanath who came to the state more than once…reports Asian Lite News
At a time when the Kerala unit of the BJP decided to sit down to discuss the rather poor performance in the just held assembly polls when it not only saw the one seat that they had in 2016 disappear, but also saw a dip in the total votes, a top BJP state leader made no bones of the dismal performance who said that strategies adopted in North India won’t work in Kerala.
What has hurt the party and has come as a shocker is their vote percentage which saw a fall from 15.01 per cent in the 2016 Assembly polls to a 12.47 per cent after votes were counted on Sunday for the 140-member Kerala Assembly.
If there is any solace for them is they managed to come second in nine constituencies.
This setback has come after an array of its biggest leaders which include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, UP Chief Minister Yogi Aditiyanath who came to the state more than once and others who came once included Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani, to name a few.
Bihar BJP workers .
Former State BJP president C.K. Padmanabhan who was the party candidate against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Dharamadom constituency in Kannur came a distant third with over 14,000 votes.
He spoke to the media on Tuesday and said this is a victory for the work of Vijayan.
“The people of Kerala wished a second term for Vijayan and we all should welcome the verdict of the people,” said Padmanabhan.
“If anyone thinks that the strategy adopted in North India will work in Kerala, then it will not work out and all should first understand that,” added Padmanabhan.
He was also critical in the manner in which the present State BJP president K. Surendran who contested in two constituencies and opined that it was not needed.
Kevadia: Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Photo: IANS)
“Correctional steps will have to be taken, if things do not go the way the party wishes,” said Padmanabhan.
The state leadership which had a first round meeting to find out what had happened, after raising huge hopes that the BJP will form the new state government and it required only 35 seats in the 140 member Kerala assembly and it even had declared Metroman as the Chief Minister.
At its meeting the only decision that was taken was to constitute a committee which will look into the reasons for this debacle.
On Monday, Vijayan rubbed further salt into the wounds of the ‘wounded’ BJP leadership here when he alleged that in 90 of the 140 constituencies the BJP has lost its vote as compared to the 2016 assembly polls and added that in 10 seats this was the reason for the Congress led Opposition getting to the present tally of theirs to 41 seats.
Pinarayi Vijayanalso tore into the Congress-led opposition, the BJP as well as a section of the media….reports Asian Lite News
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who broke a four-decade-old trend of one term governments in the state as he led his Left Democratic Front to a successive second stint in power, on Sunday dedicated the victory to the people and said they are humbled by the response of the people who supported them and this will be the booster to start work on building a resilient Kerala.
He also tore into the Congress-led opposition, the BJP as well as a section of the media.
Addressing the media at his home base in Kannur when the tally of the victory showed 99 seats for the Left, with the Congress-led Opposition ending up with 41 seats and the BJP which had one seat in the 2016 Assembly polls, failed to get any seat this time, a beaming Vijayan said: “I wish to state that this was a great political fight and this is no doubt a victory of the people and belongs to the people.
“All along after the elections was announced, I had mentioned what is in store and I also said why I have that confidence. Then, I said we believe in the people and people believe in us and that’s why I said we will win more seats than the last time. And it has happened and it happened with the help of the people who beloved in our capabilities as they know, it is only the Left which can work for the welfare and also the development of the state.”
“We are deeply honoured by the support of the people who placed their full support on us and it was because of them that we were able to do this. We assure you the people that they can fully trust us and we see ‘power’ as not something to enjoy or to engage in corruption. We have a detailed manifesto which explains everything what we will do as we are one who will promise only what can be done,” he added.
Taking on the BJP, Vijayan said the state saw all its top leaders descend here for the campaign and heard what all was said.
“They even went to the extent of saying that they, without even having the need for the mandatory majority for forming a government, will form the government. When it came to money power, none could match them and what one could see was the ill-effects of having huge money. The victory also shows that our state is not a ground for communal elements like some states in the country,” he said.
Turning towards the Congress, he said the very existence of the Congress-led UDF is now under a cloud and this has to be discussed.
“Just see what happened when the state suffered a few disasters… what was the role of the Congress-led UDF. When the national agencies came calling here based on few allegations, instead of standing for the interest of the state, they were trying to attack us. The people saw all this and rightfully they did what any person would do and gave us their confidence. So in the best interest of the state, instead of joining hands for the progress of the state, the opposition was out to play spoil sport and the people acted,” said Vijayan.
He then made a blistering attack on a section of the ‘right wing’ media which was “wrongly portraying what we did”.
“Some media houses thought, that everything is under their control and at the tip of their pen. Lot of canards was being spread which were blatant lies and some even launched personal attacks. I wish to tell you (media) that the people know and gauge everything and you do not have any powers, which you think you have,” Vijayan said.
“The media should introspect and we will only be glad if you engage in constructive criticism, which in fact it will be good for us… But that is not what is happening. All what I have to say to you is it is time that you introspect and apply a course correction in the scheme of things that you do. All should understand that we are passing through tough times and hence priorities should be reworked,” he added.
Vijayan said on Monday that he he will submit his resignation to the Governor and then it would be the party which decides on when and how the next step is.
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.
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.
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’.
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.
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.
According to the CVoter Exit Poll for Times Now/ABP News, it’s a straight forward electoral battle between the incumbent LDF and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)….reports Asian Lite News
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by Kerala Chief Minister Pinaryi Vijayan is poised to make a comeback to power in the state for the second time in a row, but not with a thumping majority though,
According to the CVoter Exit Poll for Times Now/ABP News, it’s a straight forward electoral battle between the incumbent LDF and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
The exit poll predicts that the ruling LDF is expected to retain power in the southern state, defying the trend of the incumbent tasting defeat in every second electoral cycle.
The 140-member Kerala Assembly went to the polls in a single phase on April 6.
LDF CPI-M workers celebrate party’s performance
As per the CVoter Exit Poll for Times Now/ABP News, the Left alliance is expected to win 71 to 77 seats, with 71 being the majority mark. The main opposition – the UDF – is likely to secure 62 to 68 seats.
The NDA will continue to remain a marginal player in the state with 0 to 2 seats.
In 2016 Assembly elections, the LDF had won 91 seats, the UDF secured 47 seats, the NDA got one, while one seat went to an Independent.
According to exit poll data, the ruling LDF is projected to secure 42.8 per cent votes. The UDF is expected to get 41.4 per cent vote share whie the NDA is likely to get 13.7 per cent votes.
In the 2016 Assembly polls, the LDF had got 43.5 per cent vote share, hence the ruling alliance is likely to witness a marginal dip of 0.7 per cent this time.
UDF
The UDF had secured 38.8 per cent votes in 2016, marking a swing of 2.6 per cent this time, while the NDA had secured 14.9 per cent votes last time, showing a dip of 1.7 per cent vote share in the latest polls.
According to the exit poll, the LDF and UDF are expected to secure maximum seats in North Kerala, where the LDF is likely to win 34 to 36 seats, followed by the UDF with 24 to 26 seats.
In South Kerala, the LDF is likely to win 21 to 23 seats and the UDF is expected to garner 15 to 17 seats.
In Central Kerala, the LDF is projected to win 16 to 18 seats, while the UDF is expected to manage 23 to 25 seats.
On April 14, she got a call stating that her packet is ready for delivery and since it is in Covid times, she was asked to keep the cash ready at the gate of her residence…reports Asian Lite News.
R. Sreelekha, the first woman to become Director General of Police in Kerala in June last year and subsequently retiring in December, on Wednesday aired her displeasure and sadness on how a complaint of hers went unnoticed and unheard for two weeks this month.
Sreelekha gave a detailed account of the incident on her Facebook page.
Stressing that until four months back she was part of the Kerala Police and retired as DGP, she said: “Despite that, even after two weeks of informing over telephone about on how I was cheated by an online company and also sending a complaint to the Museum Police Station, no action came and feeling deeply sad, I am writing it in my Facebook.
Sreelekha said that on April 6, she had placed an online order for a Bluetooth earphone.
On April 14, she got a call stating that her packet is ready for delivery and since it is in Covid times, she was asked to keep the cash ready at the gate of her residence.
The packet was subsequently handed over to her aide, as she was recovering from a surgery.
“As soon as I got the packet, I knew it was a fraud and when I opened it, I saw an old broken earphone. I immediately called back on the number I got for the delivery call. The person said, ‘you can go and give a complaint to the police, but you are not going to get the money back’. I immediately called up the Museum Police station and the officer said he was busy with some big case. Later he called me and heard my complaint and soon I sent my complaint through the e-mail. There was no response from the police for two weeks,” wrote Sreelekha.
(ANI)
She added that lot of her friends and relatives called her up to seek her help to get the police to act.
“Will anyone believe or understand when I say that my own complaint is not being heard. In the past I have had similar experiences from this very same police station when I raised three complaints.
“Today after I put up this Facebook post, I got a call from the Museum Police official and he said they have not got my e-mail complaint and he gave me a new id and I sent it,” she posted.
Sreelekha concluded with a warning to be wary of the website of ‘grimsonz’ and Ekart – the delivery firm and asks all to do online purchases using the cash on delivery option as they can check before paying.
