Kolkata, April 3 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Friday, announced the suspension of a joint block development officer (BDO), also the assistant returning officer (ARO), in East Burdwan district of West Bengal on charges of gross dereliction of duty. The officer concerned is Jyotsna Khatun, the joint BDO-cum-ARO of the Khandaghosh Development Block in East Burdwan district.In a communique sent by the ECI’s Secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra to the West Bengal Chief Secretary Dushyan…
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Thiruvananthapuram, April 3 (IANS) At a time when senior bureaucrats are often seen as distant and inaccessible, a quiet administrative shift by top election officials is winning public praise in Kerala.At the centre of it are Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar and his deputy, P. B. Nooh, whose hands-on and accessible approach during the ongoing election process is being widely appreciated.Ever since the poll schedule was announced, Kelkar, Nooh, and their team have been working round the c…
Guwahati, April 2 (IANS) In view of the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, the Assam government has announced a series of dry days across the state to ensure free, fair, and peaceful polling, officials said on Thursday. According to official directives, all liquor shops, bars, and licensed establishments selling alcoholic beverages will remain closed for three days leading up to the polling date. The dry period will begin on April 7 and continue through April 9, coinciding…
Kozhikode, April 2 (IANS) CPI(M) candidate State Tourism Minister and son-in-law of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, P.A. Mohamed Riyas, is to approach the Election Commission with a complaint against UDF nominee P.V. Anvar in Beypore, alleging character assassination in an intensifying electoral contest in the historic port constituency.The complaint alleges that Anvar has been targeting Riyas and members of Vijayan’s family through repeated references to “nepotism” and “Pinarayism”, …
Gandhinagar, April 1 (IANS) The Gujarat State Election Commission, on Wednesday, announced the schedule for local body elections across the state, with polling to be held on April 26 and counting of votes on April 28, initiating one of the largest grassroots electoral exercises. State Election Commissioner S. Murali Krishna said the nomination process will begin on April 6 and continue until April 11.Scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on April 13, while the last date for withdrawal …
Bengaluru, April 1 (IANS) A BJP delegation on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka against Congress MLA Pradeep Eshwar, accusing him of making derogatory remarks and appealing to voters on religious grounds during an election campaign.In its complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the BJP alleged that the Chikkballapur legislator made objectionable and offensive statements at a public rally held on March 27 in the presence of a large gathering.A…
New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) held a review meeting of the polling officials including Central Observers on Wednesday, where it reiterated the necessary instructions and guidelines to be followed for maintaining the purity and sanctity of the electoral procedures in two states and one Union Territory (UT) – namely Assam, Kerala and Puducherry, going to polls on April 9.The EC team, led by CEC Gyanesh Kumar asked the Central Observers (General, Police, Expendi…
Kochi, April 1 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Wednesday delivered a significant setback to Union Minister and actor Suresh Gopi, ruling that the election petition challenging his victory from Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency is maintainable and must proceed to trial.Gopi won a historic win from Thrissur in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, opening the account for the BJP in Kerala, where the party at present does not have a single Legislator in the 140 member Assembly.Dismissing an interim application f…
Kolkata, March 31 (IANS) The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Tuesday, submitted a complaint at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of incitement, intimidation, threats and making inflammatory speeches in her election campaigns which violates the model code of conduct (MCC) in force in the state.In the joint letter to the CEO from BJP’s state president, party’s Lok Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya and the Leader of Opp…
Kolkata, March 31 (IANS) A division bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Tuesday, quashed two public interest litigations (PILs) filed by a Trinamool Congress leader challenging the decisions of the Election Commission of India’s large-scale transfers of bureaucrats and police officers in West Bengal amid the two-phase Assembly elections in the state next month.The case was argued in the court by the party’s Lok Sabha member, Kalyan Banerjee, who served as the petitioner’s counsel.One of the two…