by admin | May 25, 2021 | Uncategorized
Shimla : Acting tough ahead of the November 9 assembly polls, the Himachal Pradesh High Court on Tuesday directed the state election officials to ensure that no defacement of public property by any political party takes place in the run-up to the electoral exercise.
A division bench, comprising of acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Ajay Mohan Goel, directed the Chief Electoral Officer that writing on walls and pasting of posters would not be allowed on “public spaces” and “places open to public view”.
They directed that display of any flag and sticker would not be permitted on commercial vehicles, except after obtaining requisite permission from the appropriate authority.
The court’s orders came while hearing a petition which alleged that the political parties often indulge in defacing walls and installing hoardings in violation of the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and environmental laws.
The matter would come up for next hearing on October 23.
A total of 49.13 lakh voters will cast their votes in Himachal Pradesh, presently ruled by the Congress, to elect a new 68-member assembly. The results will be out on December 18.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana
Accra – Ghana’s presidential election may be delayed by a month, the head of the country’s electoral body has said, after a wrangling over voter registration.
Nationwide polls in which President John Dramani Mahama is seeking re-election were scheduled to be held on November 7 – a month earlier than initially planned.
But the director of electoral services at the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Samuel Tettey, said the election could be on either date.
“If 7 November goes through we can go with it. If not and it’s 7th December, and we can go with that,” he told a news conference in the capital, Accra, on Wednesday. “So, both dates are possible but we are working towards 7 November.”
The lack of clarity over a date comes after 56 000 names were deleted from the electoral register after individuals used national health insurance scheme cards as proof of identity.
Ghana’s opposition had complained of possible fraud, as health insurance card holders do not necessarily have to be Ghanaian citizens.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), which is looking to unseat Mahama after five years in office, complained the register was bloated with names of foreigners and minors.
The Supreme Court was asked to rule on the matter and last week ordered the 56 000 names to be expunged. Chief Justice Georgina Wood said the register in its current form was “reasonably inaccurate”.
Re-registration of those affected will begin on Monday and last for 10 days, Tettey told reporters.
(Courtesy:http://www.news24.com)
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi, (IANS) West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress and Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK were set to retain power on Thursday as the BJP was on the road to victory in Assam and the Left made a comeback in Kerala.
On expected lines, the Trinamool was sweeping all across West Bengal as officials counted the millions of votes polled in the staggered assembly elections. Its candidates led in 199 of the 289 places where trends were available two hours after the vote count began at 8 a.m.
The Left and the Congress were at a distant second spot, leading in 37 and 41 constituencies respectively. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was leading in 12 places. The West Bengal legislature has 294 members.
In Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK proved exit polls wrong as it appeared on the course to retaining power. Its candidates led in 132 constituencies, with the DMK-Congress alliance in the lead in 69.
The PMK was ahead in four places. The Tamil Nadu assembly has 234 seats.
As an AIADMK win appeared certain, boisterous celebrations erupted outside the residence of party leader and Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in Chennai.
Unlike in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the governments were set to change in Assam and Kerala.
The BJP was on the road to victory in Assam for the first time. Its alliance candidates led in 65 constituencies, followed by the Congress in 28 seats. The AIUDF led in 17 places.
Assam has a 126-member legislature.
As widely expected, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was set to dethrone the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
LDF candidates led in 85 seats and those of the UDF in 53 as trends were available from all the 140 constituencies. The BJP was leading in one seat and a smaller party in another.
The DMK-Congress alliance and the All India N.R. Congress were in close contest in Puducherry, leading in 10 and nine constituencies respectively. The union territory has a 30-member assembly.
