Tag: Assembly elections 2021

Nandigram official claims his ‘life in danger’, says Mamata Banerjee

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A day after Trinamool Congress’s victory in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed that the Returning Officer of Nandigram has said his life would be in danger if he allows recounting.

She added that even Governor congratulated her for Nandigram win but suddenly everything changed.

“I received an SMS from someone wherein Returning Officer of Nandigram has written to someone if he allows recounting then his life would be under threat. For four hours server was down, Governor also congratulated me. Suddenly everything changed,” she said.

She also urged her supporters to maintain peace amid reports of violence.

“I appeal to everyone to maintain peace and not indulge in any violence. We know BJP and Central Forces have tortured us a lot but we have to maintain peace. At present, we have fight COVID19,” she added.

BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday outsmarted TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by a margin of 1,956 votes to emerge the winner in the constituency.

The Trinamool Congress has demanded recounting in Nandigram constituency, alleging a number of illegalities in the vote counting process.

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee will be sworn in as the chief minister of West Bengal for the third time on May 5 (Wednesday). The newly-elected MLAs of the Trinamool Congress unanimously elected Banerjee as the legislative party leader at a meeting, its secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said.

Stay tuned with us for all the updates on Assembly election results. Click here

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

West Bengal Election Results 2021: Here’s full list of winners

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has emerged victorious for the third consecutive time as it retains power in the state with a clear majority. The party performed beyond expectations and predictions with over 200 seats. BJP emerged as the main opposition in the state with over 70 seats while once powerful left parties and congress have been literally decimated.

Here’s the full list of winning/ leading candidates:

(Image & data source: NEWS18)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Assembly election results 2021: Beyond West Bengal and the defeat for the BJP

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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So the wait is over, and the results of the assembly elections are here to analyse. However, the debate on the West Bengal verdict has overshadowed the mandate in the four other states and union territory. Interestingly, there are several takeaways to highlight from the election results. Because not only the TMC in West Bengal but the NDA in Assam and the LDF in Kerala have also returned to power, and the contests in these states were no less fierce.

Perhaps the debates are centred around the decision of West Bengal because the BJP failed to achieve its much-publicised ‘Mission 200+’ in the state. And the mandate is being evaluated as an embarrassing defeat of the saffron party since it left nothing to chance in its attempt to dislodge the TMC regime. Ironically, the campaign was equally bitter in Assam, where the BJP alliance is retaining power, but probably that does not merit the recognition of the critics.

Nonetheless, before discussing the West Bengal results and the electoral message for the BJP, let’s examine the decision of the other states beginning with Kerala, where the ruling Left Democratic Front broke the 40-year long jinx. CPM stalwart and incumbent Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan scripted history by returning to power as Kerala has been voting alternatively for the LDF and the UDF in the past four decades.

While Pinarayi Vijayan won the confidence of the people by handling the Covid pandemic and the 2018 Kerala floods appropriately, the election mandate is indeed a loss of face for the Congress, which probably relied on the voting pattern to take turns to power. The blow is harder for Rahul Gandhi, who extensively campaigned for the party in Kerala – and Assam – hoping that the double victory would make his reascension to the Congress president post easy. Now the plan could be deferred, maybe till the assembly elections next year.

The Assam results are even more worrying for Congress because the party believed that an alliance with the AIUDF would help it consolidate all anti-BJP votes in the state. Both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi vociferously raised the CAA issue to woo the Muslims and the Bengali speaking Hindus. They widely canvassed the state reaching out to all sections of voters but failed to stop the BJP-led government from being reelected.

In Tamil Nadu, more than the anti-incumbency factor, the AIADMK seems to have paid the price of being a divided house with multiple faces around, while the DMK promised a single-handed rule in the state. Even though the BJP is presumed to be controlling the AIADMK government, the party never held any significance for the voters in Tamil Nadu. So there was almost nothing at stake for the saffron party to lose here.

In Union Territory Puducherry, however, the BJP has made inroads in this election, winning several seats, while the NDA alliance is set to form the government. Clearly, the people gave an edge to the NDA despite the outcry of the Congress, which blamed the BJP for the fall of the Narayanasamy government.

Coming back to West Bengal, one should not lose sight of the pattern in which the state has always voted. From the Congress regime to the Left government to the TMC rule in West Bengal, the voters have never switched their loyalty in a single election. It has always been years of build-up before a party finally came to power. The TMC (post the split with the Congress in 1998) made it to the Writers’ Building in its third attempt in 2011.

The BJP, with just over 10 percent vote share in the 2016 assembly elections, managed to win only three seats in West Bengal. The crucial gain was witnessed in the 2019 general elections when its vote share jumped to 40.7%, and the saffron party bagged 16 Lok Sabha seats. This time around, the BJP had generated huge anticipations with its high-voltage, aggressive campaigning. But, if West Bengal’s electoral history is any yardstick, only a miracle would have projected the BJP to the seat of power in its first serious attempt.

In truth, what the BJP has gained in this election has come from the loss of the Sanjukta Morcha. Mamata Banerjee’s TMC has not only survived but also emerged stronger in West Bengal. The victory is exceptional because she fought it all on her own, despite hordes of her former aides quitting the TMC. However, this is also a fact that now she will have to face a stronger BJP in the state assembly.

Undoubtedly, the Modi factor couldn’t make a big difference in West Bengal, but it certainly played its role in the BJP’s growth. And it also can’t be denied that the electorate may have exercised their franchise intelligently, choosing Mamata Banerjee for the Chief Minister’s post, and when it came to the next Lok Sabha elections, they may send even more BJP MPs from the state to support Narendra Modi for PM in 2024.

The BJP must understand that ridiculing Didi in the rallies did no good to the party, nor it behoved anyone to do it. The mockery certainly galvanised the votes of women and TMC sympathisers in Mamata Banerjee’s favour. The BJP must learn from this mistake and not repeat it.

The BJP should humbly accept the verdict and focus on building its base in West Bengal for future elections. Despite provocations, the BJP leaders must not engage in rancorous verbal wars with the critics over the Bengal results. They should also be mindful that the party still has the mandate to lead the nation till 2024. And it should make the most of it trying to take the country forward. No matter what, the BJP leadership’s current priority should be to pull India out of the Covid crisis.

—Om Tiwari is a Delhi-based journalist and columnist. The views expressed are personal

Click to read his other columns

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Tamil Nadu Election Results 2021: Here’s full list of winners

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK) alliance rode to victory in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections by winning 159 seats in the 234-member Assembly. The AIADMK, which was battling anti-incumbency, along with its allies settled at 75 seats.

Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam and TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK scored a zero this election season.

Here’s the full list of winners:

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Kerala Election Results 2021: Pinarayi Vijayan’s leadership skills help LDF trounce UDF in Kerala

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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His decades-long political acumen came to the fore as Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan led the ruling LDF to a thumping win over opposition UDF in the keenly fought April 6 assembly polls, bucking an over four-decade-old trend of power alternating between two fronts. A combination of factors contributed to LDF’s historic victory, including delivery of a string of populist measures like distribution of free foodgrains and provision kits to all people, better management of the COVID-19 situation by gearing up the public health care system and enhanced and prompt payout of social security pensions.

Severe organisational weaknesses of the Congress and the BJP’s foray into the traditional anti-Left support base also helped the LDF coast to victory comfortably.

A powerful administrator, Vijayan had rolled out a set of development and welfare measures to enable a spectacular comeback for LDF from its drubbing in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when it lost 19 out of the 20 seats. The LDF also shed its hardline position on issues like the entry of women of menstruating age to the famous Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, regaining lost ground in the social spectrum.

Vijayan also convinced people that the LDF government was with them during crises by the manner in which it handled the devastating floods of 2018 and 2019 and the Nipah epidemic. developmental and welfare-oriented policies, the Vijayan-led government also came out of the shadow cast by the gold smuggling case and scandals related to that.

After the COVID-19 pandemic struck the state last year, the LDF government seized on the state’s extensive PDS network to provide free food kits to all and extended the programme even after the lockdown, winning the hearts of one and all. The government also distributed state pensions to the elderly, providing them much-needed relief during the time of crisis.

In its cleverly crafted campaign, the LDF made full use of these widely-applauded measures, which turned out to be a huge relief to millions of families battered by the pandemic-induced economic crisis. The back-to-back victories proved wrong those who predicted that the fortunes of the LDF and its ’captain’ were doomed after the drubbing in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Sensing that the stand taken by his party-led government on the Sabarimala women’s entry issue was the prime reason for its humiliating defeat in the LS polls, the LDF government did a ”U” turn on the matter during the Assembly elections. At the peak of the poll campaign, Vijayan made it clear that the sentiments of the believers would be respected while taking any decision on the customs of the ancient hill shrine.

The opposition Congress and the BJPhad unleashed a campaign against the LDF government’s alleged high-handedness in implementing the Supreme Court verdict, allowing entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple. On April 6, the day of elections, Vijayan, after casting his vote at his home constituency Dharmadam, said Lord Ayyappa and all other ’devas’ are with the LDF.

The LDF, which faced a grave crisis after the Lok Sabha polls, regained the confidence of the people following its resounding victory in the civic polls in December. The CPI(M)-led front’s victory in most district panchayats, block panchayats, grama panchayats and corporations by huge margins laid the foundation for its campaign for the Assembly polls.

The victory in the civic polls came as a shot in the arm for Vijayan, particularly at a time when he had been under the tenacious attack of the Opposition for his office’s alleged involvement in the gold smuggling scam. An astute politician with a long experience of leading the party,he firmed up the LDFs social base before heading to the polls by striking a deal with Kerala Congress (M), led by Jose K Mani, to attract Christian voters in central Kerala, who used to back the Congress-led UDF in most previous polls.

Disregarding protests by the Indian Union Muslim League, the government also took the bold decision of giving 10 percent reservation for economically weaker sections in jobs and education, regardless of caste status. This decision helped Vijayan attract the votes of upper-caste Hindus, who were upset with him over the Sabarimala issue, and a significant section of Syrian Christians, a forward class in the state.

Follow our LIVE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2021 blog for Kerala

Besides fielding fresh faces in the polls, the LDF manifesto promising ’pension’ for homemakers, creation of 40 lakh jobs for the youth, and 15,000 startups over the next five years also helped the LDF win the support of the people. It has also assured raising the social security pension to various categories from the present Rs 1,600 to Rs 2,500 in phases and pledged to increase farmers’ income by 50 percent.

Follow our LIVE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2021 blog

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Tamil Nadu votes for change; DMK wins 159 seats, MK Stalin to be CM

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Tamil Nadu has voted for a change as it has bought the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to power after 10 years of AIADMK’s rule in the state. DMK won 159 seats and AIADMK was at second spot with 75 seats. Actor Kamal Haasan’s Makal Needi Maiam and TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK have failed to open their account.

MK Stalin is to be named as the chief minister and a simple swearing-in ceremony will be held. His son and party youth wing secretary, Udhayanidhi Stalin, won Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni in his debut election. This was the first state election that was fought without stalwarts M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the people of Tamil Nadu for giving this coalition a huge victory in the election. We will gradually fulfill our specific election promises,” Stalin said.

In terms of percentage, DMK won 37.7% percent vote share, followed by AIADMK at 33.3% percent.

The DMK started leading as soon as the early trends started kicking in and the numbers rose with each passing hour. The AIADMK which was battling anti-incumbency failed to cross the three-digit figure. Stalin rode the party to victory in the bitterly fought elections. AIADMK ally Bharatiya Janata Party rushed many of its senior ministers to campaign in the southern state.

The counting began at 8 am and sealed the fate of 3,998 candidates for the 234-member Assembly. A party requires the magic number of 118 to form the government and the DMK is in a comfortable position. The state went to polls on April 6 and recorded over 70 percent voting.

Some of the prominent faces in these polls were Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, Stalin and his son and party youth wing secretary, Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is seeking to enter the Assembly for the first time. Kamal Haasan, Dhinakaran, BJP state unit chief L Murugan and the saffron party’s Khushbu Sundar were among the prominent candidates.

Palaniswami led the AIADMK alliance and late chief minister Jayalalithaa’s confidante Sasikala urged people to vote for the party. The DMK’s rainbow alliance was led by Stalin with Congress, CPI-M, CPI-ML, others as junior partners.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Tamil Nadu Election Results 2021: DMK chief MK Stalin says swearing-in ceremony will be simple

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the swearing-in ceremony of the new government led by his party would be simple, DMK president MK Stalin said here on Sunday. Stalin, who spoke to reporters after paying floral tributes in the mausoleum of his father and late party patriarch ’Kalaignar’ M Karunanidhi at the Marina beach said the date of the swearing-in ceremony would be made known soon.

The date and timing of the ceremony, likely in Raj Bhavan would be simple and it shall be announced Monday night or on Tuesday, he told reporters. The DMK’s work would make people who voted for the combine led by it happy and also shall make others who did not favour it to ponder as to why ”we did not vote for the DMK and its allies,” he said.

Stalin vowed to take immediate efforts to implement his party’s electoral promises in a phased manner and also the DMK’s 10-year vision document. On when he would assume office as Chief Minister, Stalin said there were several constituencies where the candidates who emerged victorious have not received their certificates of election and this process was expected to be completed tonight or on Monday.

On Tuesday, a meeting of elected MLAs would be held and the Legislature Party Leader would be formally elected and following consultations with government officials, the date and time of assuming office would be decided and it shall be made known, Stalin said. The DMK president earlier received his certificate of election from Kolathur constituency from poll officials and proceed to the ’samadhi’ of Karunanidhi here.

People have given a massive win for the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance in the Assembly polls, Stalin said and thanked all those who worked towards it. People have realised that the state has ’gone deep down in the AIADMK regime and to correct it have voted for DMK and its allies, he said adding his party would work to fulfill the people’s aspirations on the assumption of power.

Follow our LIVE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2021 blog for Tamil Nadu

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Assam Assembly election results 2021: Sarbananda Sonowal leads BJP to 2nd term win; setback for Congress-led ‘Mahajot’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The ruling BJP-led NDA swept the Assam Assembly elections, securing XYZ seats in 123-member Assembly.

Meanwhile, the Grand Alliance spearheaded by Congress won XYZ seats.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was elated over the election results. “People have blessed us, he said.

Party leaders including Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Amit Shah congratulated Sonowal for carrying forward PM Narendra Modi’s pro-people policies.

Earlier, Exit polls had predicted a clear win for the Saffron party. The BJP had exuded confidence of returning to power in Assam for a second straight tenure along with its alliance partners, the AGP and UPPL.

The Congress, which was in power for 15 years in Assam since 2001, had formed a ‘Grand Alliance’ with AIUDF, BPF, CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML), Anchalik Gana Morcha, RJD, Adivasi National Party and Jimochayan (Deori) Peoples Party to fight the Assembly election against the BJP-led NDA.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow