Press Trust of India

Punjab’s opposition Congress Monday complained to the Election Commission against the state’s ruling Shiromani Akali Dal holding a political rally during the Hola Mohalla celebrations in the Sikh holy town of Anandpur Sahib next week.

In the complaint to the poll panel, Punjab Congress president Pratap Singh Bajwa contended that allowing any political party to hold a political conference during a religious event was violation of the election model code of conduct.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A. Sangma Monday returned to the national political scene by announcing his candidature from the Tura parliamentary seat on a National People’s Party (NPP) ticket.

Meanwhile, sitting MP and Sangma’s daughter Agatha K. Sangma, the youngest parliamentarian in the current Lok Sabha, quit the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to join her father and the NPP.

Agatha, who won the Lok Sabha election on debut in the 2008 by-poll, decided not to contest the April 9 elections to make room for her father who had earlier represented the constituency.

The chances of Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy getting any reprieve were dashed and he will continue to be in Tihar jail for some more time as hearing of the contempt plea against him and three directors of his group companies Tuesday has been adjourned.

As directed earlier, the matter was listed for hearing Tuesday but it was shown as deleted and adjourned in the supplementary list issued Monday.

The supplementary list read that the “Item No. 301 shown before this bench at 2.00 P.M. in the daily list for 11.3.2014 issued on 08.03.2014 stands deleted as same is adjourned.”

Claiming minorities have been traditionally deprived across sectors in West Bengal, ruling Trinamool Congress lawmaker Mohammad Nuruzzaman Monday said people are aggrieved with the party’s Lok Sabha candidates list for the state which has only seven faces from the community.

Sharing the dais with expelled CPI-M leader Abdur Rezzak Mollah and retired IPS officer Nazrul Islam – both known for their antipathy towards Trinamool supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Nuruzzaman said: “Minorities are feeling aggrieved by the candidates list which has just seven Muslims.”

From rural and urban local bodies to assembly and parliament, voters in Andhra Pradesh will vote four times to elect their representatives in a span of five weeks.

The State Election Commission Monday announced that elections to panchayat raj institutions would be held on April 6.

Barring Hyderabad, voters in 22 districts will cast their votes for the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC).

The state commission last week issued notification for March 30 elections to municipalities and corporations.

In a setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its former Odisha chief Bimbadhar Kuanr Monday joined the state’s ruling Biju Janata Dal.

Kuanr, 65, met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at his residence and said he had joined the BJD. A three-term legislator, Kuanr was the state BJP president from 1993 to 1995.

He was also the state’s labour and employment minister from 2000 to 2002 and minister of state education from 2002 to 2004.

Kuanr said he decided to quit because he was facing humiliation in the BJP. Patnaik said Kuanr would be a tremendous asset to the BJD.

The Election Commission was looking into a complaint against senior CPI-M legislator Anisur Rehman for his alleged derogatory comments about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, an official said Monday.

The state’s joint chief electoral officer Saibal Barman said the state chief electoral officer Sunil Gupta was “looking into the matter”.

“A political party has filed a complaint against Anisur Rehman with us today (Monday). We are looking into it,” Barman told the media here.

However, he refrained from naming the party.

A court here Monday allowed a plea seeking examination of three government officials, including an employee of Delhi’s Election Commission, as complainant witnesses in a case against former state chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Metropolitan Magistrate Swati Katiyar while posting the matter for May 7 allowed the complainant’s plea that he can call the government officials.

The complainant had accused Kejriwal of allegedly giving “misleading information” in his affidavit filed prior to the 2013 assembly poll.

A retired police constable Monday shot dead two people and critically injured another at his village in Kanpur, police said.

Anil Kumar, who retired as a constable with the Provincial Armed Constabulary, opened fire at three people after a dispute over drinking water at Sumerpur village.

Jeetendra Yadav and Manoj Yadav died on the spot, while the third person, Avdhesh, was critically injured and admitted to the Hallet Hospital in Kanpur.

The assailant was overpowered by villagers and handed over to police. His licensed rifle was also seized.

Force India deputy team principal Robert Fernley has said the Formula 1 team is “saddened” by the arrest of its co-owner and Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy but hastened to assure that the off-track activities will have no bearing on their performance this season, beginning March 16 in Melbourne.

BJP Lok Sabha MP Gopinath Munde Monday demanded full waiver of bank loans and electricity bills and a special relief package for farmers severely affected by rain and hailstorms in Maharashtra.

“An unprecedented natural calamity has befallen the state in the past few days. Rabi crops have been totally destroyed, besides fruits and vegetables. The state government must give full waiver of bank loans and electricity bills to the affected farmers,” the deputy leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha told media persons here in his home town.

Minister of State for External Affairs E.Ahamed and his Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) colleague E.T.Mohammed Basheer were Monday renominated to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from their respective seats in Kerala.

IUML is the second-biggest constituent of the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front and the party has been given two seats, of the state’s 20, to contest. Barring 2004 – when they lost one – they have always won both the seats.

Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, the former MP who was acquitted last year in the murder of a CPI-M leader, Monday joined the RJD. He is set to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Madhepura.

Pappu Yadav will take on Janata Dal-United chief Sharad Yadav, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Madhepura in 2009.

Also Monday, the RJD was jolted when its leader in the Bihar legislative council, Ghulam Ghouse, joined the ruling JD-U. He is likely to contest from Madhubani.

Pappu Yadav thrice won the Lok Sabha polls from Purnia — 1991, 1996 and 1999 – and once from Madhepura (2004).

The Election Commission in Delhi Monday asked government departments to keep a strict vigil on the illegal flow of money and alcohol ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the capital.

Delhi’s seven constituencies go to polls April 10.

The excise and income-tax department under the Delhi government has been entrusted with this task, said Delhi’s Chief Election Commissioner Vijay Dev.

Liquor shops — whose sales are 30 percent more than normal — will be identified and a thorough investigation will be done.

Strict action, including cancellation of licence, will be taken against them.

Two of the eight DMK parliamentarians who have been renominated to fight the general elections did not open their mouths during the 15th Lok Sabha, according to PRS Legislative Research data.

The two are former union ministers A. Raja and S. Jagathrakshakan. While the former resigned as telecom minister in November 2010, the latter quit March 2013.

According to PRS Legislative Research the data relating to Raja and Jagathrakshakan pertains to the period after they resigned.

The Election Commission’s move to provide another chance to eligible and first time voters received an enthusiastic response in Punjab with over two lakh voters enrolling themselves in a single day, while 80,000 did so in Haryana, officials said Monday.

The enrolment of new voters was carried out Sunday, Punjab’s chief electoral officer (CEO) V.K. Singh said here.

“The novel concept of ECI to enrol left-out eligible voters, including first time young voters received unprecedented response with more than two lakh people applying for enrolment as voters in a single day,” he said.

A court here Monday dismissed the bail application of Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and his aide Asadullah Akhtar for the Sep 13, 2008 Karol Bagh blasts.

It was the first bail application moved by Bhatkal, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in various terror cases.

Additional Sessions Judge Daya Prakash refused to release him and Akhtar on bail.

Defence counsel M.S. Khan requested the court to release his client and said he was arrested in the case Dec 10, 2013 and the statutory period of 90 days for investigation expired Monday.