Modi lookalike fights elections, gets notice for his 'one vote, one note' slogan
Lucknow, Apr 13: A Narendra Modi lookalike who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections has been served notice for violating the poll code over what he calls is his slogan "one vote, one note".
Abhinandan Pathak filed his nomination papers from Lucknow on Friday as an Independent candidate and said he would also contest Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
After filing nomination, he told the media that his slogan was "one note, one vote".
In a notice served to Pathak Friday evening, District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said that the slogan appeared to be in violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and amounts to "luring electorate for votes".
"Pathak has been given 24 hours time to reply to the notice after receiving it. In absence of the reply, FIR under relevant sections will be lodged against him," the DM, also the returning officer, said.
After challenging Home Minister Rajnath Singh, sitting MP and BJP candidate, who is yet to file his nomination from Lucknow, Pathak said that he would also file nomination from from Varanasi on April 26.
Claiming himself to be a "serious candidate and not the dummy one", Pathak said he was against 'jumla' (gimmick) and after winning, "I would support Rahul Gandhi's PM's candidature" .
Pathak bears resemblance to PM Modi. He dresses and speaks like Modi and begins his speech with 'Mitron' (friends), the pet word PM uses frequently to address his audiences.
A resident of Saharanpur, Pathak was with the BJP-led NDA constituent Republican Party of India (Athawale) as its state vice-president for Uttar Pradesh till he joined the Congress last month.
During the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, there were several lookalikes of Modi, including Pathak, who were seen in different places across the country during election campaigns.
However, Pathak had actively campaigned for the Congress in the run-up to the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh last year, holding meetings in a number of seats in the state, including Jagdalpur, Dantewada, Kondagaon and Bastar.
Lucknow, from where Pathak has filed his nomination, will vote in the fifth phase of the elections on May 6.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
