No Nipah virus case in northeast: Official
Imphal, May 29: No case of Nipah virus has been detected in the northeast, an official said on Tuesday, denying misleading social media reports about its presence in the region.
Manipur's Director, Health Services, K. Rajo said there were social media reports to the effect that some cases of Nipah had been detected in Meghalaya, but officials in the state denied any confirmed case.
The northeast region, which is visited daily by people from other states including Kerala - where an outbreak of the disease claimed at least a dozen lives, is vulnerable to such diseases, he said, but added all northeast states had geared up on precautionary measures.
Advising people to consume fruits after washing them carefully, he also said that in case low grade fever is detected in people coming from other states in general, and Kerala in particular, hospital officials should be informed.
He also said that special isolation wards are being arranged in the two major hospitals, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences and J.N. Institute of Medical Sciences located in Imphal to cope with any eventuality.
Meanwhile, an anti-diarrhoea fortnight was launched in Manipur from Monday, under which over 4 lakh children up to five years of age will be covered, he said. This fatal disease is claiming lives of lakhs of children in India every year.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
