Petrol prices rise for 14th straight day; cross Rs 78 mark in Delhi
New Delhi, May 27: Domestic petrol prices increased for the 14th consecutive day on Sunday, with the key transportation fuel being sold at Rs 78.12 per litre in the national capital.
According to the data from oil marketing major IndianOil, petrol price rose to Rs 78.12 in Delhi from Rs 77.97 a litre on Saturday.
Along with Delhi, prices in Mumbai and Chennai have already reached record levels. In Mumbai and Chennai, petrol was sold at Rs 85.93 and Rs 81.11 a litre, respectively, up from Rs 85.78 and Rs 80.95 per litre on Saturday.
In addition, price in Kolkata inched up to Rs 80.76, against 80.61 per litre on the previous day.
The surge in petrol prices is largely attributed to the recent rise in crude oil cost and the high excise duty levied on the particular fuel type in the country.
Diesel cost, which is already at record levels across the major cities, rose to Rs 69.06, Rs 71.61, Rs 73.53 and Rs 72.91 a litre on Sunday in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, respectively.
However, consumers can expect some relief as the Brent crude oil prices have eased to around $76 from $78 per barrel on Friday.
As per the country's pricing mechanism, the domestic petrol prices are dependent on the international fuel price on a 15-day average.
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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.
