Poor voter turnout in UP by-polls as BJP, SP claim victory
Lucknow: Poor polling percentage was recorded in the by-polls for the Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, officials said.
According to Election Commission (EC) officials, 43 per cent voters had exercised their franchise in Gorakhpur when official voting hours ended at 5 p.m. while this percentage was just 38 percent for the Phulpur seat in Allahabad.
Voters still in the queues outside various polling stations at the end of the voting hours will be allowed to vote, a poll official said, pointing out that it will lead to a marginal increase in the voting percentage.
The balloting percentage in Gorakhpur, represented in the Lok Sabha by Yogi Adityanath before he became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, in 2014 was 54.64 percent.
Phulpur, represented by the present Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya before his election to the Legislative Council, had logged 50 percent voting in the 2014 general elections.
In Phulpur, the poorest polling on Sunday was reported from Allahabad (East) where only 21.65 percent voters turned up to exercise their franchise, followed by Allahabad (West) with 31 percent.
Snags in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were reported from some places. Polling was held up at Kidwai College in Allahabad (East) for some time due to a technical glitch.
In Gorakhpur, the lowest voter turnout of 33 percent was in Gorakhpur city and the highest 47 percent in Sahjanwa and Campierganj.
Both Chief Minister Adityanath and Maurya claimed victory for the BJP candidates, irrespective of the voter turnout in the two seats.
After casting his vote, a beaming Adityanath told reporters that the "BJP continues to get a groundswell of public support since they are witnessing development, peace, and prosperity under its government."
He also denied the influence of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance on the by-poll results.
"This is an unholy and opportunistic alliance, and the people know their real agenda very well and will thus defeat them emphatically," the Chief Minister said.
Maurya, after casting his vote along with his wife and son, said the victory margins would be big in both seats in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
"On March 14, when the votes are counted, the Bua-Bhatija (Mayawati-Akhilesh Yadav) will suffer another sad jolt."
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US SEC summons Gautam Adani, nephew Sagar in bribery case
New York (PTI): Adani group founder and chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar have been summoned to explain their stand on the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allegation of paying USD 265 million (Rs 2,200 crore) in bribes to secure lucrative solar power contracts.
Summons have been sent to Adani's Shantivan Farm residence in Ahmedabad and his nephew Sagar's Bodakdev residence in the same city for a reply to SEC within 21 days.
"Within 21 days after service of this summons on you (not counting the day you received it)...you must serve on the plaintiff (SEC) an answer to the attached complaint or a motion under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure," said a November 21 notice sent through the New York Eastern District Court.
"If you fail to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint. You also must file your answer or motion with the court," it added.
Gautam Adani, 62, and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, allegedly agreed to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years, according to an indictment unsealed in a New York court on Wednesday.
Separate from the indictment brought by the US Department of Justice, the US SEC has also charged the two and Cyril Cabanes, an executive of Azure Power Global, for "conduct arising out of a massive bribery scheme".
The ports-to-energy conglomerate has denied the allegations and said it will seek all possible legal resources.
"The Adani Group has always upheld and is steadfastly committed to maintaining the highest standards of governance, transparency and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions of its operations. We assure our stakeholders, partners and employees that we are a law-abiding organisation fully compliant with all laws."
An indictment in the US is basically a formal written allegation originating with a prosecutor and issued by a grand jury against a party charged with a crime. A person indicted is given formal notice to reply.
That person or persons can then hire a defence lawyer to defend.
Prosecutors said the investigation started in 2022 and found the inquiry obstructed.
They also allege that the Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies, as well as reports of the bribery probe.
"As alleged, the defendants orchestrated an elaborate scheme to bribe Indian government officials to secure contracts worth billions of dollars and... lied about the bribery scheme as they sought to raise capital from U.S. and international investors," US Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement announcing the charges on Wednesday.
"My office is committed to rooting out corruption in the international marketplace and protecting investors from those who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the integrity of our financial markets."
