Stage set for elections to 48 civic bodies in Jharkhand
Ranchi (PTI): All preparations have been made for conducting elections to Jharkhand's 48 urban local bodies (ULB), including Ranchi, on Monday, a State Election Commission (SEC) official said.
Voting will begin at 7 am amid tight security and will continue till 5 pm, he said.
Over 43.43 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the elections.
"The polling parties have been dispatched on Sunday morning and they are expected to reach their respective destinations by this evening. Many of them have already reached," SEC secretary Radhe Shyam Prasad told PTI.
The counting of votes will be held on February 27.
The elections are scheduled to be held for the posts of mayor, chairperson and councillor at 1,042 wards in nine municipal corporations, 20 nagar parishads and 19 nagar panchayats, he said.
There are 1,087 wards in 48 ULBs, but elections will be held in 1,042 wards, as 41 councillors have already been elected unopposed, while three wards remained vacant after no nomination was received and election at a ward in Mango Municipal Corporation has been cancelled after death of a candidate, Prasad said.
As many as 562 candidates, including 235 women, are in fray for the post of mayor and chairperson, while 5,562 candidates, including 2,727 women, are contesting for the post of ward councillors.
Prasad said adequate security arrangements have been ensured in each booth across 48 ULBs in the state.
A total of 4,307 polling booths have been set up to hold the elections. Of the total polling booths, 896 have been identified as hyper-sensitive and 2,445 as sensitive.
The campaigning for the polls ended at 5 pm on Saturday.
ULB polls in Jharkhand are not contested on the basis of the electoral symbols of the political parties, but candidates are backed by the outfits.
In Ranchi, 11 candidates are contesting for the post of mayor, while 167 aspirants are in the fray for 53 ward councillor posts.
Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said all preparations are in place for the election on Monday.
As many as 909 polling booths have been set up in Ranchi. A total of 422 wheelchairs have been provided to facilitate elderly and physically challenged persons in booths, according to a statement issued by the Ranchi administration.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
