Assembly elections: Election Commission unveils 3 mobile apps
Bengaluru: Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat and Election Commissioners Sunil Arora and Ashok Lavasa on Thursday launched three mobile applications for voters ahead of the May 12 Karnataka Assembly elections.
The applications -- Election Officers' Directory, Model Code of Conduct Reporting and Election Quiz -- would allow the voters to find the contact numbers of the poll officers, report any violations of code of conduct and get information on the polls.
"Our aim is to ensure that no voter is left behind, as every vote is valuable and counts," said Rawat on the occasion.
On the second day of the poll panel's visit to the state, its members reviewed arrangements for the polling with the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) of the 30 districts across the state, an official statement said.
"All the District Electoral Officers were apprised of the use of VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) counting booth model prepared by the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar," it said.
With a theme for the assembly election, "Inclusive, Accessible and Ethical Elections", the poll panel has been working on educating the voters in the city and across the state.
In a bid to educate voters, the city's civic corporation has put up about 100 hoardings across the city bearing messages on electoral participation.
The poll panel is also holding various Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and VVPAT awareness campaigns in the state.
Rawat on Thursday flagged off eight vehicles that will travel through the state with election awareness content.
A photo exhibition displaying the evolution of electoral process in the country has also been unveiled at Chitrakala Parishad in the city centre.
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RSS man's defamation case against Rahul: Key witness unavailable, hearing adjourned to Dec 20
Thane (PTI): A court in Bhiwandi in Thane district on Saturday adjourned the hearing in the criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker to December 20 due to non-availability of a crucial prosecution witness.
Advocate Narayan Iyer, counsel for Rahul Gandhi, confirmed the adjournment, stating that the witness, Ashok Saykar, currently Deputy Superintendent of Police in Barshi in Solapur, could not remain present due to personal reasons.
Saykar's evidence is now likely to be recorded on December 29.
His testimony is considered key because he, as police sub inspector in 2014, conducted the preliminary inquiry into the private defamation matter under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
It was on the basis of Saykar's submitted report that the court subsequently issued process (summons) against Rahul Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The criminal defamation case was filed by local RSS worker Rajesh Kunte following a speech given by Rahul Gandhi at an election rally near Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014.
The case stems from the Congress leader's alleged statement that "the RSS people killed (Mahatma) Gandhi."
The matter is being heard by Bhiwandi Joint Civil Judge, Junior Division, P M Kolse.
The hearing had previously been adjourned on November 15 after the complainant's counsel, Advocate Prabodh Jaywant, moved an application seeking permission to examine Saykar, who had submitted the probe report to the court.
The matter was originally scheduled for November 29 but was deferred to December 6 after Rahul Gandhi's legal team sought an adjournment citing their non-availability. The proceedings will now resume on December 20.
