New Karnataka bypoll schedule: KC Venugopal says EC acting like 'yet another govt dept'
New Delhi, Sep 27: Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal on Friday alleged that the Election Commission was acting like "yet another government department" and said the new schedule for the Karnataka bypolls have been made to "facilitate the purification" of disqualified legislators.
According to a notification issued by the Election Commission on Friday, bypolls to 15 Karnataka Assembly seats, which the poll panel had decided to defer, will be held on December 5.
Citing proceedings in the Supreme Court on Thursday regarding the pleas filed by 17 disqualified MLAs of the state challenging their disqualification, the EC said that after deliberations, it has decided that the nomination process will restart on November 11 as per the new schedule.
Following the EC decision, Venugopal tweeted, "The Election Commission now acts like yet another government department. Postponing elections after starting the proceedings is quite unusual. The new schedule also seems to have been made to facilitate the purification of the disqualified MLAs."
The Election Commission now acts like yet another govt department. Postponing elections after starting the proceedings is quite unusual. The new schedule also seems to have been made to facilitate the purification of the disqualified MLAs.
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) September 27, 2019
The apex court will hear the matter next on October 22 and has expressed its inclination to decide the issue.
In July, then Karnataka Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar had disqualified 17 MLAs 13 belonging to the Congress, three JD(S) and one Independent which eventually led to the fall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.
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Elephant calf brought from Bijnor kept under care at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
Pilibhit (PTI): A 19-day-old elephant calf, brought from Bijnor, was placed under care at the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) on Sunday, an official said and added that the calf got separated from its mother in the forest area of Bijnor.
The calf was born on December 2 in the Bijnor forest area and got separated from its mother shortly after birth, the official said.
The forest department made several attempts to reunite it with its mother, but without any success. To ensure the calf's safety and better care, it was decided to transfer it to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve on the instructions of senior officials.
On Saturday, Deputy Director Manish Singh received the calf. Special arrangements have been made in the reserve for its care. It has been kept in a safe and clean environment to provide it with a natural setting and protect it from external noise and disturbances.
Singh told reporters that raising an 19-day-old calf is challenging.
It requires a special diet as a substitute for mother's milk and constant monitoring.
He said a special team has been formed to provide 24-hour care. Since the calf is very young, it is being cared for like a newborn baby.
According to Singh, the primary responsibility for monitoring the calf's health has been entrusted to PTR's veterinarian, Dr Daksh Gangwar. Under his supervision, a complete record of the calf's health checkups, diet, and body temperature is being maintained. The team is ensuring that the calf does not contract any infection.
