36,902 new coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, a new high; 112 deaths
Mumbai, Mar 26: Maharashtra recorded 36,902 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, the highest one-day rise since the pandemic began.
State capital Mumbai also witnessed a record rise of 5,515 cases during the day, health officials said.
The caseload in the state rose to 26,37,735, taking its positivity rate to 13. 86 per cent. With 112 fatalities reported on Friday, the death toll reached 53,907.
Looking at the alarming rise in cases, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray earlier in the day ordered night curfew in the entire state from Sunday (March 28) onwards.
Mumbai reported 5,515 new cases, its highest daily rise till now, while the nearby Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation reported 1,020 cases, its highest rise so far.
Pune city and neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad reported 3,679 and 1,782 new cases, respectively. As many as 1,686 cases were reported in other areas of the Pune district.
In the Marathwada region, Aurangabad city reported 1,563 cases while 617 cases were detected in the Nanded city.
Jalna district, which shares border with Aurangabad district, reported 607 cases.
Nagpur city and Nagpur district (barring the city) added 3,055 and 1,102 cases, respectively.
With the discharge of 17,019 patients from hospitals, the recovery count in the state increased to 23,00,056.
There are 2,82,451 active cases now.
As many as 1,56,685 coronavirus tests were carried out on Friday, taking the total to 1,90,35,439.
Maharashtra's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases: 26,37,735, new cases: 36,902, death toll: 53,907, discharged: 23,00,056, active cases: 2,82,451, people tested so far: 1,90,35,439.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
