After Pilot corners Rajasthan govt on paper leaks, Gehlot says action taken against kingpins
Jaipur (PTI): Responding to Congress leader Sachin Pilot's remark that action should be taken against the "big sharks" behind paper leaks in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said his government's actions in those cases were aimed at the kingpins.
Pilot, who is involved in a power tussle with Gehlot, on Monday said paper leak incidents hurt the aspirations of the youth. "To instill confidence in the youth, the government should take action against the big sharks responsible for paper leaks," he told farmers and the youth at a Kisan Sammelan in Nagaur's Parbatsar, indirectly targeting his own party's government.
Asked about the former deputy chief minister's comment, Gehlot said the action which was taken by his government was against the kingpins in the cases.
The chief minister said the state government intends to ensure transparency in the exams and facilitate candidates taking the tests.
Gehlot also refuted opposition allegations that leaders of his party or government officials were involved in the second grade teacher recruitment paper leak.
"Rajasthan is a state where strict action has been taken against those involved in paper leak cases in the past. Several officers were dismissed from service, bulldozers were run over (illegal properties of accused), law against cheating was formulated. Such steps were not taken in any other state," he told reporters here.
"Leaders of opposition parties do not see what happens in MP or UP. Here in Rajasthan, the government has taken strict steps. Main accused were arrested and papers were cancelled here, while in other states, exams happened despite paper leaks and those involved in the leaks reaped the benefits," Gehlot added.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) MP Hanuman Beniwal have alleged that the accused in the paper leak cases were linked to senior officials at the Chief Minister's Office.
Gehlot said during his tenure, 1.35 lakh government jobs have been given, the process of recruitment on 1.25 lakh more posts is going on and recruitment will be done on another one lakh posts.
"The opposition does not want the Congress to get the credit for this," Gehlot alleged.
The Rajasthan second grade teacher recruitment exam paper was leaked last month, following which the test was cancelled. More than 50 people, including candidates, were arrested for their alleged involvement.
Nagaur MP Beniwal is holding a protest in Jaipur against the incidents of paper leaks.
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2nd phase of Bengal poll: 39.97 per cent polling till 11 am amid sporadic violence
Kolkata (PTI): Nearly 40 per cent of the 3.21 crore electors voted till 11 am of the second phase of polling in West Bengal amid sporadic violence, while tension gripped the Bhabanipur seat briefly as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari took swipes at one another in the same booth area.
Voters queued up from 7 am outside booths in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman districts, which form Bengal's electoral and political core.
Of the total electorate eligible to vote in this phase, 1.57 crore are women, and 792 are third-gender.
Till 11 am, West Bengal recorded 39.97 per cent polling with Purba Bardhaman registering the highest turnout at 44.50 per cent, followed by Hooghly at 43.12 per cent and Nadia at 40.34 per cent.
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Howrah recorded 39.45 per cent polling, while North 24 Parganas registered 38.43 per cent. Kolkata North and Kolkata South recorded 38.39 per cent and 36.78 per cent turnout, respectively.
South 24 Parganas, a politically crucial district witnessing several high-profile contests, recorded 37.9 per cent voting.
The first phase of polls in 152 Assembly seats of West Bengal on April 23 also recorded more than 41 per cent polling till 11 am.
"Polling is underway peacefully, barring some minor incidents in certain areas. We have sought reports from the officials concerned," a poll panel official said.
The early-morning convergence of Banerjee and Adhikari at the same booth area in Chakraberia turned Bhabanipur -- the chief minister's electoral bastion -- into the centrepiece of the day, reinforcing the symbolic weight of their prestige battle seen as a rematch of Nandigram, where the BJP leader had defeated her in 2021.
Banerjee was already seated outside the booth after receiving complaints of alleged intimidation of local TMC leaders when Adhikari arrived there amid heavy deployment of central forces.
Stepping out of his car, Adhikari declared, "I will not allow any hooliganism", while Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to "rig" the election using central forces, police observers and election officials.
"BJP wants to rig this election. Polls in Bengal are usually peaceful. Is there goonda raj here?" Banerjee told reporters, alleging CRPF personnel had visited the homes of TMC leaders late Tuesday night and unleashed terror in the area.
She alleged that election observers were acting at the BJP's behest and claimed TMC workers were being selectively targeted across districts.
Adhikari dismissed the charges as signs of "frustration", claiming Banerjee had realised that "not a single vote" was coming her way.
Banerjee, who usually steps out of her Kalighat residence late in the day to cast her vote at Mitra Institution School, broke convention and hit the ground before 8 am, moving through Chetla, Padmapukur and Chakraberia, underlining the stakes attached to Bhabanipur and the wider battle for south Bengal.
Reports of violence, vandalism and tension surfaced from several districts.
In Nadia district's Chapra, a BJP polling agent was allegedly assaulted inside a booth during a mock poll. The BJP accused TMC supporters of attacking its agent, while the ruling party denied the charge. In Shantipur, a BJP camp office was found vandalised.
In South 24 Pargana's Bhangar, the ISF alleged that its polling agents were prevented from entering booths.
Howrah's Bally constituency saw tension at a booth in Liluah after an EVM malfunction delayed voting, prompting central forces to lathi-charge agitated voters. Two people were arrested in the matter.
Police and RAF personnel were also seen chasing away crowds near a booth in Amdanga following complaints of unlawful gathering by bike-borne supporters.
In Panihati, BJP candidate Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar victim, faced protests and her car was allegedly stopped by TMC workers, while in Jagaddal, the recovery of a firearm near a polling booth triggered tension before police and central forces restored order.
BJP candidate from Basanti assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas, Bikash Sardar, on Wednesday, alleged that "200-250 TMC goons" attacked his car and assaulted his driver when he was visiting polling booths in the constituency.
The TMC did not immediately respond to the allegations.
Unlike the first phase, where the BJP sought to defend its north Bengal gains, the final round has shifted the battle squarely to the TMC's strongest belt.
In 2021, the ruling party had won 123 of these 142 seats, leaving just 18 for the BJP and one for the ISF. For the BJP, breaching this southern fortress remains critical if it hopes to mount a serious challenge for power in the state.
